David Bowie’s transition from rock icon to pop star was one of the more surprising musical developments of the 1980s. In the aftermath of releasing Never Let Me Down in 1987, Bowie was ready to jump off the pop star train he boarded when he made Let’s Dance five years earlier. As he changed his musical direction—both as a member of Tin Machine and on solo releases—Bowie’s work received mixed reviews and yielded no major hits.
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As the new millennium crept closer, it looked as if Bowie’s string of ignored single releases would continue for the entire ‘90s. The first four singles from Earthling (1997)—Bowie’s fourth solo album of the decade—all missed the Billboard Hot 100. None even made it onto the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. With a little help from Trent Reznor, Earthling’s fifth single “I’m Afraid of Americans” became Bowie’s highest-charting Hot 100 hit in 10 years and longest-charting entry in 14 years.
In a career loaded with unexpected twists and turns, the comeback-hit status of “I’m Afraid of Americans” ranks among one of the more surprising developments in Bowie’s timeline. Even if the song hadn’t become Bowie’s most popular song of the ‘90s, it has a history that is worth revisiting.
Missing the Cut on Outside
Bowie wrote “I’m Afraid of Americans” in reaction to seeing the first McDonald’s open up on the Indonesian island of Java. He was sufficiently upset by the sight of it that felt he needed to respond through his music. In a press release, Bowie said, “The invasion by any homogenized culture is so depressing, the erection of another Disney World in, say, Umbria, Italy, more so. It strangles the indigenous culture and narrows expression of life.”
The journey of “I’m Afraid of Americans” from an idea in Bowie’s head to hit single occurred over the course of recording two studio albums—and then some. Bowie recorded a version of “I’m Afraid of Americans,” which he co-wrote with Brian Eno, during the sessions for his 1995 album Outside. This version is notably different from the one that wound up on Earthling, as the song’s main character is referred to as “Dummy” rather than “Johnny.” Also, the refrain of the original version is I’m afraid of the animals instead of I’m afraid of Americans. Bowie opted not to include the song on Outside, but this early version was included on the soundtrack album for the 1995 film Showgirls.
“I’m Afraid of Americans” was not left completely unrepresented on Outside. Eno, who co-produced the album with Bowie and David Richards, repurposed the drum track for the song “We Prick You.”
Getting a Second (and a Third) Life
Bowie liked “I’m Afraid of Americans” enough to give it a second life on his next album. He reworked the original, which he performed with Eno and guitarists Carlos Alomar and Reeves Gabrels, with the full band he used for Earthling. This rendition has a harder rock edge, with Zack Alford’s drums having a prominent place in the mix. “I’m Afraid of Americans” made the cut this time, filling the second-to-last spot in Earthling’s nine-track sequence. However, it was initially passed over for release as a single, with “Telling Lies,” “Little Wonder,” “Dead Man Walking,” and “Seven Years in Tibet” getting the nod instead.
By the time “Seven Years in Tibet” was released as the fourth single in August 1997, Earthling was already more than five months past its peak on the Billboard 200 and UK Official Albums Chart (at No. 39 and No. 6, respectively), so there was not a clear need to release a fifth single. It may have never happened if not for Reznor, who supported Bowie with Nine Inch Nails on the Outside Tour. Reznor created six remixes of “I’m Afraid of Americans,” which were then released on a maxi-single along with the version that appeared on Earthling. The first of the six remixed versions was used for the single and the official music video for “I’m Afraid of Americans.” Reznor provides backing vocals for the single, and he plays the role of “Johnny” in the video.
The Impact of “I’m Afraid of Americans”
“I’m Afraid of Americans” needed only six weeks to reach its peak position of No. 66 on the Hot 100, but it remained on the chart for another 10 weeks. It was only five weeks shy of the 21-week stays for “Fame” and “Golden Years,” which were Bowie’s longest-charting hits on the Hot 100. It was also the longest tenure for a Bowie single on the chart since “Blue Jean” spent 18 weeks on the Hot 100 in 1984. The song went to No. 29 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart.
According to setlist.fm, “I’m Afraid of Americans” was one of Bowie’s 30 most-performed songs in concert, as he played it roughly as often as classics like “Moonage Daydream” and “Panic in Detroit” despite being released more than 20 years later. Reznor has frequently made the song a part of Nine Inch Nails’ setlists. Numerous artists have covered “I’m Afraid of Americans,” with Bones UK’s version having been streamed more than 5 million times on Spotify. The trio recorded their cover for the 2018 SiriusXM special The Howard Stern Tribute to David Bowie, and included it on their 2019 self-titled debut album.
While “I’m Afraid of Americans” was not a hit of the magnitude of “Fame,” “Golden Years,” or “Let’s Dance,” it was notable for being Bowie’s biggest post-’80s hit until “Lazurus” posthumously reached the Top 40 in 2016. If not for Bowie’s persistence in making the song a good fit for Earthling and Reznor’s tweaking that led to it becoming a single, many of us would have missed out on one of the most memorable songs from a legendary catalog.
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