Mott the Hoople – All The Young Dudes

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

Billy rapped all night ’bout his suicide
How he’d kick it in the head when he was 25
Don’t wanna stay alive when you’re 25

Wendy’s stealing clothes from unlocked cars
Freddy’s got spots from ripping off stars from his face
Funky little boat race
The television man is crazy
Saying we’re juvenile delinquent wrecks
Man I need a TV when I’ve got T. Rex
Hey brother you guessed I’m a dude

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

Now Jimmy looking sweet though he dresses like a queen
He can kick like a mule
It’s a real mean team
We can love
Oh we can love
And my brother’s back at home
With his Beatles and his Stones
We never got if off on that revolution stuff
What a drag
Too many snags
Well I drunk a lot of wine
And I’m feeling fine
Gonna race some cat to bed
Is this concrete all around
Or is it in my head
Oh brother you guessed I’m a dude

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all. View all posts by Badfinger (Max)