There are songs that become so connected to a band that it’s easy to forget they didn’t write them. All The Young Dudes is one of those songs for me. David Bowie wrote it and you can certainly hear Bowie all over it, but Ian Hunter’s voice made it belong to Mott the Hoople. Hunter has always been one of my favorite singers. He doesn’t have one of those perfect voices, and that’s exactly why I like him. There is personality and feel in every word.
By 1972, Mott the Hoople were in trouble. The band had built a loyal following as a terrific live act, but record sales weren’t matching their reputation, and they were considering breaking up. David Bowie was a fan and didn’t want to see that happen. He initially offered them Suffragette City, which they turned down. Bowie then played them a new song he had written called All the Young Dudes. This time they knew he had something.
Bowie produced their recording and also contributed backing vocals. The single was released in 1972 and became a hit in the UK, becoming the song that saved Mott the Hoople. It also gave the band their breakthrough in America. The song became closely associated with the glam-rock movement, although Mott never sounded quite like the other glam bands to me. There was always more straight-ahead rock and roll underneath everything they did.
What I love is how much it sounds like Bowie without Ian Hunter ever trying to be Bowie. You have Bowie’s melody, words, and production, but then that unmistakable Hunter voice comes through the speakers. Bowie later recorded versions himself, but Mott’s is the one. Bowie gave them the song, and Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople gave it its identity.
Give me a singer with character over a technically perfect singer almost every time (and this has nothing to do with Bowie; I like his voice). This has that great slow build and a chorus made for a crowd to sing. Bowie may have written it, but when I hear that opening guitar and then Ian Hunter comes in, I don’t think of anyone else.
Mott the Hoople does a great job on this. This era is my favorite of David Bowie… All the Ziggy Stardust music (which this was originally written for) and the Hunky Dory album…not that any era of Bowie is bad.
David Bowie on writing the song for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album
David Bowie: “Ziggy was in a rock ‘n’ roll band, and the kids no longer want rock ‘n’ roll, there’s no electricity to play it. Ziggy’s adviser tells him to collect news and sing it, ’cause there is no news. So Ziggy does this, and there is terrible news. ‘All the Young Dudes’ is a song about this news. It is no hymn to the youth as people thought. It is completely the opposite.”
The song peaked at #37 on the Billboard 100, #31 in Canada, and #3 in the UK in 1972.
All The Young Dudes
Well, Billy rapped all night about his suicideHow he’d kick it in the head when he was 25Speed jive, don’t want to stay aliveWhen you’re 25
And Wendy’s stealing clothes from Marks & SparksAnd Freddy’s got spots from ripping off the stars from his faceFunky little boat raceTelevision man is crazy saying we’re juvenile delinquent wrecksOh, man, I need TV when I’ve got T.RexOh brother, you guessedI’m a dude, dad
All the young dudes (hey dudes!)Carry the news (where are you?)Boogaloo dudes (stand up, c’mon)Carry the news
All the young dudes (I want to hear you)Carry the news (I want to see you)Boogaloo dudes (I want to talk to you, all of you)Carry the news (now)
Lucy looks sweet ’cause he dresses like a queenBut he can kick like a mule, it’s a real mean teamBut we can loveOh, yes, we can love
And my brother’s back at home with his Beatles and his StonesWe never got it off on that revolution stuffWhat a drag, too many snagsNow I’ve drunk a lot of wine and I’m feeling fineGot to race some cat to bedOh, is that concrete all aroundOr is it in my head? YeahI’m a dude, dad
All the young dudes (hey dudes)Carry the news (where are you?)Boogaloo dudes (stand up)Carry the news
All the young dudes (I want to hear you)Carry the news (I want to see you)Boogaloo dudes (I want to relate to you)Carry the news
All the young dudes (what dudes?)Carry the news (let’s hear the news, c’mon)Boogaloo dudes (I want to kick you)Carry the news
All the young dudes (with the glasses)Carry the news (I want you)Boogaloo dudes (I want you in the front)Carry the news (now)
All the young dudes (now you bring him down)(‘Cause I want him)Carry the newsBoogaloo dudes (I want him right here)(Bring him, c’mon)Carry the news (bring him)
All the young dudes (I’ve wanted to do this for years)Carry the news (there you go!)Boogaloo dudes (how’d it feel?)Carry the news
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I had never seen that quote from Bowie! Live and learn. Totally agree with your assessment. Truly a classic.
I love that song, Max. And, frankly, how foolish of Mott the Hoople to turn down “Suffragette City”, but I suppose they all were young dudes! 🤣 Plus, selfishly, as a fan of David Bowie’s glam rock period, I’m not unhappy he used the song himself – one of the many gems on his epic “Ziggy Stardust” album.
