David Bowie performs "Fame" on Soul Train

[uzipolo]

this aired 01/03/76 epi20 show#165 this was a rare treat because david bowie was already large and was running LA at the time with his movie and overseas buzz(john lennon wrote this as well did background/ab libs) but dont get it twisted there were other powerhouse white acts on here like franki valli and when gino vanilli hit the stage he have the best white performance ever with wheels of life and i dont want to stop when i saws that performance i thought that it was HIS SHOW, not soul train

[IllmaticFlows]

this is funky!

[veroanderson]

I never knew that John Lennon was singing back up!!wow!

[g0hn]

so thats fame... ok, dont need it :D

[emdawgz1]

Without question....

THE COOLEST WHITE BOY EVER!!!!!!!

[eliz7212]

Soooooo thin

[explosionpants17]

all i can say is thin white duke man, thin. white. duke.

[CHRISSIE23234]

He was getting off

[jrmetmoi]

He looks good dammit!

[FiercelyReality]

he is so sexy ;)

too bad its painfully obvious he's lip syncing...

[macmaghnusa]

@FiercelyReality

Practically EVERYBODY lipsynced on ST, even human gods like Marvin Gaye. I can think of one exception though. The Isley Brothers played Summer Breeze and That Lady live.

[Yabbadabbawhat100]

@FiercelyReality Live performances on Soul Train were a rarity. There were a few live ones, but logistically it was a huge undertaking.  The lip-synching was more out of necessity than anything.

[therealraybaby]

#241(Tie)

[CHRISSIE23234]

I love this song lol

[manjayp]

1:48 Lipsync fail? WHO CARES, it's Bowie!!

[qbalfrog]

He said that he remembers none of it. History making, as the first white performer on Soul Train, but so coked up as to not be able to recall it. Sad. So glad he got past all of that angst and addiction.

[clgil77]

Love this! David was eating this up! Go head on! EVERYone loved Soul Train even the ROCKERS! RIP DON, you deserve an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

[heyrob69]

one year later James Brown copied the song in 1976 for a song call Heat

[sauronoverlord]

Rest in Peace, Don Cornelius. Peace, Love, and Soul

[UrbanBedouina]

My God - he's still a sexy beast!

[Mrjones1227]

He was high as shit, but still managed a great performance ....Thats Greatness!

[Cyke101]

Someone please tell me Bowie was part of the Soul Train line.

[66spiked]

I'm seeing no video??

[TONY45066]

Thats some bad lip synching

[dedseason]

@TONY45066 he admits that he hated lip synching cuz he was bad at it. lol

[thermionic1234567]

I never even suspected that this song was funk! Wow! Dumb white boy here!

[trentconde]

Stone PIMP!!!!!

[MURPHNSPUD]

BLACK PEOPLE LOVE ALIEN FUNK!

BIG WOW!

not really

It's only Record Shops that 'pigeon-hole' music

and they kinda have to

Great Hair Dave xx

[jrmetmoi]

@MURPHNSPUD Yeah otherwise using the alphabetical order to find things would take all day!

[MURPHNSPUD]

@jrmetmoi I 'almost' get what you mean - I just think its 'comical' or something - 'Black demographic' is probably a phrase used by some 'exec' around this time - and reminds us europeans of how divisive the U.S. media world can be - thats all - ask your man from 'S-express' - i'm sure he said 'radio' wouldn't play there stuff as It wasn't what 'They' [u.s. radio] thought of as 'House Music' - there go them pigeon's again !

[MURPHNSPUD]

@jrmetmoi You miss my point - Randy Crawford is a 'household name' in Europe = But ms.RC's highest solo album placing in the US 'Market' was something like 109. Being musically 'versatile' and crossing 'Genre's' leads to mass appeal - whatever the 'colour' the listener. Prince initially had the 'too white' tag for 'Black Radio. Lisa Stansfield - there was no better 'reward' for her own go at 'plastic soul' than to appear on 'Live from the Apollo' she said

[hillmaste]

Bowie can be funky with the best of them. Love his lapels! RIP Don Cornelius.

[LittleEmoDancer]

Lipsyncing is common on these shows and in the UK it's legally mandated by the BBC, dunno if it's the same way in the US. As for being coked out, that's glam for ya. it wouldn't be the same if it wasn't soaked in coke!

