The Width of a Circle

"The Width of a Circle" is a song written by English musician David Bowie in 1969 for his 1970 album, The Man Who Sold the World. Recorded during the spring of 1970, it was released later that year in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The opening track on the album, it features hard rock and heavy metal overtones. Bowie had performed a shorter version of the song in concerts for several months before recording it.

For the geometric definition, see diameter.

"The Width of a Circle"
Song by David Bowie
from the album The Man Who Sold the World
Released4 November 1970 (US)
April 1971 (UK)
Recorded18 April – 22 May 1970
StudioTrident and Advision, London
Genre
Length8:05
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)David Bowie
Producer(s)Tony Visconti

Featuring Mick Ronson's lead guitar work and occasional choral effects from the band, this 8-minute song is divided into two parts. The music takes on a heavy R&B quality in the second half, where the narrator enjoys a sexual encounter – with God, the Devil or some other supernatural being, according to different interpretations – in the depths of Hell.[4][5][6]

Some sources claim that the song was released as a single by RCA in Eastern Europe, with "Cygnet Committee" from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity on the B-side. However, this 'Russian' single was pressed by a fan and therefore is unofficial.

Live versions

Several live versions of the song have been released:

Other releases

The song appeared on the Japanese compilation The Best of David Bowie in 1974.

The box set The Width of a Circle, released posthumously in 2021, features an early recording of the song from The Sounds of the 70s: Andy Ferris.[8][9]

Cover versions

Personnel

Notes
  1. Harsent, Barney (1 July 2015). "The Man Who Sold the World, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  2. Gottlieb, Jed (10 January 2017). "David Bowie's Death: One Year Later". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  3. Wolk, Douglas (4 November 2016). "How David Bowie Realized Theatrical Dreams on 'The Man Who Sold the World'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  4. David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination — David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.101
  5. Martin Aston (2007). "Scary Monster", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: pp.24-25
  6. Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.38
  7. Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: pp.238-239
  8. Sinclair, Paul (26 May 2021). "David Bowie's The Width of a Circle reviewed by SDE". Super Deluxe Edition. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  9. "The Width Of A Circle due next month". DavidBowie.com. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.

References
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