Hang on to Yourself
Encyclopedia
"Hang On to Yourself" is a song written by David Bowie
in 1971 and released as a single under the name Arnold Corns
. A re-recorded version was released on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
. The main riff is quite representative of glam rock
's influence as a bridge between the rock and roll
of the past and the punk
of the (then) future—it is quite similar in style to Eddie Cochran
, and yet carries a distinctive sound which would be used in many punk records and songs.
The Arnold Corns
version of "Hang Onto Yourself" was first released by B&C as the B-side
to the single "Moonage Daydream
" in the UK in . In it was released again, this time as an A-side, by B&C.
The official band line-up, fronted by dress designer Freddi Buretti, was a total fabrication; Buretti was at the session but his contributions were simply lost alongside Bowie's.
This version was released as a bonus track to the Rykodisc
/EMI
remastering of The Man Who Sold the World
album (1990). In 2002 the Arnold Corns version appeared again on the Ziggy Stardust
30th 2CD Anniversary Reissue bonus disc.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
in 1971 and released as a single under the name Arnold Corns
Arnold Corns
Arnold Corns was a band formed by David Bowie in 1971. The name was inspired by the Pink Floyd song "Arnold Layne".This was one of Bowie’s side projects and something of a dry run for Ziggy Stardust. The band was formed in Dulwich College and Bowie agreed to write for them...
. A re-recorded version was released on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
. The main riff is quite representative of glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
's influence as a bridge between the rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
of the past and the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
of the (then) future—it is quite similar in style to Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
, and yet carries a distinctive sound which would be used in many punk records and songs.
Arnold Corns version
It was recorded at the Radio Luxembourg studios on .The Arnold Corns
Arnold Corns
Arnold Corns was a band formed by David Bowie in 1971. The name was inspired by the Pink Floyd song "Arnold Layne".This was one of Bowie’s side projects and something of a dry run for Ziggy Stardust. The band was formed in Dulwich College and Bowie agreed to write for them...
version of "Hang Onto Yourself" was first released by B&C as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to the single "Moonage Daydream
Moonage Daydream
"Moonage Daydream" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 and first released as a single under the name Arnold Corns. A rerecorded version was released in 1972 on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars....
" in the UK in . In it was released again, this time as an A-side, by B&C.
- "Hang Onto Yourself" - 2:55
- "The Man in the Middle" - 4:20
Personnel
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Freddi Buretti – vocals
- Mick RonsonMick RonsonMichael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Mark Carr Pritchard: guitar
- Trevor BolderTrevor BolderTrevor Bolder is an English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with The Spiders From Mars, the one-time backing band for David Bowie, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mick "Woody" WoodmanseyMick WoodmanseyMick 'Woody' Woodmansey is an English rock drummer from Driffield, Yorkshire, best known for his work with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
The official band line-up, fronted by dress designer Freddi Buretti, was a total fabrication; Buretti was at the session but his contributions were simply lost alongside Bowie's.
This version was released as a bonus track to the Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
remastering of The Man Who Sold the World
The Man Who Sold the World
The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by David Bowie. It was originally released on Mercury Records in November 1970 in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The album was Bowie's first with the nucleus of what would become the "Spiders from Mars", the backing band made...
album (1990). In 2002 the Arnold Corns version appeared again on the Ziggy Stardust
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
30th 2CD Anniversary Reissue bonus disc.
Other releases
- It was released as the B-side of the single "John, I'm Only DancingJohn, I'm Only Dancing"John, I’m Only Dancing" is a single by David Bowie, released in September 1972.-Recording and release:The song was widely believed to be concerned with a homosexual relationship, the narrator informing his boyfriend not to worry about the girl he's with because he's "only dancing" with her...
" in . - It was also released as the B-side to the single "Looking for a Friend" in .
- The PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
version of the single "StarmanStarman (song)"Starman" is a single by David Bowie, released in April 1972. The song was a late addition to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, included at the insistence of RCA’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single...
" from also had "Hang On to Yourself" as the B-side. - In it was released as the B-side of the US release of the single "The Jean GenieThe Jean Genie"The Jean Genie" is a song by David Bowie, originally released as a single in November 1972. According to Bowie, it was "a smorgasbord of imagined Americana", with a protagonist inspired by Iggy Pop, and the title being a pun on author Jean Genet. One of Bowie’s most famous tracks, it was the lead...
". - It was released as a picture disc in the RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Life Time picture disc set. - It also appeared on the Japanese compilation The Best of David Bowie (1974).
Live versions
- Bowie recorded the song for the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio program Sounds of the 70sSounds of the SeventiesSounds of the Seventies was a BBC radio programme broadcast on weekdays, 22:00-00:00, on Radio One during the early 1970s. Among the DJs were Alan Black, Pete Drummond, Anne Nightingale, John Peel , and Bob Harris...
Bob HarrisBob Harris (radio)Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
. This was broadcast . On , Bowie again played the song on Sounds of the 70s: John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, and this was broadcast on . Both of these versions were released on the Bowie at the BeebBowie at the BeebBowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three CD set, the third, bonus CD being a recording on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre...
album in 2000. - A live version, recorded for radio broadcast at the Santa Monica Civic AuditoriumSanta Monica Civic AuditoriumSanta Monica Civic Auditorium is a multipurpose convention center in Santa Monica, California owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket....
on was released on Santa Monica '72Santa Monica '72Santa Monica '72 is a live album by David Bowie, recorded at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 20 October 1972 during the Ziggy Stardust tour. Taken from an FM radio broadcast, it was available only as a bootleg for more than 20 years; according to author David Buckley, possessing a copy was the...
. This version also appeared on the Japanese release of RarestOneBowieRarestOneBowieRarestOneBowie is a David Bowie compilation. This semi-legal release was one in the series of mid-nineties releases by MainMan, Bowie's former management company during the seventies...
and on the official 2008 release of that concert as Live Santa Monica '72Live Santa Monica '72Live Santa Monica '72 is a live album by David Bowie. It was released on in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It is the official release of the bootleg album Santa Monica '72.-Track listing:...
. - The version played at the famous "last concert" at the Hammersmith OdeonHammersmith ApolloHammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, , was released on Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture. - A recording from the 1978 "Heroes" tourIsolar II - The 1978 World TourThe Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour, more commonly known as The Low / Heroes World Tour or The Stage Tour, was a worldwide concert tour by David Bowie...
was recorded at the Philadelphia SpectrumWachovia SpectrumThe Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, –, was released on Stage.
Cover versions
- Of MontrealOf MontrealOf Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
- Live on their 2009 tour - The Pocket FishRMen - Only Bowie tribute album
- Melvin James - David Bowie Acoustic Tribute
- Kommunity FKKommunity FKKommunity FK is a Deathrock band that helped establish what came to be known as the deathrock scene in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1978 by American rock singer Patrick Mata influenced by Throbbing Gristle, David Bowie and Joy Division...
- Tribute to David Bowie - Mutant Monster Beach Party - Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie (2007)
- Techno Cowboy - "The Ziggy Stardust Omnichord Album" (2009)