Dead Man Walking (song)

"Dead Man Walking"
"Dead Man Walking"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Earthling
Released	14 April 1997
Recorded	Looking Glass Studio, New York City
Genre	Alternative rock; dance-rock; IDM;
Length	7:26 (album version); 4:01 (single edit)
Label	BMG; RCA 74321 47585 2;
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie; Reeves Gabrels;
Producer(s)	David Bowie; Reeves Gabrels; Mark Plati;
David Bowie singles chronology

"Dead Man Walking" is a song written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels and released as single from the 1997 album Earthling. It was a number 32 hit in the UK.

The guitar riff used in the intro dates back to the mid-1960s when Jimmy Page taught it to Bowie.^[1] "Jimmy said, 'I've got this riff and I can't do anything with it. Do you want it?'" related guitarist Reeves Gabrels. "It does sound fairly Page-y, like a mutated Johnny Burnette Trio thing."^[2] Bowie used it for "The Supermen" in 1970, and revived it 25 years later for "Dead Man Walking".

Versions and remixes[]

Title	Mix and additional production	Duration
Album Version	Mark Plati	7:26
Edit	Mark Plati	4:01
Moby Mix 1	Moby	7:31
Moby Mix 2	Moby	5:25
House Mix	Moby	6:00
This One's Not Dead Yet Remix	Danny Saber	6:28
Vigor Mortis Remix	Danny Saber	6:29

The single[]

2-track CD[]

"Dead Man Walking (edit)" – 4:01
"Dead Man Walking (Album version)" – 6:50

Released 21 March 1997 in the Netherlands by BMG.

Arista / 74321 47480 2 (EU)[]

"Dead Man Walking (Moby mix)" – 7:31
"Dead Man Walking (Album version)" – 6:50
"I'm Deranged (Jungle mix)" – 7:00

Released 21 March 1997 in the Netherlands by BMG.

CD: Arista / 74321 47614 2 (EU)[]

"Dead Man Walking (Moby mix)" – 7:31
"Dead Man Walking (House mix)" – 6:00
"Dead Man Walking (This One's Not Dead Yet Remix)" – 6:28
"Dead Man Walking (Vigor Mortis Remix)" – 6:29

Released 24 March 1997 in the Netherlands by BMG.

CD: RCA / 74321 47584 2 (UK)[]

"Dead Man Walking (Single edit)" – 4:01
"I'm Deranged (Jungle mix)" – 7:00
"The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Good Karma mix)" – 5:00

Released 14 April 1997 in UK by RCA and BMG.

CD: RCA / 74321 47585 2 (UK)[]

"Dead Man Walking (Album version)" – 6:50
"Dead Man Walking (Moby mix 1)" – 7:31
"Dead Man Walking (House mix)" – 6:00
"Dead Man Walking (This One's Not Dead Yet Remix)" – 6:28

Released 14 April 1997 in UK by RCA and BMG.

CD: Arista / 74321 47614 2 (Australia)[]

"Dead Man Walking (Single edit)" – 4:01
"Dead Man Walking (Moby mix 1)" – 7:31
"Dead Man Walking (House mix)" – 6:00
"Dead Man Walking (This One's Not Dead Yet Remix)" – 6:28
"Dead Man Walking (Vigor Mortis Remix)" – 6:29

Released 28 April 1997 in Australia by BMG.

Arista / BVCA-8845 (Japan)[]

"Dead Man Walking (Single edit)" – 4:01
"Dead Man Walking (House mix)" – 6:00
"Dead Man Walking (This One's Not Dead Yet Remix)" – 6:28
"I'm Deranged (Jungle mix)" – 7:00

Released May 1997 in Japan.

UK 12" vinyl version[]

"Dead Man Walking (House mix)" – 6:00
"Dead Man Walking (Vigor Mortis Remix)" – 6:29
"Telling Lies (Paradox mix)"

Italian 12" vinyl version[]

"Dead Man Walking (Moby mix 1)" – 7:31
"Dead Man Walking (House mix)" – 6:00
"Dead Man Walking (This One's Not Dead Yet Remix)" – 6:28
"Dead Man Walking (Vigor Mortis Remix)" – 6:29

At least six additional promo singles were released.

Personnel[]

David Bowie – production, writing credits, vocals, sampling

Session musicians

Gail Ann Dorsey – bass guitar, backing vocals
Zachary Alford^[3] – drums
Mike Garson – keyboards, piano
Mark Plati – drum loops, electronic percussion, production, programming, samples
Reeves Gabrels – production, writing credits, programming, guitar, vocals

Live versions[]

Bowie played an acoustic version of the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien with Reeves Gabrels. This was later released on the show's Live from 6A compilation album. When Bowie died in January 2016, Conan O'Brien broadcast the performance at the end of his show in remembrance.
Another live version recorded at Fort Apache Studios, 8 April 1997, was broadcast at WBCN. The year after this version appeared on the album WBCN Naked Too.
Bowie played a different live acoustic version of "Dead Man Walking" at a concert at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta, Georgia on 4 August 1997, which was hosted by Atlanta alternative rock radio station 99X. 99X later included it as a track on their 99X Live X IV "Home" CD.

Charts[]

Charts (1997)	Position
Official Charts Singles UK	32^[4]

Other releases[]

It was featured in the 1997 film The Saint.
Two Moby mixes were released on the bonus disc of the 2004 Digibook Expanded Edition of Earthling.