Your post also reminded me of Ian Hunter, who as you may recall issued two remarkable late-stage career solo albums, “Defiance Part 1” and “Defiance Part 2: Fiction” and 2023 and 2024, respectively. There aren’t any recent updates on his website, so perhaps at age 87, Hunter finally has entered what would be well deserved retirement!
Yea I can’t believe they turned that one down. Yea…this one done the trick though! I like Ian a lot…I’ve heard some of those albums and I like them.
Only song I know by them, but it is a classic. You’re right, you could almost guess it was written by Bowie without being told.
They had another hit with All the Way From Memphis that is really good. Yes it has his style on it.
Boogaloo Dudes! That first guitar riff is instantly recognizable. Good stuff.
I just said that. You said it first today.
Great minds…
That really rolls off the tongue!
I never liked that line in this song, “Jimmy looking sweet though he dresses like a queen” and I wish they could have used another name instead of Jimmy.
lol…I know how you feel “bang bang Maxwell….”
That’s not so bad as at least that song doesn’t have you wearing women’s clothing.
Ok…you got me on that one!
:::trying to imagine you in a dress, Jim::: lmao!
keeping my mouth shut on this one!
🙂
Good news Jim…something seemed off about those lyrics…I just looked up the official lyrics…
…I got them from Ian Hunter site…it sounds like Jimmy but it’s Lucy.
Now Lucy looks sweet ’cause he dresses like a queen
But he can kick like a mule, it’s a real mean team
But we can love
Oh, yes, we can love
Top notch band. Ian Hunter’s book ‘Diary of a Rock n Star’ is well worth a read.
Thank you…I will pick that up from audible.
The opening riff gets me everytime then Ian takes over. Great tune.
Yes it is…I never get tired of hearing it.
I was a huge Hoople fan, but oddly this song I’m not a fan of….maybe because I’d heard the Mott and the Hoople and the live album first…Ian Hunter has been such a great songwriter, Mick Ralphs on guitar, and Overend Watts, Ariel Bender…Roll Away the Stone, my all time fave was Born Late ’58..and that H shaped guitar, saw that on Don Kershner’s Rock Concert…
I’ve really gotten into Ian in the past few years…his album “You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic” I like the best…
I do wish Mott would have stayed together longer.
I know the song, but Max, you have shown me that I really didn’t.
The comparison to Bowie. Of course I know Bowie wrote it. But when you said, “What I love is how much it sounds like Bowie without Ian Hunter ever trying to be Bowie.” I knew I was reading Max at his most analytical, most insightful. And you are 100% correct.
I also thank you for the lyrics. I never paid any attention to them. Yeah, I heard some of them, but I was never a big T. Rex fan so they were water off a duck’s back.
Great post, Max
Max, I also totally forgot Bowie wrote the song. About Mott the Hoople, I think they are a perfect marriage of glam and rock and roll. Pretty boys with a dangerous edge to them. Great song. JP Hoe did a cover of the song that I’ve scoured the internet to find again. Anyone reading, if you know where it is please link it here, ok?
Now you have me looking for it! When I find it I’ll send a link!
I had to fix a friend’s dad’s computer today…so again I will be late!
Max I hope you find it. I found reference to the lyrics when he was with a band, but when I tried to listen it said I had to buy it from amazon. Who knows maybe a scam website?
I wondered where you were. So much for a day off 🙁
I grew up with him and have known his family for years…so I did…I refused payment of course…but yea it sucked my Sunday away!
Yeah, its a classic. Tough choice between this era and Station to Station/Low for me.
He had something Beatle”ish” going on during Hunky Dory…thats probably not the right word but a very melodic way about his songwriting…like with Life On Mars.
Yeah, i don’t really think of Bowie as sophisticated- lots of his best work is working with a cool guitarist, who makes a cool riff and Bowie sings over it. But Life On Mars is really sophisticated, as is Dudes.
Prototypical Bowie in the songwriting and production, Hunter gives it a kick of vocal stomp.
Hunter does goose the song…I really like it.
Perfectly put Max.
One of Bowie’s best ever songs too.
Bruce Dickinson did a decent cover of it back in 1990. I think he recently jumped onstage with Green Day and did with them from what I read. I could be wrong going on memory haha
I’m listening to it now… the studio version…his voice is made for that chorus.
This makes me miss Bowie even more, Max!
total Glam classic, the best of both Bowie and Mott in one neat package
I love this song so much…the sound, the feel, and the melody…it’s not my faorite Bowie song (that would be Life On Mars) but it’s in the top3