[LordofBlackClouds]

You know the songs good if you got a roomful of black people dancing to it when a Brit wrote it

[DelayInBlock]

Bowie is the uggliest guy ever. Great song though. That's all that matters.

[MURPHNSPUD]

@DelayInBlock ''OI FINK HE LOOKS LOVELY'' oh yeh 'ugg-liest' did u sleep a lot in English class?

[dcthegreatest24]

two words....Milli Vanilli, but this is still cool as shit

[MJP474]

Ride on the Track as One:).>

[TheSanealaddin]

Though I think GoldenYyears is as good a song as Fame, prefer his Soul Train performance of Fame; he's still carrying shades of Halloween Jack with this whereas Golden Years is ushering in the Duke, not as compulsive a character

[TEACHYOUTEEWHY]

Hey yo. I could of sworn that a BLACK person from the South sung this song. BIG UP'S TO DAVID BOWIE!!

[themachman19691]

Think David must have picked up Barry White's suit by accident

[themachman19691]

brilliant quality!!!thanks for posting

[Chocolatecitycam]

This is when music was music ok!!!!!!

[DjStaxx]

People lip sync in all their music videos, so whats the big deal. Soul train was the number #1 most influential thing that has ever happened to music period!

[mikehh9]

@DjStaxx Really? Soul Train is the MOST INFLUENTIAL thing to ever happen to music?!?!?! Wow I hope your not really a DJ...... You my friend are what they call a moronic asshole.

[DjStaxx]

@mikehh9 Thank you, I love u too cupcake! If you notice I said "thing" I didnt say person. Check your facts, Soul Train holds the honor of being the longest continuously running first-run syndicated program in television history. It brought artists to the forefront of people around the world, with more popularity then any music channel or music show that has ever existed. Tell me some "thing" that was more influential to musc then that.

[santinosantino]

I don't see John Lennon on stage with him playing the bass line and singing the background vocals. It's the record you're hearing! That's show-business!

[santinosantino]

Soul Train didn't have the budget nor the desire to have performers come on and sing a "LIVE" version of their hit song. Sometimes great singers have to lip-sync to their music. It's not a big deal, Bowie is undeniably talented. It comes down to production value, budgetary constraints, & aesthetics. Bowie is obviously lip-syncing, but again everyone who's ever performed on Soul Train was lip-syncing as well.

[jonisamuels]

The people who are saying this is not lip synced... come on. Bowie is about as amazing live as you can get, but this is clearly not live. It's one of the only performances I've seen him lip sync, but it definitely is. The amount of times I've heard Fame, and Golden Years (he performed it too on Soul Train), you can easily tell that it's exactly the same as the recorded single track. Bowie never keeps it the same live, he always changes his vocals up a bit.

[Maddietalksalot789]

Ooo he gettin jiggy with it. :)

[jai105115]

Hmmmmm

[carmeltee504]

lol go bowie

[joevs21001]

This is why David is such a SUPERSTAR! There are few that can match the quality of David's live performances. He is a true SOUL MASTER!

[withforte]

Cocaine and remembering one's own lyrics. Some things just weren't meant to be.

[RaikenXion]

Bowie man!!! that legendary just look at him rockin Soul Train!!!!! lol

[stfwho]

its impossible to lip-sync this. not even DAVID BOWIE could pull it off

[rickw1100]

@stfwho -absolutely! Hes live!

[stfwho]

@rickw1100 he's not live. how could he possibly be live when he had to do multiple overlapping vocal tracks to get this? You can see him lipsynching. It's pretty obvious.

[rickw1100]

@stfwho Watch it again. He is clearly not lip syncing. This is NOT the record. His vocals are live, unlike most of the garbage acts on Soul Train.

[stfwho]

@rickw1100 yeah, he's definitely miming. I looked very closely. I've heard the record a billion times. I even compared them. Its just the album record playing with him miming to it. You can see him sing "FAAAAAAME makes a man who'll take things over"

but those tracks overlap, so he's clearly miming. Its obvious. Bowie is amazing but he isn't THAT good, he can't have two different voices at once.

[rickw1100]

@stfwho @stfwho The instrumental tracks and background vocals are recorded- but NOT his main vocal. Thats live-and that makes it a live performance. He is backed up by his own vocals -that gives an over-lay sound effect. But his main vocal is still live. He IS that good!

[geobruf123]

lucky he mimed. god knows what he would have sung if it was live

[heklngjekl]

Damn he looks coked the fuck out

[NationOfAblation]

I love Bowie, always will... but he dances like a white guy... the whitest white guy you know.

