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There is no definitive ranking of David Bowie’s best songs: chart success, influence, songwriting and personal taste point to different answers. For a first listen, start with these 13 tracks in sequence. They span his early narrative songs, glam-era characters, experimental late-1970s work, 1980s pop and later recordings, while giving you clear routes into the albums around them.
13 essential David Bowie songs, in a useful first-listen order
This is a cross-era listening sequence, not a numbered ranking. Each selection offers a recognizable entry point or opens a door to a different part of Bowie’s catalog.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Platinum Collection | $17.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Best of Bowie | $13.44 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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18 Greatest Hits of David Bowie | $15.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Best Of - 2CD Set with Alternate Tracklisting | $19.20 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Best Of 1969-74 | $11.68 | Buy on Amazon |
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“Space Oddity” (1969)
An early narrative song and Bowie’s first UK chart hit. It is also the opening track in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Bowie playlist, making it a natural place to begin. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
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“The Man Who Sold the World” (1970)
A darker, story-driven recording that shows a different side of the early catalog. Nirvana’s later cover made the song familiar to many listeners, but Bowie’s original is its own essential listen. The Guardian included it in its 2020 ranking of 50 Bowie songs. The Guardian’s 50-song ranking
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“Changes” (1971)
A concise introduction to the theme of reinvention often associated with Bowie’s public identity. It appears on Hunky Dory, an album that also contains the next song. Bowie’s official archive
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“Life on Mars?” (1971)
A dramatic centerpiece of Hunky Dory, built around a vivid, surreal lyric and an expansive arrangement. It became a single in 1973 and reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart, according to the Official Charts Company. That chart position records commercial reach, not an objective measure of artistic quality.
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“Starman” (1972)
A strong gateway into the Ziggy Stardust era and one of Bowie’s best-known early singles. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame maps it to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
Rank #2
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“Ziggy Stardust” (1972)
A compact introduction to the character and concept behind the album. Heard after “Starman,” it makes a natural next step into the record’s theatrical world.
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“Rebel Rebel” (1974)
A riff-led song that represents Bowie’s mid-1970s catalog. It appears in the Hall of Fame playlist and in chart-based selections, evidence of its lasting visibility across different kinds of lists. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
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“Young Americans” and “Fame” (1975)
Listen to these as a pair for a useful introduction to Bowie’s soul- and funk-inflected direction in the mid-1970s. Both appear in the Hall of Fame playlist. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
Rank #3
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“Heroes” (1977)
An expansive, dramatic song from Bowie’s Berlin period. The official archive credits the music to Bowie and Brian Eno and the lyrics to Bowie. It states that the recording took place at Hansa by the Wall in Berlin from July 11 to August 8, 1977. The song peaked at No. 24 in the UK on its original release, according to the archive. Bowie’s official archive
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“Sound and Vision” (1977)
A concise example of the spare, exploratory side of Bowie’s late-1970s work. The Hall of Fame playlist maps it to Low. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
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“Let’s Dance” (1983)
An accessible entry point to Bowie’s 1980s pop and a major commercial hit. The Official Charts Company identified it as Bowie’s best-selling UK single in a download feature; that distinction concerns UK sales, not a universal ranking of his songs. Official Charts Company
Rank #4
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Best Of - 2CD Set with Alternate Tracklisting- Space Oddity
- Changes
- Suffragette City
- Ziggy Stardust
- Jean Genie
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“Where Are We Now?” (2013)
A reflective late-career selection that widens this guide beyond the familiar 1970s and 1980s songs. The Guardian included it in its 2020 ranking. The Guardian’s 50-song ranking
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“Lazarus” (2016)
A late-career closing track and a powerful final stop for this sequence. It is included in the Hall of Fame playlist. Its significance should not be reduced to biography alone: listen to the song as a work in its own right. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
Why these songs count as essential
“Best” depends on what a listener values. This selection weighs cultural recognition, songwriting and performance, influence, range across eras, and usefulness as a first listen. It draws on recurring choices in official and editorial selections without treating any one list as a definitive verdict.
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Best Value
- 1 - The jean genie
- 2 - Space oddity
- 3 - Starman
- 4 - Ziggy stardust
- 5 - John i'm only dancing
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist offers a broad cross-era reference and album mapping. TIME published an 11-song selection in 2016, while The Guardian published a 50-song ranking in 2020. Those are dated editorial choices with different scopes, not measurements of consensus. Their overlap and differences help show which songs recur and where judgments diverge. TIME’s 2016 selection · The Guardian’s 2020 ranking
How to choose what to hear next
Follow the album trail
After “Changes” and “Life on Mars?,” try Hunky Dory. The Hall of Fame playlist connects “Starman” to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and “Sound and Vision” to Low. These album links let you explore how Bowie’s sound changes rather than treating the songs as isolated hits. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame playlist
Choose by what you want from a “best” list
- For recognizable entry points: begin with “Space Oddity,” “Starman” and “Let’s Dance.”
- For character and narrative: try “The Man Who Sold the World” and “Ziggy Stardust.”
- For a change in sound: compare “Young Americans” and “Fame” with “Sound and Vision.”
- For the later catalog: listen to “Where Are We Now?” and “Lazarus.”
Chart success and artistic judgment are different
Chart positions and sales describe commercial performance in a particular market and period. They do not settle artistic merit. For example, the Official Charts Company’s No. 3 for “Life on Mars?” refers to its UK chart peak when it became a single in 1973; the Bowie archive’s No. 24 for “Heroes” refers to that song’s UK peak on original release. Likewise, a 2017 Official Charts retrospective reported 8.1 million streams and 42,000 downloads for “Life on Mars?” in the year it covered. Those are historical totals, not current listening figures. Official Charts Company
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