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This article is about the David Bowie song. For the trousers, see Jeans. For the magazine, see Blue Jean Magazine. For the bird, see Blue-gray Tanager. For the supercomputer architecture, see Blue Gene.

"Blue Jean"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Tonight
B-side	Dancing with the Big Boys
Released	September 1984
Format	7"/12" single
Recorded	Le Studio, Morin Heights, May 1984
Genre	Rock
Length	3:08
Label	EMI America - EA181
Writer(s)	David Bowie
Producer	David Bowie, Hugh Padgham, Derek Bramble
David Bowie singles chronology
"White Light/White Heat" (1983) "Blue Jean" (1984) "Tonight" (1984) 7" Single Cover 7" Blue Vinyl Pressing

"Blue Jean" is a song from the album Tonight by David Bowie. One of only two tracks on the album to be written entirely by Bowie, it was released as a single ahead of the album.

Loosely inspired by Eddie Cochran, the song was an uncomplicated composition, recalling earlier Bowie rockers such as "The Jean Genie", and is generally regarded as one of the better parts of a disappointing album.

Following the huge commercial success of Bowie's previous album, Let's Dance, its singles and the Serious Moonlight Tour, "Blue Jean" was launched with massive promotion. Julien Temple was engaged to direct a 21-minute short film to promote the song, Jazzin' for Blue Jean. The song performance segment from this was also used as a more conventional music video.

"Blue Jean" was a hit in the UK and America, reaching #6 and #8 respectively. In some quarters this was seen as something of a disappointment compared to the success of the Let's Dance singles, and was the first hint of the long-term commercial failure of Tonight.

The song would remain in Bowie's live repertoire throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

David Bowie on "Blue Jean"

Interviewed in 1987 and asked to compare a track like "Time Will Crawl" to "Blue Jean," Bowie said "Blue Jean is a piece of sexist rock 'n roll. [laughs] It's about picking up birds. It's not very cerebral, that piece."¹

Track listing

7": EMI America / EA 181 (UK)

1. "Blue Jean" - 3:08
2. "Dancing with the Big Boys" - 3:32

• Some versions of the 7" single were released on blue vinyl

12": EMI America / 12EA 181 (UK)

1. "Blue Jean" (Extended Dance Mix) - 5:15
2. "Dancing with the Big Boys" (Extended Dance Mix) - 7:28
3. "Dancing with the Big Boys" (Extended Dub Mix) - 7:15

• "Blue Jean" (Extended Dance Mix) remixed by John "Jellybean" Benitez.
• "Dancing with the Big Boys" remixes produced by Arthur Baker.

Production credits

• Producers:
  • David Bowie
  • Hugh Padgham
  • Derek Bramble

• Musicians:
  • David Bowie: Vocals
  • Carlos Alomar: Guitar
  • Derek Bramble: Bass, Synthesizer
  • Carmine Rojas: Bass
  • Sam Figueroa: Percussion
  • Omar Hakim: Drums
  • Guy St Onge: Marimba

Other releases

• It appeared on the following compilations:
  • Changesbowie (1990)
  • Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
  • The Singles Collection (1993)
  • Best of Bowie (2002)
  • The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 (2007)

The VHS single cover

Video versions

There are 3 versions of the video:

1. The full 21-minute version entitled "Jazzin' for Blue Jean"
2. The 3 minute version of the performance of the title track, edited from the full "Jazzin for Blue Jean" video.
3. An alternate version recorded for MTV in England that has no relation to the other videos. This alternate version was not popularly available until the DVD release of Best of Bowie in 2002.

Cover versions

• Example 2 - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
• Gallery of Fear - The Dark Side of David Bowie: A Tribute to David Bowie (1997)
• Pennywise
• Trench - Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie (2007)

Charts

References

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

Notes

1.^ "David Bowie - The Interview" 1987, EMI America (Album) Track 24