TVC 15

Infobox Single
Name = TVC15


Artist = David Bowie
from Album = Station to Station
B-side = ”We Are the Dead”
Released = start date|1976|4|30
Format = 7" single
Recorded = Either Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, or Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles; October 1975
Genre = Rock
Length = 5:33 (Album Version)
3:43 (Single Version)
Label = RCA
2682
Producer = David Bowie, Harry Maslin
Chart position = * #33 (UK)
Last single = "Golden Years"
(1975)
This single = "TVC 15"
(1976)
Next single = "Suffragette City"
( 1976)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Station to Station
Type = studio
prev_track = "Word on a Wing"
prev_no = 3
this_track = "TVC 15"
track_no = 4
next_track = "Stay"
next_no = 5

"TVC 15" was a single by David Bowie.

The song was inspired by an episode in which Iggy Pop, during a drug-fuelled period at Bowie’s LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend. Beyond oblique mentions to absorption via television, the lyrics are largely nonsensical. Bowie himself hasn’t been able to shed any light on their meaning beyond the Pop anecdote, having very limited recollection of the "Station to Station" sessions, due to his own heavy drug use at the time.

The song is considerably more upbeat than the rest of the album. It was chosen as a second single from the album in the UK, where it reached #33. With Bowie unable to perform on the show, "Top of the Pops" promoted the single with a bizarre interpretation from resident dance troupe Ruby Flipper. The B-side, “We Are the Dead”, originally formed part of Bowie’s attempt to adapt "Nineteen Eighty-Four", and had previously been released on the "Diamond Dogs" album.

In America, "Stay" was preferred as a second single from the album.

Track listing

# "TVC 15" (Bowie) – 3:43
# "We Are the Dead" (Bowie) – 4:58

Production credits

* Producers:
** Harry Maslin on “TVC 15”
** David Bowie

* Musicians:
** David Bowie: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
** Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick: Guitar on “TVC 15”
** George Murray: Bass on “TVC 15”
** Dennis Davis: Drums on “TVC 15”
** Roy Bittan: Piano on “TVC 15”
** Herbie Flowers: Bass on “We Are the Dead”
** Mike Garson: Piano on “We Are the Dead”
** Aynsley Dunbar: Drums on “We Are the Dead”

Live version

* A live version recorded on the Heroes tour at the Philadelphia Spectrum, April 28-29th 1978, was released on "Stage".
* On December 14, 1979 Bowie performed TVC 15 as a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live", accompanied by Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias.
* Bowie performed this song during the Live Aid concerts July, 1985.

Other releases

* It appeared on several compilations:
** "Best of Bowie" (1980)
** "Fame and Fashion" (1984)
** "Sound and Vision" box set (1989)
** "" (1993)
** "The Singles Collection" (1993)
* The 7" single version also appeared on "The Best of 1974/1979".
* A version shorter than the single version appeared on the "Christiane F. soundtrack".
* It was released as a picture disc in the RCA "Life Time" disc set.

Cover versions

* Comateens – "Comateens"
* The Wannadies - "Only Bowie" (1995)

References

Pegg, Nicholas, "The Complete David Bowie", Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5