Do Anything You Say

"Do Anything You Say" is a single by the English musician David Bowie, his first release solely credited to himself. Released by Pye Records on 1 April 1966, it was produced by Tony Hatch and featured contributions from his new backing band, the Buzz. The song failed to chart and has been negatively received by his biographers.

"Do Anything You Say"
Single by David Bowie
B-side	"Good Morning Girl"
Released	1 April 1966 (1966-04-01)
Recorded	7 March 1966
Studio	Pye, London
Length	2:32
Label	Pye
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	Tony Hatch
David Bowie singles chronology
"Can't Help Thinking About Me" (1966) "Do Anything You Say" (1966) "I Dig Everything" (1966)

Overview

Two weeks after the release of "Can't Help Thinking About Me", David Bowie departed from the Lower Third, mostly due to the insistence of his then-manager Ralph Horton. He quickly assembled a new band from various advertisements in Melody Maker. Nicknamed the Buzz, the band consisted of guitarist John Hutchinson, bassist Derek Fearnley, drummer John Eager and keyboardist Derek Boyes.^[1] On 22 February 1966, Bowie and the Buzz demoed a new track, "Do Anything You Say", at London's Regent Sound Studios before properly recording it on 7 March at Marble Arch Studios,^[2][3] three days after performing "Can't Help Thinking About Me" on the ATV programme Ready Steady Go!.^[4] Also recorded was the chosen B-side, "Good Morning Girl", another Bowie-penned track.^[3] Tony Hatch played piano and produced the session, after doing the same for "Can't Help Thinking About Me".^[1]

Bowie's biographers have responded negatively to the song. While O'Leary calls it "a product of an apparent songwriting lull on Bowie's part", Nicholas Pegg finds it "unimaginative" and "betrays little promise" when comparing it to Bowie's other songs from 1966.^[1][2] James Perone calls it the "least memorable" of Bowie's three singles for Pye Records.^[5] The song itself is influenced by the contemporary soul and R&B sound, featuring call-and-response harmonies similar to the Who's recent hit "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere". O'Leary notes that it lacks contrasting bridges or solos. Bowie later used two lines for his 1969 track "Conversation Piece".^[1][2] Lyrically, the song sees a character conforms to his significant other after she rejects him.^[5] "Good Morning Girl", on the other hand, is a jazz-inflicted track that was more positively received.^[1][3][5]

"Do Anything You Say" was issued in the United Kingdom by Pye on 1 April 1966, with the catalogue number 7N 17079 and backed by "Good Morning Girl".^[1][3] It was the first single solely credited to "David Bowie".^[2] Like its predecessors, it failed to chart.^[6] A review published in Melody Maker by singer Dusty Springfield read: "I haven't got a clue who this is either, but I can see the effort that has gone into this record. It's nice. The sound is a bit messy."^[2][3] The song would later be included in the 1991 compilation Early On (1964–1966) and the 1999 reissue I Dig Everything: The 1966 Pye Singles.^[2][7] In a 2016 list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best, Ultimate Classic Rock placed "Do Anything You Say" at number 111 (out of 119).^[8]

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary:^[1]

• David Bowie – lead vocal
• John Hutchinson – lead guitar, backing vocal
• Derek Fearnley – bass, backing vocal
• John Eager – drums, backing vocal
• Derek Boyes – keyboards, backing vocal
• Tony Hatch – piano, producer

References

1. O'Leary 2015, chap. 1.
2. Pegg 2016, "Do Anything You Say".
3. Cann 2010, pp. 78–79.
4. Pegg 2016, pp. 55–57.
5. Perone 2007, p. 7.
6. O'Leary 2015, Partial Discography.
7. Unterberger, Richie. "Early On (1964–1966) – David Bowie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
8. "Every David Bowie Single Ranked". Ultimate Classic Rock. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.

Sources

• Cann, Kevin (2010). Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974. Croydon, Surrey: Adelita. ISBN 978-0-9552017-7-6.
• O'Leary, Chris (2015). Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76. Winchester: Zero Books. ISBN 978-1-78099-244-0.
• Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
• Perone, James E. (2007). The Words and Music of David Bowie. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99245-3.