Little Wonder (song)

"Little Wonder" is a song and single by David Bowie, from the 1997 album Earthling. It was the album's biggest hit, reaching number 14 in the UK. At the 1998 Brit Awards, the song was nominated for Best British Video.

"Little Wonder"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Earthling
Released27 January 1997
RecordedLooking Glass Studio, New York City 1996
Genre
Length
  • 3:40 (single version)
  • 6:02 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
David Bowie singles chronology
"Telling Lies"
(1996)		 "Little Wonder"
(1997)		 "Dead Man Walking"
(1997)
Music video
"Little Wonder" on YouTube
"Little Wonder" on YouTube

Background

Bowie uses the names of all seven dwarfs in the lyrics.[1] The sampled spoken line "If it's good to ya, it's gotta be good for ya" during the instrumental break, comes from the spoken intro of a live Steely Dan song called "Bodhisattva" from the Citizen Steely Dan box. Two main interpretations to the lyrics are given by James E. Perone, who writes that the song may simply represent some characteristics of Bowie's own personality or, in another case, an alien observing aspects of the life on Earth.[2] The drum break is sampled from The Winstons instrumental, "Amen, Brother", a popular drum solo and sample commonly referred to as the "Amen break".[3] The chord progression is similar to an early David Bowie song, "Can't Help Thinking About Me."

TitleMix and additional productionDurationAdditional credits and notes
Album VersionMark Plati6:02
EditMark Plati3:40
Censored Video EditMark Plati4:09Released on 2004 Earthling 2 CD.
Ambient Junior MixJunior Vasquez9:55Programmed by Frederick Jorio.
Club Dub Junior MixJunior Vasquez8:10Programmed by Frederick Jorio.
4/4 Junior MixJunior Vasquez8:10Programmed by Frederick Jorio.
Juniors Club InstrumentalJunior Vasquez8:14Programmed by Frederick Jorio.
Danny Saber MixDanny Saber3:06Cello by David Coleman, sonic hair and make up by John X.
Danny Saber Dance MixDanny Saber5:30Cello by David Coleman, sonic hair and make up by John X.

Track listings

UK CD version one
  1. "Little Wonder (edit)" – 3:40
  2. "Little Wonder (Ambient Junior Mix)" – 9:55
  3. "Little Wonder (Club Dub Junior Mix)" – 8:10
  4. "Little Wonder (4/4 Junior Mix)" – 8:10
  5. "Little Wonder (Juniors Club Instrumental)" – 8:14

UK CD version two (limited edition)
  1. "Little Wonder (edit)" – 3:40
  2. "Telling Lies (Adam F Mix)" – 3:58
  3. "Jump They Say (Leftfield 12" Vocal Mix)" – 7:40
  4. "Little Wonder (Danny Saber Mix)" – 3:06

US CD version
  1. "Little Wonder (Album version)" – 6:02
  2. "Little Wonder (Ambient Junior Mix)" – 9:55
  3. "Little Wonder (Club Dub Junior Mix)" – 8:10
  4. "Little Wonder (Danny Saber Dance Mix)" – 5:30

European CD version one
  1. "Little Wonder (Album version)" – 6:02
  2. "Little Wonder (Ambient Junior Mix)" – 9:55
  3. "Little Wonder (Danny Saber Mix)" – 3:06
  4. "Little Wonder (Club Dub Junior Mix)" – 8:10
  5. "Little Wonder (4/4 Junior Mix)" – 8:10

European CD version two
  1. "Little Wonder (edit)" – 3:40
  2. "Little Wonder (Junior Club Mix)" – 8:10
  3. "Telling Lies (Adam F Mix)" – 3:58

European CD version three
  1. "Little Wonder (edit)" – 3:40
  2. "Telling Lies (Adam F Mix)" – 3:58

Japanese CD version
  1. "Little Wonder (edit)" – 3:40
  2. "Little Wonder (Junior Club Mix)" – 8:10
  3. "Little Wonder (Danny Saber Mix)" – 3:06
  4. "Little Wonder (Club Dub Junior Mix)" – 8:10
  5. "Little Wonder (4/4 Junior Mix)" – 8:10

UK 12" version
  1. "Little Wonder (Junior Club Mix)" – 8:10
  2. "Little Wonder (Danny Saber Mix)" – 5:30
  3. "Telling Lies (Adam F Mix)" – 3:58

European 12" version
  1. "Little Wonder (Junior Club Mix)" – 8:10
  2. "Little Wonder (Danny Saber Mix)" – 5:30

An additional three promo CD singles were also released.

