David Bowie had more ideas than one man could possibly use. So he shared them. In between changing music history, he handed out songs like gifts at a cosmic birthday party. Some turned into hits, some stayed cult treasures, but every one of them has that unmistakable Bowie fingerprint—strange, stylish, and ahead of its time.
Here are 5 times Bowie wrote songs that other artists recorded—and they still shimmer like something beamed in from Mars.
1. “All the Young Dudes” – Mott the Hoople (1972)
The band was ready to break up. Bowie sent them this song instead. It became their anthem. It gave them a future. It gave glam rock one of its loudest singalongs. He gave them a gift, and they turned it into legend.
2. “Oh! You Pretty Things” – Peter Noone (1971)
Before Bowie recorded it himself, Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits gave the world its first proper taste. The lyrics are full of Nietzsche, mutations, and mystic evolution. Not typical pop stuff. But Bowie made it singable—and Noone turned it into a surprise hit.
3. “Golden Years” – Elvis Presley (almost)
Bowie wrote this for Elvis. The King didn’t take it. So Bowie recorded it himself, and it became one of the standouts of Station to Station. You can still hear the Presley swagger in it. What a version that would have been. Still, the DNA is there.
4. “I Am Divine” – Divine (1982)
Bowie always had a thing for performance art and camp culture. He reportedly wrote this for the drag legend Divine. It’s loud, it’s glam, and it’s gloriously chaotic. A perfect fit for an artist who lived in neon and strobe light.
5. “Girls” – Tina Turner (1986)
Tina Turner sang it. Bowie co-wrote it. It sounds like a spy thriller wrapped in synths. The production oozes 1980s drama, and Tina makes it feel dangerous. Bowie didn’t need to sing it himself—it already had enough firepower with her voice.