History YMMV / DavidBowie

* AmericansHateTingle: Along with many other GlamRock acts, Bowie had a tough time cracking the American market until "Fame" in 1975, though he did attract a cult following in the Ziggy Stardust era beforehand. ''Music/LetsDance'' made him a superstar, but a series of bad artistic decisions caused his popularity to dwindle back down to a cult following in the U.S. until ''Music/{{Heathen}}'', and in 2016 where he was again [[PosthumousPopularityPotential a posthumous superstar]] on both sides of UsefulNotes/ThePond. The Creator/{{Rykodisc}} reissues, as well as the ''Sound + Vision'' box set and the ''Changesbowie'' compilation that kicked off the reissue campaign, revived American interest in his 1969-1980 output, but his 1983-1999 material wouldn't be substantially reappraised until after his death.

* EpicRiff: Many. "Rebel Rebel", "Suffragette City", and "Panic in Detroit" are standout examples. "The Man Who Sold the World" also deserves a mention.

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: It's hard to overstate just how influential Bowie has been on music and popular culture. He has influenced a wide variety of artists in different genres ranging from Main/GlamRock, Main/GlamMetal, Main/PunkRock, Main/PostPunk, Main/NewWaveMusic, Main/AlternativeRock, Main/ElectronicMusic, Main/HipHop, even Main/ClassicalMusic, and more. He has also influenced the visuals and live performance of popular music, anticipating the creation of Creator/MTV. Even the overall approach to change and artistic evolution has been attributed to David. While Bowie's work is still very acclaimed, many of the artists that David influenced went on to become more commercially successful, more culturally prominent, and/or icons in their own right. Therefore, it can be easy to miss just how wide the scope of his influence has been.

* {{Anvilicious}}: "I'm Afraid of Americans" was written as a sardonic callout of Americentrism and the neocolonialism of corporate globalization, while its music video features so much symbolism about the prevalence of gun violence that a drinking game based on it would be suicide. Granted, it's not as harsh towards America as [[Music/BruceSpringsteen "Born in the USA"]], but the message is still pretty powerful, [[ValuesResonance particularly in recent years]].

** With Music/{{Queen|Band}} fans, though there is also FriendlyFandoms as seen in the corresponding entry. They are both seen as some of the UK's most defining artists, with particularly comparison emerging between frontman Music/FreddieMercury and Bowie. This naturally leads to some competitiveness among fans. Fans of Queen point out the legacy of iconic songs such as "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Freddie as one of the greatest singer/frontmen/live performers, and Queen's enduring legacy as one of the most popular bands from their generation. Meanwhile, fans of Bowie point to how David is one of the most widely influential and respected artists of all time (influencing Queen as well) with many iconic albums and a diverse scope of work.

** Some with Music/EltonJohn. It's suspected that John took inspiration from "Space Oddity" for his song "Rocketman". The artists are seen as two of the most defining of TheSeventies, with flamboyant GlamRock influenced personas for a part of their careers, leading to comparisons between the two artists.

** In general, Bowie tends to have strong fandom overlap with many of the artists he influenced. But especially artists in Main/PostPunk, Main/NewWaveMusic, and Main/AlternativeRock which were all genres where he was a major, even primary influence.

** Some with Music/EltonJohn. It's suspected that John took inspiration from "Space Oddity" for his song "Rocketman". The artists are seen as two of the most defining of TheSeventies, with flamboyant GlamRock influenced personas for a part of their careers.

** ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps: "Ashes To Ashes" and "Fashion".