The Reason Why David Bowie Disliked Country Music

In his day, David Bowie was known for toiling with various types of genres such as R&B, blues, jazz, funk, classical, and many more. However, one genre he refused to ever play given his disdain for it was country. Bowie’s contempt for country music seemingly derives from many different factors regarding the music itself and his upbringing. After all, Bowie is a Brit and appears to be a loyal one at that. Thus, he reportedly could not find one part of the purely American genre he truly liked.

When one comes to think of it, does this fact surprise us? Bowie was a bohemian cross-dressing gender-bending individual who admirably pushed every musical and social boundary he possibly could. So, how and why would the man exactly find inspiration from themes and notions embedded in the country music of his generation? On the surface level, he simply wouldn’t, as finding a concrete thread of relativity between Bowie and country might be just as hard as finding one between water and fire.

Why David Bowie Disliked The Genre

Being the kind soul he was, Bowie never verbally or overtly attacked or scrutinized the genre. Rather, he simply voiced his opinions in a just and polite fashion. One of the premier moments in which his opinion about the genre came to light was in his NPR interview with Terry Gross.

The interview between the two nearly covered everything about David Bowie’s musical career and life. In an attempt to document his entire musical chronology, Gross asked Bowie what he listened to as a teenager. Bowie replied, “I mean everything, from jazz to classical to popular” and ” I think the only music I didn’t listen to was country and Western, and that holds to this day.” He finished the portion of the answer stating, “It’s much easier for me to say that. The kind of music I didn’t listen to was pretty much that.”

As you can see, Bowie made it very clear that he never listened to country music. Now, as to why that is, is somewhat unclear. Although, as stated before, surely the lack of progressiveness in both the music and ideals had something to do with it.

Bowie Actually Has a No. 1 Country Hit

Thanks to Warner Chappell’s purchasing of David Bowie’s musical catalog in 2022, last September Bowie scored his first ever No. 1 country song due to Chris Young’s sampling of “Rebel, Rebel” on his song “Young Love & Saturday Nights.” Bowie’s incidental No. 1 hit can be looked at either through humor or judgment.

Yes, Warner Chappell is allegedly doing the exact opposite of what Bowie would want done with his music per his comments about country music. On the other hand, it’s a bit funny to imagine how Bowie would respond to the news. Would he be furious or would his dry British sense of humour grace the world? Either way, Bowie’s music is universally great enough to take on any genre it wants, which is a testament to his towering talent.

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