Station to Station (song)

"Station to Station"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Station to Station
B-side	"TVC 15"
Released	23 January 1976
Format	7"
Recorded	September – November 1975 at Cherokee Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Krautrock progressive rock
Length	10:14 (album version) 8:42 (edited version) 3:40 (French single version)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	David Bowie Harry Maslin
David Bowie singles chronology
"Golden Years" (1975) "Station to Station" (1976) "TVC 15" (1976)
Station to Station track listing "Station to Station" (1) "Golden Years" (2)

"Station to Station" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was written and recorded at Cherokee Studios in 1975 and released in 1976 as a 7-inch single in France. It is the title track and opener on Bowie's tenth studio album.

Composition

The song is Bowie's longest studio recording, clocking in just above 10 minutes. Structurally, the song builds from a droning, guitar-driven introductory portion that mimics a train building up speed, to an uptempo section punctuated by the refrain "It's too late."

The lyrics contain various references to Aleister Crowley, Kabbalah and gnosticism. Bowie stated that "The "Station to Station" track itself is very much concerned with the stations of the cross." It is on this track that Bowie introduces himself as "The Thin White Duke". It also contains the oft-quoted lyric, "It's not the side-effects of the cocaine/I'm thinking that it must be love." The line was later used as the title of a Fall Out Boy song from their EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue.

Single version

The song was released as promo single (42549 A) in January 1976 in France with a shortened duration of 3:40 and "TVC 15" on the b-side. It just begins at the central section of the track with the drums just prior to the "once there were mountains..." lyric. This short edit of "Station To Station" was mainly for radio stations and was played a lot on French radio at the time. The edit single can be heard on the Deluxe Edition 2010 reissues of the Station to Station album.

Track listing

• RCA/RCA Victor — 42549

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Station to Station"	3:40

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"TVC 15"	4:40

Personnel

• Carlos Alomar – guitar
• Roy Bittan – piano, organ
• David Bowie – lead vocals, guitar, composing, production
• Dennis Davis – drums
• Harry Maslin – melodica, train noises, production
• George Murray – bass guitar
• Warren Peace – percussion, backing vocals
• Earl Slick – guitar

Live versions

• A live performance recorded on 23 March 1976 was released on Live Nassau Coliseum '76, part of the 2010 reissues of the Station to Station album.

• A live version, edited from recordings made at concert performances in Providence, RI on 5 May 1978 and in Boston, MA on 6 May 1978, was released on Stage. This version was also featured in the Christiane F. movie, where Bowie, miming the 1978 live recording, made an appearance as himself performing the song at a concert. An edit of this version was released on the soundtrack of the film.

• A live version recorded on 12 September 1983 was released on the concert film Serious Moonlight.

Cover versions

• The song was covered by The Merry Thoughts on the album A Tribute to David Bowie: The Dark Side of David Bowie (1997)
• The song was also covered by Melvins on their cover album Everybody Loves Sausages, with J.G. Thirlwell handling the vocals.

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalogue no.
France	23 January 1976	RCA/RCA Victor	7"	42549

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics