I'm Afraid of Americans

Infobox Single
Name = I'm Afraid of Americans


Artist = David Bowie
from Album = Earthling
B-side =
Released = October 14, 1997
Format = CD single
Recorded = Looking Glass Studio, New York City, US
Genre = Rock
Length = Ranges from 4:12-11:18
Label = Virgin - 8 38618 2
Writer =
Producer = David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Photek (track 5)
Certification =
Chart position = * #66 (US)
Last single = "Pallas Athena (Tao Jones Index)"
1997
This single = "I'm Afraid of Americans”
1997
Next single = ”I Can't Read”
1997

"I'm Afraid of Americans" is a song and single by David Bowie from the 1997 album "Earthling". The song, co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, originally appeared as a rough mix on the soundtrack to the film "Showgirls" and was subsequently remade for "Earthling".

Bowie describes the feelings behind the song:

It's not as truly hostile about Americans as say "Born in the U.S.A.": it's merely sardonic. I was traveling in Java when the first McDonald's went up: it was like, "for fuck's sake." The invasion by any homogenized culture is so depressing, the erection of another Disney World in, say, Umbria, Italy, more so. It strangles the indigenous culture and narrows expression of life. ( [http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Reviews/Albums/E/PressRelease.html "Earthling" press release] )

The working title for this song was "Dummy".

A CD single for "I'm Afraid of Americans" was released in the United States. The single did not include the album version of the song; instead, it featured remixes of the track performed by Bowie's former tourmates, Nine Inch Nails, and drum and bass artist Photek. The (V1) mix became more popular than the original version, largely in part of the accompanying video, leading to its appearance on the retrospective "Best of Bowie".

The single

CD/Vinyl: Virgin / 8 38618 2 (US)

# I'm Afraid of Americans (V1) — 5:31
# I'm Afraid of Americans (V2) — 5:51
# I'm Afraid of Americans (V3) — 6:18
#* Special guest: Ice Cube
# I'm Afraid of Americans (V4) — 5:25
# I'm Afraid of Americans (V5) — 5:38
# I'm Afraid of Americans (V6) — 11:18

CD Promo: Virgin / DPRO-12749 (US)

# "I'm Afraid of Americans" (V1 Edit)- 4:30
# "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Original Edit) - 4:12
# "I'm Afraid of Americans" (V3) - 6:06
# "I'm Afraid of Americans" (V1 Clean Edit) - 4:30

* Lyrics by David Bowie, music by Bowie and Brian Eno
* All tracks: reproduced by Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor, Charlie Clouser, Keith Hillebrandt, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, Danny Lohner)
* Except V5: remix by Photek

The video

A "Taxi Driver"-influenced video was produced for the "I'm Afraid of Americans (V1)" remix, starring David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. The video, directed by Dom & Nic (working name of Dominic Hawley and Nick Goffey), features Bowie being stalked through New York City by a hostile American, played by Reznor. As Bowie continues to be harassed and becomes more and more paranoid, he witnesses (or imagines he witnesses) random acts of violence perpetrated by Americans on one another - but with no weapon visible. The video ends with Bowie ducking behind a taxi while Reznor fires an imaginary assault rifle that inflicts severe damage on the vehicle; Bowie seems to awaken some time later, only to witness Reznor carrying a cross in a parade reminiscent of Day of the Dead celebrations as well as the Ray Bradbury-penned movie "Something Wicked This Way Comes". The video received a MTV Video Music Award nomination in 1998 for Best Male Video.

Live versions

* Sonic Youth performed the song together with Bowie at his 50th Birthday Bash in New York City in January 1997.
* A version recorded at GQ Awards, New York City, October 15 1997, was released on "LiveAndWell.com" in 2000.
* Another version recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27 2000, was released on the bonus disc following the first releases of "Bowie at the Beeb" in 2000.
* Bowie performed the song during a Saturday Night Live musical appearance and it was released on that program's 25-year retrospective CD released in 2001.
* A version performed in Dublin, Ireland recorded for the DVD A Reality Tour in 2003.

Cover versions

* Q - "Spiders from Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie" (2003)
* Fashion Bomb - ".2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie" (2006)

Other releases

* It originally appeared as a rough mix on the soundtrack to the film "Showgirls" and was subsequently remade for "Earthling". This version and two of the Nine Inch Nails remixes were released on the bonus disc of the "Digibook Expanded Edition" of "Earthling" in 2004.
* The song is sampled for a remix of Company Flow's "Patriotism" when El-P performs it.