Production credits
Producer
Musicians

Live versions
  • Bowie performed "Little Wonder" as the opening song at his fiftieth birthday celebration concert in New York City on 9 January 1997. This performance was included on the Earthling in the City CD.
  • Bowie played the song live (along with "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)") on the 8 February 1997 episode of Saturday Night Live.[5]
  • Bowie played the song at the GQ Awards in New York City on 15 October 1997. This performance was later released on the live album LiveAndWell.com in 2000.
  • Bowie's 25 June 2000 performance of the song at the Glastonbury Festival was released in 2018 on Glastonbury 2000.
  • A live version recorded at BBC Radio Theatre, London, on 27 June 2000 was released on the bonus disc accompanying the first releases of Bowie at the Beeb in 2000.

Cover versions
  • Haitian Hate Gods – .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
  • Idiots Loop - Cover Ups (2019)

Other releases
  • The "Danny Saber remix" appeared on the soundtrack for the European release of The Saint as well as the second soundtrack for the movie Hackers. This remix also appeared on the four-track bonus disc that followed the live album LiveAndWell.com in 2000.
  • A video edit was released on a Jukebox 7" release of the single "Dead Man Walking" in 1997.
  • Three remixes, "Censored Video Edit", "Junior Vasquez Club Mix" and "Danny Saber Dance Mix", also appeared on the bonus disc of the Digibook Expanded Edition of Earthling from 2004.
  • The single version has been included on compilation albums: some editions of Best of Bowie (2002), the 3-disc and 2-disc versions of Nothing Has Changed (2014), and the 2-disc edition of Bowie Legacy (2016).

Chart positions
Chart Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[6] 94
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[7] 19
Canadian Singles Chart[8] 59
Finland Singles Chart (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 10
Netherlands Singles Chart[7] 50
UK Singles Chart[10] 14

Music video

The music video for "Little Wonder" was directed by Floria Sigismondi an Italian-Canadian photographer and director. It is set in a dystopian world of mutants, depicting rapid-pace shots of Bowie as an aging Ziggy Stardust and Halloween Jack wandering the New York streets and subways. The video includes video sculptures by the artist, Tony Oursler. Bowie has said of Sigismondi's work, "I thought she just has a wonderful eye, great textures, fabulous cutting."[11] The video is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.[12]

Notes
  1. Kuipers, Dean (March 1997), "David Bowie: Is There Life on Earth?", Raygun Magazine (44)
  2. James E. Perone, The Words and Music of David Bowie, Greenwood Publishing Group, 30 June 2007, p.119.
  3. Otzen, Ellen (29 March 2015). "Six seconds that shaped 1,500 songs". BBC. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  4. Discogs - Zachary Alford - (profile & discography)
  5. SNL Transcripts: 8 February 1997. Neve Campbell, Host http://snltranscripts.jt.org/96/96l.phtml
  6. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  7. Ultratop: David Bowie - Little Wonder, retrieved 9 April 2015
  8. Library and Archives Canada: Top Singles – March 17, 1997, 17 March 1997, retrieved 12 February 2016
  9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava.
  10. Official singles Chart results matching:LITTLE WONDER, retrieved 9 April 2015
  11. Pegg, Nicholas (2011). The Complete David Bowie (6 ed.). London: Titan Books, Titan Publishing Group. p. 147. ISBN 9780857682901.
  12. "David Bowie, Director: Floria Sigismondi, "Little Wonder" 1997". MoMA Collection. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
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