The 1972 David Bowie Performance That Defined Glam Rock

David Bowie was an incredible artist for a lot of reasons: his innovation, his courage, his defiance, and of course, his ability to deliver a life-changing performance every time he took the stage. His captivating stage presence was undoubtedly something he cultivated and improved with time, but seeing his early performances, it becomes clear that he had an effortless flair that was innate. And his appearance on "Top of the Pops" in 1972 showed his talent to the world.

David Bowie released his first album in 1967, and while the reviews were good, it was a long time before he achieved commercial success. In 1969, the release of his second self-titled album, known as "Space Oddity" positioned him as an experimental, futuristic singer. But until his July 6, 1972 performance on "Top of the Pops," international stardom had eluded him. He sang "Starman" on the show, a song that is now a timeless classic, but at the time, it had only been out for about a month as the fourth track on "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" LP. It wasn't just the high quality of the song that captivated the audience, though; it was Bowie's performance, under his stage name, Ziggy Stardust, that blew people away. His glamorous and androgynous attitude catapulted Bowie into stardom, not just as a great songwriter and singer, but as a frontman. 

Appearing on "Top of the Pops" was a pivotal moment in David Bowie's career. Everyone knows now that he was as much a showman as he was an artist. As someone with many famous looks, his characterization was a big part of what made him stand out that night. Bowie's intentional attempt to connect with people watching from their homes made all the difference. By staring straight into the camera when he sang, "I had to phone someone, so I picked on you," he seemed to talk directly to his audience. According to Louder, synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan said of the performance, "To say it stood out is an epic understatement. Even as a hardcore T. Rex fan, I knew it was special."

Many artists that later became huge stars were watching this performance and were mesmerized by it. The Cure's Robert Smith said their band's iconic look was inspired by Bowie's over-the-top jumpsuit and makeup, and he was just one of many musicians who found that performance inspiring. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bono from U2 described watching him that night as seeing "a creature falling from the sky. Americans put a man on the moon. We had our own British guy from space." Ironic, since Bowie's first success, "Space Oddity," was inspired by the moon landing.

Five years after Bowie started his career, it seemed the world started to catch up. As millions of people watched him on their screens, it was clear things were changing for him. In 1973, "Life on Mars?" from his 1971 album, "Hunky Dory," was rereleased, and this time, people listened. The single ended up in the No. 3 spot in the U.K. charts, thanks to the success of Ziggy Stardust and the popularity he gained from this performance.