Bowie, David - John, I'm Only Dancing Lyrics






Well Annie's pretty neat
She always eats her meat
Joey's almost strong
Bet your life he's putting us on
Oh lordy
Oh lordy
You know I need some loving
Move me, touch me

[Chorus:]
John, I'm only dancing
She turns me on
But I'm only dancing
She turns me on
Don't get me wrong
I'm only dancing

Shadow love was quick and keen
Life's a well thumbed machine
Saw you watching from the stairs
You're everyone that ever cared
Oh lordy
Oh lordy
You know I need some loving
Move me, touch me

[Chorus x2]

Dancing
Won't someone dance with me?
Touch me





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Bowie, David John, I'm Only Dancing Comments
  1. T.... S....

    Is this song referring to John Lennon?

  2. k.... c....

    I read somewhere that John is John Lennon. Bowie was dancing with Yoko. No idea if this is true.

  3. P.... p....

    Having the lyrics on the record sleeve was great.spent my youth listening to bowie great music

  4. �.... �....

    исчезни с Земли

  5. �.... �....

    мерзость

  6. D.... T....

    Mick Rock really got what Bowie was about.

  7. M.... C....

    I fell in love with this on the Radio 1 Sunday chart show, the year it was out. I liked a lot of Bowie but this seemed to come from somewhere else artistically and seems to stand apart from more or less anything else he ever did. My only guess is it's the Bass work, which is really what makes the rock anthem 'ness', give way to a jazz feel. It phases in and out of genres effortlessly.

  8. j.... j....

    An orgasmic climatic beast of a song, the 4 note rundown from Ronson in the chorus (when he says "Oh Lordy"). Well quite simply "OH LORDY"!

  9. A.... ....

    Fuck off john I'm trying to dance over here

  10. l.... l....

    I was 15

    l.... l....

    i was -33 ;(

  11. H.... F....

    For me, that pose of Trevor Bolder at 2:39 ... personifies that mental sound! Brilliant! https://youtu.be/lmVVyhpuFRc?t=159 ... f_cking cool cats!!

  12. W.... P....

    Bowie was one step ahead of everyone else.

  13. A.... S....

    Why is the audio slightly slowed down in this?

  14. K.... C....

    Bowie rules, but how great is that band? The Spiders! Woody's drumming is epic.

  15. s.... b....

    Mick Ronson...

  16. l.... l....

    Why will nobody play bowies best track, arseholes

  17. W.... R....

    John green, I’m only danc8ng on your grave, your no brother of mine after fucking my ex, your welcome to the dirty old scrubber theresa streeter.

  18. T.... P....

    This voice , this music, this sound, this style - please tell me and help me - is there anybody out there who could match him -Mr. David Bowie!?!??!?!?!?!??!  I'm afraid there is nobody

    T.... P....

    You are correct!

  19. n.... s....

    Only if ppl had falf a brain .then they would understand how great bowie was .or is it all about how dumb ppl are in music.

  20. l.... l....

    The BOWIE PERSONA i do Prefer !!!

  21. H.... ....

    Nobody:
    Me: JOOOHN ! ! ! IM ONLY DAAANCIN' ! ! !

  22. E.... M....

    Lou Reed on rhythm guitar.

    E.... M....

    really ?

  23. B.... B....

    the one and only goblin king!

  24. M.... K....

    ;)) guess there was no censorship back then haha love Bowie

  25. J.... D....

    Great song!

  26. K.... C....

    legendary iconic glam rock god

  27. R.... H....

    When your only dancing
    And johns being a little bitch

  28. T.... P....

    this is divine ay

  29. J.... T....

    I just realised it's "oh lordy", I always thought it was "oh no dear" O_O

    J.... T....

    SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  30. b.... ....

    He could walk around like that now and never turn a head, now look back to 72,!!!!!!!!!!!!! The devil himself.

  31. A.... B....

    My favourite Bowie song

  32. l.... l....

    70ies ..I was there !

  33. B.... E....

    This song got me through a long psychotic break with reality where I was only seeing knives stabbing meat. Thank you David Bowie and Mick Ronson for bringin me back to reality so I didn't randomly stab people.

  34. J.... S....

    Listening to this I can see where Adam Ant got some of his inspiration for the song " Ant Music. "

  35. T.... ....

    I'd love to know what these lyrics mean-
    Because I'm oblivious to context of course-

  36. T.... E....

    UNDERRATED!

  37. C.... S....

    What I like about this is the sinister element. They look like a gang. Bowie looking like an alien but maybe an evil alien? And the anchor tattoo. Mick Rock is brilliant. He knew how to get across an image and atmosphere. No need for a bunch of colored lights and stage effects. Shadows are vital. There is little mystique in modern music.

  38. J.... O....

    I'm still dancing John 💗

  39. c.... x....

    I do wonder if this was about Mandy Rice-Davies (of the Profumo scandal), who David met in 1966 and danced with before fleeing when her fiancé turned up. Would love to know if his name was in fact John!

  40. s.... d....

    always thought he sang......'a bigger man toucha my hip' !............in fact thats a pretty good lyric! haha

  41. s.... y....