Use in other media[]

"Dead Man Walking" was used as introduction for "Lo Que Queda del Día", a late-afternoon news programme from Chilean Radio Cooperativa. It was also included in the soundtrack to The Saint.
Used as theme music for early episodes of MTV's Making The Video.

References[]

^ "Changes 2.1" by Joe Gore, Guitar Player magazine, June 1997, pp 45–58
^ DeMain, Bill (April 2018). "Reeves Gabrels talks about David Bowie". Classic Rock. No. 247. p. 58.
^ Discogs - Zachary Alford - (profile & discography)
^ "dead man walking | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Retrieved 26 January 2018.

[GuitarPlayer97-1] "Changes 2.1" by Joe Gore, Guitar Player magazine, June 1997, pp 45–58

[2] DeMain, Bill (April 2018). "Reeves Gabrels talks about David Bowie". Classic Rock. No. 247. p. 58.

[3] Discogs - Zachary Alford - (profile & discography)

[4] "dead man walking | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Retrieved 26 January 2018.

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Discography Songs
1960s	"Liza Jane" "I Pity the Fool" "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" "Can't Help Thinking About Me" "Do Anything You Say" "I Dig Everything" "Rubber Band" "The Laughing Gnome" "Love You till Tuesday" "Space Oddity" "Ragazzo solo, ragazza sola"
1970s	"The Prettiest Star" "Memory of a Free Festival" "Holy Holy" "Moonage Daydream" "Hang On to Yourself" "Changes" "Starman" "John, I'm Only Dancing" "The Jean Genie" "Drive-In Saturday" "Time" "Life on Mars" "Let's Spend the Night Together" "Sorrow" "Rebel Rebel" "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" "Diamond Dogs" "1984" "Knock on Wood" "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" "Young Americans" "Fame" "Golden Years" "Station to Station" (French promo) "TVC 15" "Suffragette City" "Stay" "Sound and Vision" "Be My Wife" "'Heroes'" "Beauty and the Beast" "Breaking Glass" "Boys Keep Swinging" "DJ" "Yassassin" "Look Back in Anger" "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)"
1980s	"Alabama Song" "Crystal Japan" "Ashes to Ashes" "Fashion" "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" "Up the Hill Backwards" "Under Pressure" "Wild Is the Wind" "The Drowned Girl" "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" "Let's Dance" "China Girl" "Modern Love" "Without You" "White Light/White Heat" "Blue Jean" "Tonight" "This Is Not America" "Loving the Alien" "Dancing in the Street" "Absolute Beginners" "Underground" "When the Wind Blows" "Magic Dance" "Day-In Day-Out" "Time Will Crawl" "Never Let Me Down" "Under the God" "Heaven's in Here" "Tin Machine" / "Maggie's Farm (live)" "Prisoner of Love"
1990s	"Fame '90" "You Belong in Rock n' Roll" "Baby Universal" "One Shot" "Real Cool World" "Jump They Say" "Black Tie White Noise" "Miracle Goodnight" "The Buddha of Suburbia" "Ziggy Stardust" "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" "Strangers When We Meet" / "The Man Who Sold the World (live)" "Hallo Spaceboy" "Telling Lies" "Little Wonder" "Dead Man Walking" "Seven Years in Tibet" "Pallas Athena" "I'm Afraid of Americans" "I Can't Read" "Without You I'm Nothing" "Thursday's Child" "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell"
2000s	"Survive" "Seven" "Slow Burn" "Everyone Says 'Hi'" "I've Been Waiting for You" "Shadow Man" "New Killer Star" "Just for One Day (Heroes)" "Rebel Never Gets Old"
2010s	"Where Are We Now?" "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" "The Next Day" "Valentine's Day" "Love Is Lost" "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" "Blackstar" "Lazarus" "I Can't Give Everything Away"
Other songs	"Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" "Cygnet Committee" "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" "The Width of a Circle" "All the Madmen" "Black Country Rock" "After All" "She Shook Me Cold" "The Man Who Sold the World" "The Supermen" "Oh! You Pretty Things" "Kooks" "Quicksand" "Andy Warhol" "Song for Bob Dylan" "Queen Bitch" "The Bewlay Brothers" "Bombers" "Five Years" "Soul Love" "Lady Stardust" "Velvet Goldmine" "Sweet Head" "Amsterdam" "Round and Round" "Watch That Man" "Aladdin Sane" "Panic in Detroit" "Cracked Actor" "Lady Grinning Soul" "All the Young Dudes" "Future Legend" "Sweet Thing" "Big Brother" "Can You Hear Me?" "Right" "Fascination" "Word on a Wing" "Speed of Life" "What in the World" "Always Crashing in the Same Car" "Warszawa" "Art Decade" "Weeping Wall" "Subterraneans" "Joe the Lion" "Sons of the Silent Age" "Blackout" "V-2 Schneider" "Sense of Doubt" "Neuköln" "Fantastic Voyage" "It's No Game" "Teenage Wildlife" "Scream Like a Baby" "Criminal World" "As The World Falls Down" "Girls" "Nite Flights" "I'm Deranged" "Nature Boy" "Cactus" "The Loneliest Guy" "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" "Bring Me the Disco King" "Girl Loves Me" "Dollar Days"