Lady Grinning Soul
"Lady Grinning Soul" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on the album Aladdin Sane in 1973. It was a last-minute addition, replacing the "sax version" of "John, I'm Only Dancing" as the closing track. The composer's first meeting with American soul singer Claudia Lennear in 1972 is often cited as the inspiration for the song. In 2016, after Bowie's death, an interview with Lennear revealed that Bowie called her in 2014, and told her the song had been written about her.
| "Lady Grinning Soul" | |
|---|---|
| Song by David Bowie | |
| from the album Aladdin Sane | |
| Released | 19 April 1973 |
| Recorded | January 1973 |
| Studio | Trident, London |
| Genre | Art rock, glam rock |
| Length | 3:46 |
| Label | RCA |
| Songwriter(s) | David Bowie |
| Producer(s) | Ken Scott, David Bowie |
The style of the piece has been compared to a James Bond theme. Pianist Mike Garson described his own performance as "about as romantic as it gets ... French with a little Franz Liszt thrown in there". Rolling Stone's contemporary review called Bowie's singing "the album's most expansive and sincere vocal", while author Nicholas Pegg considers the track "one of Bowie's most underrated recordings ... quite unlike anything else he has ever done". Mojo magazine listed it as Bowie's 93rd best track in 2015.
The track was used in the films The Runaways (2010) and Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (2012).