“I hope I make it on my own...”
David Bowie’s 7" single, Can't Help Thinking About Me, was released on 14th January 1966 in the UK, fifty-five years ago today. Issued as Pye 7N 17020, the B-side was, And I Say To Myself, another Bowie-penned tune along with the A-side.
Officially issued as David Bowie with The Lower Third, (that's what it says on the stock copy label) evidence points to the theory that this really should have been the first solo David Bowie release.
Promos of the single sport David Bowie alone, as does the front-page NME advert (published the same day as the record was released), along with the other press adverts we have used.
Further evidence can be seen in an article that appeared in a trade mag of March 3rd, 1966, (originally supplied to us by BowieNetter Shilo65) though David had parted company with the band by this time. It's also interesting to note the missing G from the song title in the shop display, reinforced by the appearance of an apostrophe in place of the missing letter in the actual copy. Where are Pauline Williams and Mary McGukin now, we wonder, and do they still have their David Bowie autographs?
In the event, the personal appearances the sharply dressed young mod made, such as the one reported above, did nothing to ensure the success of Can't Help Thinking About Me, despite three dubious weeks on the Melody Maker singles chart, a privilege which was allegedly bought with good hard cash!
Bowie also promoted the single on the TV show Ready Steady Go! with his new band The Buzz on 4th March.
Can't Help Thinking About Me contained what Bowie considered to be one of the worst lines he ever wrote:
“My girl calls my name ‘Hi Dave. Drop in, see you around, come back, If you're this way again’”.
It’s not that bad and either way David retained enough of a fondness for the song to resurrect a cracking version for the 1999 'hours...' promotional tour.
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