David Bowie - Candidate (demo)

In 1973, David Bowie composed the album Diamond Dogs, a concept musical about the George Orwell novel 1984. One of the songs written for the album, Candidate, was drastically changed before its release. The "demo" version of this song was not actually published until a 1990 reissue of Diamond Dogs.

One can hardly call the original version a demo, however. It is composed and produced with full accompaniment, and holds its own as a finished piece.

In the typical style of Bowie, the things that make this song so acoustically fascinating is his skillful use of chord progression and cadence, as well as a mastery of the lyrical form. The rhythm bounces along with a confident marching lilt, while Bowie proclaims...

"I'll make it a thing,
When I'm on my own,
To relieve myself
I'll make it a thing,
When I gazelle on stage,
To believe in myself
I'll make it a thing,
To glance at window panes
And look pleased with myself"