    Such a gay love song. Poor guy just wants that human touch, and dancing of course!

  42. N.... R....

    The only person to make a mullet work.

  43. L.... D....

    Woody is the only one left........Jeez! This song and album sounded like it does because Of Mick Ronson......and he never got credit for it.

  44. E.... C....

    I can not listen to this without having a massive grin on my face 😁

  45. G.... i....

    Yes best Bowie song! FYI if anyone interested nacho video here on yt does and alternative video to this song using outtakes , his audio is on point too.

  46. A.... M....

    One of the great underrated tracks of all time. This, Lady Stardust and Ziggy Stardust are the 3 that sum up the Ziggy era.

  47. H.... ....

    his cheekbones can cut a bish.

  48. K.... ....

    Most underrated song!!!!!

  49. a.... ....

    I’ve got the original single.

    a.... ....

    astravan07 - can I have it?

    a.... ....

    In fact, I think I’ve got the Italian version with a picture sleeve

    a.... ....

    astravan07 - 😂
    And awesome.

  50. A.... L....

    Never ever bored of this song

  51. p.... ....

    "She turns me 0n!

  52. s.... ....

    Love it,wonder how many other b-side gems there are,be cool to have an album of them. I'd heard the sax version of this and always loved it. But this just adds a trippy sound i love.

  53. P.... B....

    There is a theory that the 'John' of this song was John Bindon, the violent thug that his wife Angie was carrying on with.

    P.... B....

    Angie started that rumor

  54. S.... S....

    I Love you Bowie❤❤❤❤
    John: am i a joke to you
    Absolutely love the suggestiveness of this song!

  55. J.... R....

    I remember waiting for Christmas for the gift of Changes one. Wasn’t released otherwise. I was a tween. Made my holiday sweet. Thanks Aladdin Sane!

  56. n.... d....

    WAY ahead of his time wow
    If we could look into bowies brain it would make heads explode literally ha.

  57. S.... ....

    Who is John?

  58. E.... B....

    bissexual anthem

    E.... B....

    stop''trying to be cool''. btw nobody cares if your'e''gay''. your'e not ''special''.

    E.... B....

    oh don't tell me,😂you dress like him too. get out of here.you probably think your'e bowie.stop. just stop.

    E.... B....

    YOUR'E NOT FAMOUS! shutup please. lol.

    E.... B....

    @frey Pokorny ''oh rubbish'' -david bowie

    E.... B....

    cobblers.

  59. Z.... C....

    Sexiest man ever. Mancrush on him statrted cause of this song. 😍❤🤘🏼

  60. b.... ....

    That haircut got so many boys into trouble at the time, nothing now, back then it was a major major issue in society.

  61. D.... ....

    A forgotten gem ...and still is !!

  62. D.... M....

    FINALLY!!! This song took me YEARS to found it!!!

  63. N.... C....

    love this song

  64. J.... w....

    Grew up on this amazing and way ahead of its time song. Bowie's talent and artistry should never go underappreciated.

  65. L.... M....

    Does anyone know who the girl is in this video?

    L.... M....

    Annie Stainer

  66. J.... m....

    😍😍😍

  67. B.... ....

    Fond memories of my uncle Jimmy playing the bass to this with a joint hanging out of his mouth.

    B.... ....

    I think I would have liked Uncle Jimmy.

  68. R.... B....

    Panic in Detroit was like the sequel to this song??

    R.... B....

    chloe Ottem-O'Connell I said ‘Panic in Detroit’ was like a follow up to this in terms of its sound..like Rebel Rebel was like gene genie part two

    R.... B....

    One of my all-time faves. I love blasting that in the car with the windows open. The guitar riff is beyond. And .....Ah ooooooooh!

  69. p.... a....

    Demasiado adelantado para su época ¡¡

  70. U.... ....

    John im only dancing

  71. L.... M....

    This is the type of record for sampling, especially the hook

  72. R.... O....

    Netflix - The Umbrella Academy

  73. B.... B....

    DAVID
    BOWIE
    IS
    FREAKING
    AWESOME

    B.... B....

    And freak

    B.... B....

    And f***** a 14 y/o girl

  74. J.... O....

    I miss this gorgeous man!

  75. L.... J....

    i don't know why, but it made me kinda sad when he said. "won't someone dance with me" almost had a Katniss Everdeen moment..

    I VOLUNTEER !!

    L.... J....

    Yeah, me every time.

  76. l.... l....

    Bowies best track ever, shame shame shame nobody ever got the bollocks to play it on the radio. Gutless arseholes
    This track got me into him after listening to hawkwind , man, alex harvey etc, a breath of fresh air, beleive me

  77. M.... L....

    If you notice, the video begins with the 2nd verse. That's why his lips are out of sync with the first verse... Prefer this version of the song to the saxophone version.

  78. N.... M....

    Why you never see David listed among the best songwriters is a mystery to me.
    I don't think he even cracked the top 100 in a recent Rolling Stone top 100 songwriters of all time. SMFH

    N.... M....

    What do they know😳

    N.... M....

