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David Bowie impersonator singing My Way

David Bowie submitted the original lyrics for My Way, but they were turned down in preference to Paul Anka's lyrics.

Andy

No offense, but you have to be careful about accepting claims made on YouTube videos. Bowie had nothing to do with "My Way." The cockamamie claim by a poor Bowie impersonator in the YouTube clip is simply a hoax, no doubt for promotional purposes. Let's give Paul Anka credit for crafting a Sinatra signature lyric.

Dan,

After a request by his manager, David Bowie wrote the lyrics to 'Even a fool learns to love', which uses the same tune as 'My Way'. It was originally a french tune for which Paul Anka bought the rights. If you read the words by Bowie, you can hear the tune for My Way. So, he didn't write the well known version, but he did write a version with the same tune, but another title, before another version was written by Paul Anka.

You can hear a snippet of his idea (never officially recorded), sung over the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUObjN3ODvE

And here's the original French version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w22haP4hgsQ

Andy

Andy, After a little more research, I concede your point.

Here's what Wikipedia says about it."

In 1968 Bowie wrote the lyrics "Even a Fool Learns to Love", set to the music of a 1967 French song "Comme d'habitude", composed by Claude François and Jacques Revaux. Bowie's version was never released, but Paul Anka bought the rights to the original French version, and rewrote it into "My Way," made famous by Frank Sinatra in a 1969 recording on his album of the same name. The success of the Anka version prompted Bowie to write "Life on Mars?" as a parody of Sinatra's recording."

Claude Francois and Jacques Revaux seem to be the ones who got the short end of the stick as far as credit goes for the song.

Dan,

It's even worse than that for the original writers. I don't think Paul Anka paid a penny for the rights to the song.

Andy

Dan

It’s widely known that Bowie wrote English lyrics to the melody that eventually became the song My Way. No one is disputes that Paul Anka wrote the lyrics to My Way. It’s just an interesting piece of pop trivia, the sort that songwriters and music fans like.

Nige

Nigel,

I'm always fascinated to hear different approaches to the same tune. It really can make or break a song. I read that David Bowie discarded the project, thinking there was no merit in pursuing it.

Andy

all i know is,that's the worse Bowie impersonator i've ever heard/seen!WOW!

I was a David Bowie fan in the 70's, Didn't see the video because I'm careful of links (no offense Andy).

I can truly say that Bowie was one of the greatest female impersonators of the 70's.

Not for me. A few years ago I was staying at a holiday centre where they laid on entertainment. The big cabaret was Cher, Meatloaf and David Bowie. Cher and Meatloaf were pretty good both in voice and looks however Bowie was certainly no thin white duke, but more of an overweight duke with a lightening smudge across his face and an orange wig. It was entertaining though, but probably for all the wrong reasons.