[ENEMENCIO123VISION]

HIS GREATEST SONG EVER!!! HANDS DOWN!!! I HAD THE 45 AND WORE THAT THING OUT!!! FAME!!!

[eggsaladman]

What's that weird white guy doing there?

[MrzCh3vyriddah]

I Luv this song!

[MultiMcKenzie09]

FAAAAAAAAAAAAME SUMTHING SUMTHING SUMTHING SUMTHING FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME

[pinssimies]

that self hugging dance-move he does is iconic

[engreena]

Does David still tour?

[DBCrowns]

@engreena no american tour since 2004. so no.

[sidney7z]

I love David, I really do, but... playback... :(

[sierria64]

ONLY THE WHITES THAT HAD SOUL PLAYED THE TRAIN .. AND BOWIE WAS AS FUNKY AS IT GETS

[thermionic1234567]

@sierria64 Too bad he was lip-synching!

[keemchard7]

this shit is on point I miss old school and I'm only 15 ha!

[CrankDatBabyJune]

I would kill to be that funky!

[pinssimies]

obvuíously lip syncin and soaked in cocaine, but gosh, he is still so sexy and keeping it together. Gotta love this man <3

[quieroricardo]

@pinssimies 99.9% of musicians back then were soaked in cocaine and lip synced, it wasn't a dirty word back then. Of course people on this site have to point it out as though it were the career ending taboo it appears to have become these days.

[randomeddie]

@pinssimies Ha! "soaked in cocaine" Priceless...

[andmaketherain]

The Thin White Duke...

[Samwise10101]

haha lip synced it but still good

[myradioon]

The only band I've ever seen not lip-synching on Soultrain is The Isley Brothers.

Cuz, well ya know, it's The M F.'n Isley Brothers!

By the way Bowie is too legit.

[TerminalMeltdown]

play this video against Lit Up from Buckcherry. LOL

[TerminalMeltdown]

Reminds me of the lead singer in Buck Cherry

[jimmi3460]

SWAG!

[Swervin309]

Obvious lip syncer is obvious.

[frusc1ant33]

@Swervin309 thats what earlier soul train did, then they wanted to livin it up and have live perfmances.

[Drezyful]

it doesn't matter what color he is this song is tooooooo funky!!!

[MourirSarin]

this is so awesome. I loooove David Bowie!!

[sexymama1966]

he dropped like it was hot! 

[MourirSarin]

@sexymama1966 bahahahhaahahha! he started all that in the beginning haha

[skinpli]

only the kewl white singers got on soul train hahah david is the shyttt

[MourirSarin]

@skinpli totally and im a black chick and i loooove david bowie and soul train

[dlfunky1]

you can tell he wasn't used to lipsyncing coz he was soooo bad at it lol!

[taffysaur]

@dlfunky1 to be fair he's probably coked off teh planet.

[MourirSarin]

@taffysaur bahah yes most likely!! Look at his nose.

[spinatune]

At last --- Greatness !!! BOWIE BOWIE BOWIE IS THERE ANY WONDER?

[GibsonLord1]

lip syncing?

[TheFatboyT]

im black...but that is swag!!!!!! not what these young boys talkin bout...

[cariya018]

Yepp he is I saw the vh1 thing on this

[danielxmeredith]

Is he lip syncing?

[SuperILUVMJ]

@danielxmeredith yeah! He said in an interview that he 4got the wrds so they told him to lip sync...he was high 2....Oh David..

[liquidgee13]

I was tween-teen back when Soul Train ran of one of the PBS stations in the Boston area. A guilty secret I liked to watch. Imagine, a white kid enjoying funk, r&b, funk and soul ...

[KIDAmnesiacBends]

note the clenched jaws.....columbia

[LucindaLC]

The Thin White Duke on Soul Train. As a teenager I remember watching this on a Saturday afternoon. I remember it today. But, damn he was thin!

[palove2001]

Historic! The first white man to perform on Soul Train!

[okaythenbob]

@palove2001 That was actually Gino Vanelli who was the first not the Thin White Duke.

[bcorona28]

Classic !

[nubhevupni]

Love him, but he looks like they dug him out of his grave and reanimated him with voodoo.

[crazysniper129]

that man got soul!

