The Jean Genie

David Bowie recorded “The Jean Genie” on 6 October 1972 at RCA Studios in New York during the early Aladdin Sane sessions. Bowie wrote the song around Mick Ronson’s Bo Diddley-inspired riff, with Ken Scott producing and engineering the recording with the Spiders from Mars. Released by RCA Victor in 1972 as the lead single from Aladdin Sane, it reached number 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart. Its swaggering blues riff, glam-rock image and New York street-life imagery made it one of Bowie’s biggest early-1970s singles. The track remains one of Bowie’s signature glam-era recordings and a staple of his compilations and live repertoire. Its riff-driven structure and Ziggy-period attitude have kept it central to accounts of Bowie’s transition from British art-rock star to international rock figure.