I love the rawness of this song and performance. I’m convinced there is no style that Bowie could not do. Since I posted his friend Iggy Pop this morning I thought I would post this Bowie song. I love this song because of its rawness and energy…I’m not surprised that it was recorded in the 1st take.
The two main influences for this song were said to be Iggy Pop and Cyrinda Foxe. Many of the lyrics reflect Iggy Pop’s lifestyle and stage antics. Cyrinda Foxe was an actress who starred in commercials for Jean Genie jeans. Legend has it that Bowie wrote this in Foxe’s apartment to entertain her. Foxe would appear in the song’s official video alongside Bowie.
The song was on Bowie’s album Aladdin Sane which was released in 1973. The album peaked at #17 on the Billboard Album Charts, #20 on the Canadian Charts, and #1 on the UK Charts in 1973. Bowie was prolific during this period. He would release another album Pin Ups later in the year. Here is a review of the Aladdin Sane from The Press Music Reviews. Whenever I want to look up anything Bowie I go to that blog.
The Jean Genie was the first song recorded for the album. It’s believed to have emerged from a jam on board the Spiders From Mars’ Greyhound tour bus, as they traveled between Cleveland and Memphis on 23 September 1972. It originally had the working title ‘Bussin”, and originated after Mick Ronson began playing the central riff on his new Les Paul guitar.
This song was released in 1972 and peaked at #2 in the UK, #71 on the Billboard 100, and #75 in Canada.
David Bowie: “Starting out as a lightweight riff thing I had written one evening in NY for Cyrinda’s enjoyment, I developed the lyric to the otherwise wordless pumper and it ultimately turned into a bit of a smorgasbord of imagined Americana … based on an Iggy-type persona. The title, of course, was a clumsy pun upon Jean Genet.”
David Bowie: “I wanted to get the same sound the Stones had on their very first album on the harmonica. I didn’t get that near to it, but it had a feel that I wanted – that ’60s thing.”
The Jean Genie
A small Jean Genie snuck off to the city
Strung out on lasers and slash-back blazers
Ate all your razors while pulling the waiters
Talking ’bout Monroe and walking on Snow White
New York’s a go-go, and everything tastes right
Poor little Greenie, ooh-ooh
Keep her comin’
The Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
He’s outrageous, he screams and he bawls (Jean Genie)
Jean Genie, let yourself go, whoah
Sits like a man but he smiles like a reptile
She love him, she love him but just for a short while
She’ll scratch in the sand, won’t let go his hand
He says he’s a beautician and sells you nutrition
And keeps all your dead hair for making up underwear
Poor little Greenie, ooh-ooh
The Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
He’s outrageous, he screams and he bawls (Jean Genie)
Jean Genie, let yourself go, whoah
He’s so simple-minded, he can’t drive his module
He bites on the neon and sleeps in a capsule
Loves to be loved, loves to be loved
Oh, Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
He’s outrageous, he screams and he bawls (Jean Genie)
Jean Genie, let yourself go, whoah
Go!
Go!
The Jean Genie lives on his back
The Jean Genie loves chimney stacks
He’s outrageous, he screams and he bawls (Jean Genie)
Jean Genie, let yourself go, whoah
Go, go go!
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