[coolanddark]

is he lip syncing. great song

[therealdjdrank]

@coolanddark he's a shocker for u no one ever performed live on soul train! that's why every performance was always perfect even with heavy dance routines.

[MissErika609]

@Bestrbalive yea! you can tell...

[uzipolo]

john lennon

[MrDJChEeSe]

SOUL!! Nuff Said!!!

[PsychoNurseNL]

And Bowie goes: FAME blablablebberflubberdoebeda



[bestrbalive]

its funny because on a Soul Train special he said that he had forgot the lyrics to the song

[jrgemrno]

I remember this. I watched it!!

Thank you!!!!

Classic Soul Music!!!1

[jrgemrno]

I remember this. I watched it!!

Thank you!!!!

[TheDOLMET]

Bowie killing it, on SOUL TRAIN.

[peaeater1]

The Thin White Duke after some fat, white lines....

[petaunot]

@peaeater1 And damn lucky to be alive.

[MisterSynyster]

He is drunk as hell

[TheRonaldo666]

@MisterSynyster I never really noticed before, but yes you're right. He's one drunk rock star.

[floppybollox3]

The Thin White duke yea, he is a Brixton Boy after all!

[Atoyota]

haha it was fun seeing him try to pull off the lip sink. I mean yeah they had to on those shows (soul train hullabaloo etc...) just fun to watch now.

He did a good job.

[BigSexyAlBundy]

David Bowie and John Lennon was smoking some bomb Cali when they created this

[MrWagman11]

Obvious lip sync. But that's how they did it.

[Squeaky1423]

omg I love Bowie but he is so skeletal here, and SO coked out, wow!

[edumup]

The music is funky!!!

[SonicaMusic]

white boy rocked it thats what the fuck is up see them lovin himcheering at the start awesome good music!

[RememberTheTime09]

David Bowie will always be among the coolest!

[tevin3619]

This muhfucka coked out

[erika2012vsu]

the worst lip sync ever.. But I still Love Bowie The ORIGINAL FAME MONSTER

[rickriddle]

In his own world....

[motherginsling]

So out ot it he looks like he's in, and the gist of it.

Oh my, oh my, was Soul Train as sexy as it looks?!

[FanOfFab4]

One of the most prolific talents out there!

[RightWingHunter666]

Classic.. thanks for uploading

[ellessesims]

Major Hit..

[thevisitortjn2]

GR8 lip sync IMO.

The clip is in sync too !.

Questions for Globalimageworks.

Q: Any chance you could put up the full interview with Don ?.

Q: Bowie was the first white guy on Soul Train ?.

Q: Do you know what Bowie was drinking in the Green Room,.....something with Coke in it ?. LOL

I get the feeling from Mr Cornelius reaction in the intro's and interview, he really doesn't know what to make of Bowie ?.

T.I.A.

BTW Love the GOLDEN YEARS clip too.

thevisitor

[mjjcng8958]

@thevisitortjn2 bowie was not the first white guy niether was elton john his name is gino vinelli he was first

[thevisitortjn2]

@mjjcng8958 K. Going by Wiki Dennis Coffey was the first white lead act to appear on the show, then Gino Vinelli.

Then Elton John, maybe Bowie was the 4th white act to appear on S.T. ?.

[mjjcng8958]

@thevisitortjn2 but he was the first rock star. i love this guy. and coffe was the first white guy? cool scorpio is the name of the song

[FalconCrest15]

i saw on the documentary of Soul Train that he actually forgot to practice lip-syncing. Thats why it was bad but all the artists lip synced. a live performance on soul train in the 70s was rare.

[MissRetroPink]

I read somewhere he was actually drunk during his performance. He was so nervous, drinking calmed him down or something...

[giseba7]

Awesome song, but horrible performance lip-sync!!!

[joligirl13]

god that man is sexy

[ianj2]

Coke Adds Life. Apparently.

[cwruomar]

lip synching - come on bowie

[TheZoostudio13]

@cwruomar Most people had to lip synch on soul train, it was sort of a condition.

[mauimom67]

David Bowie is one funky -ass white boy! I remeber when this tune came out. We were groovin' to this bigtime.

[radiodj1520]

I Believe This Was A Video Clip From The 165th Edition Of "Soul Train" On January 3, 1976.

[MsMoonTheLoon]

this is so sexual

love it

[gocy]

bowie on soul train, what more is there to say.

[magich8ball]

Damn! That is still a hard hitting, funky beat! Thanks for posting this!