Fame

In concert

David Bowie performed ‘Fame’ on almost all his post-1975 tours: Isolar, Isolar II, Serious Moonlight, Glass Spider, Sound + Vision, Earthling, Summer 2000, Heathen, and A Reality Tour. It was only dropped for the Tin Machine, Outside, and Hours tours.

The first live album to feature ‘Fame’ was 1978’s Stage. Renditions from the same tour later appeared on the 2018 releases Live In Berlin (1978) and Welcome To The Blackout (Live London ’78).

‘Fame’ has also appeared on the albums Live Nassau Coliseum ’76, Serious Moonlight (Live ’83), Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87), Glastonbury 2000, and A Reality Tour.

A recording from the Earthling Tour was released in 2021 on the album Look At The Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97).

During the same tour, Bowie performed a reworked version of ‘Fame’, retitled ‘Is It Any Wonder’. The version was later rewritten entirely by Bowie and Reeves Gabrels as ‘Fun’ (also known as ‘Funhouse’).

Fame 90

A number of remixes of ‘Fame’ were released on 26 March 1990, to promote the ChangesBowie compilation and the Sound + Vision tour.

The remixes were collectively known as ‘Fame 90’. Asked why he chose the song to be remixed, Bowie cited its previous chart success.

My guess was that it’s the most popular one. My presumption is that it’s either ‘Let’s Dance’ or ‘Fame’, since they were the two that were Number 1 over here in America. So it was one or the other and ‘Let’s Dance’ was too recent. And it covers a lot of ground, ‘Fame’; it stands up really well in time. It still sounds potent. It’s quite a nasty, angry little song. I quite like that.

The cover of the single depicted Bowie in front of a monochrome version of the Aladdin Sane cover photograph.

A remix by Jon Gass known as the Gass Mix was included on the soundtrack of the film Pretty Woman.

The various mixes were released worldwide in a number of permutations. In the US, a CD single included Queen Latifah’s Rap Version; House Mix; Gass Mix; Hip Hop Mix; and a 14-minute Absolutely Nothing Premeditated/Epic Mix.

A video was directed by Gus Van Sant, and incorporated parts of several previous Bowie promos including the Cher Show appearance. In the US some of these shots were replaced with scened from Pretty Woman.

In the video, Bowie was also shown dancing with Louise Lecavalier from La La La Human Steps. He went on to collaborate with the dance troupe during the Sound + Vision tour.

A digital EP was released in 2007, and contained five of the ‘Fame 90’ remixes.