| "The Width of a Circle" | |
|---|---|
| Song by David Bowie | |
| from the album The Man Who Sold the World | |
| Released | 4 November 1970 (US) April 1971 (UK) |
| Recorded | 18 April – 22 May 1970 |
| Studio | Trident and Advision, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 8:05 |
| Label | Mercury |
| Songwriter(s) | David Bowie |
| Producer(s) | Tony Visconti |
"The Width of a Circle" is a song written by the English musician David Bowie in 1969 for his 1970 album, The Man Who Sold the World. Recorded during the spring of 1970, it was released later that year in the United States and in April 1971 in the UK. The opening track on the album, it features hard rock and heavy metal overtones. Bowie had performed a shorter version of the song in concerts for several months before recording it.
Featuring Mick Ronson's lead guitar work and occasional choral effects from the band, this 8-minute song is divided into two parts. The music takes on a heavy R&B quality in the second half, where the narrator enjoys a sexual encounter – with God, the Devil or some other supernatural being, according to different interpretations – in the depths of Hell.[4][5][6]
Several live versions of the song have been released:
The song appeared on the Japanese compilation The Best of David Bowie in 1974.
The box set The Width of a Circle, released posthumously in 2021, features an early recording of the song from The Sounds of the 70s: Andy Ferris.[8][9]
According to biographer Chris O'Leary:[10]
Technical
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