    He did!!!!!!!! I think he was like 34th-48th or something

    N.... M....

    Ned Martin
    I think there are people that are beyond the comprehension of the “expert analysis “ folks. They usually earn that position flat on their backs or on their knees. Gave Bowie endless subject matter.

  79. S.... M....

    Great video, of my favs I watched of Bowie.

  80. J.... F....

    What an extraordinary subject for a song. And so of its time. The gay guy tries to explain to his lover "John I'm only dancing, she turns me on, but I'm only dancing" I loved this song way back then cause like all kids it had my name in it. Took me much longer to understand the simple statement.

    J.... F....

    *bisexual

    J.... F....

    Some say "John" is the boyfriend of a girl with whom the lyricist was dancing.

  81. p.... ....

    David Bowie recorded three versions of this song and to me this original is by far the best one.

    p.... ....

    Yes he did a smooth disco version...it's on Changes 2 album... I prefer this version though....

  82. L.... ....

    Boom Boom Boom  Boomboom simple drums yet very effective... love It!  Gotta dance, that's a song too I believe, the artist and film escapes me, it will come back to me.

    L.... ....

    Yes, Woody Woodmansey's drumming is epic.

  83. I.... C....

    Well, Annie's pretty neat, she always eats her meat
    Joe is awful strong, bet your life he's putting us on
    Oh lordy, oh lordy, you know I need some loving
    Oh move me, touch me

    John, I'm only dancing
    She turns me on, but I'm only dancing
    She turns me on, don't get me wrong
    I'm only dancing

    Oh shadow love was quick and clean, life's a well-thumbed machine
    I saw you watching from the stairs, you're everyone that ever cared
    Oh lordy, oh lordy, you know I need some loving
    Move me, touch me

    John, I'm only dancing
    She turns me on, but I'm only dancing
    She turns me on, don't get me wrong
    I'm only dancing

    John, I'm only dancing
    She turns me on, but I'm only dancing
    She turns me on, don't get me wrong
    I'm only dancing

    Dancing
    Won't someone dance with me?
    Touch me, ohh

    I.... C....

    @chloe Ottem-O'Connell No, they aren't. They're correct.

  84. C.... C....

    Achtung!!! Achtung!!! Just in case anyone else in wondering, the wonderful dancers who add so much colour and vibe to this video are Lindsay Kemp, Annie Stainer and Jack Birkett.

    Kemp is perhaps the most easily recognisable. For those who aren't overly familiar with Kemp, he was a wonderful, flamboyant and very talented British dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist, and choreographer. Kemp and Bowie first met in mid-1967 and by Autumn of that year Bowie was taking dance lessons from him. Without a shadow of a doubt, Bowie's meeting, taking lessons from, collaborating with Kemp had a seminal impact on the shaping of Bowie's career. In other words, Kemp had a huge influence on Bowie and his many wonderful personas such as Ziggy Stardust, Halloween Jack and The Thin White Duke. Apparently, Bowie and Kemp were romantic lovers for a short period in the early 1970s.

    Back to the other dancers in the video for "John, I'm Only Dancing". The female dancer is Annie Stainer. She is a British dancer, mime artist and actress. Annie Stainer has her own website. It is at http://www.anniestainer.com
    Her website states that she is a Theatre Director and International Performer. There is a lot of info and photos on her page. There are some great photos of her with Bowie on stage from the 1970s on her website and also if you type her name into Google Images also.
    The other male dancer is Jack Birkett. He was a British dancer, mime artist, actor and singer. In 1956 he met Lindsay Kemp, when they were both doing ballet classes with Marie Rambert at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate. According to Kemp; "We were always scraping a living in those early days, often working as stage hands, cooks and cleaners. Sometimes we hitchhiked from venue to venue, carrying our costumes and props". Both Kemp and Birkett were flamboyant homosexuals. Kemp later wrote; "Jack was Judy to my Mr Punch, Harlequin to my Pierrot, Titania to my Puck, Herodias to my Salomé, Queen of Hearts to my Lewis Carroll. We shared flats, dressing rooms, boyfriends, bills, good times and bad times, success and failure; a couple of extravagant young dreamers, a couple of aching elders, always entertainers".
    Annie Stainer is still alive, but unfortunately Lindsay Kemp and Jack Birkett have already passed away.

    Bowie did a lot of work with Kemp, Stainer and Birkett in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970, Kemp requested Bowie to write the narrative for a play. The play's story became a TV Short called "Pierrot in Turquoise" (or "The Looking Glass Murders"). This production starred Bowie, Kemp, Stainer and Birkett.

    The play featured Pierrot (Lindsay Kemp) who is the sad mime, with his unrequited love for Columbine (Annie Stainer) and her lover Harlequin (Jack Birkett). The production became a traveling soap opera both on stage and off it also: Bowie was having simultaneous affairs with Kemp and the costume designer Natasha Korniloff. Once Kemp found out what was going on behind closed curtains, he lived up to the role of the betrayed Pierrot and slashed his wrists before a show. When he reopened the wounds while performing that night, blood stained his Pierrot costume and the audience roared at the audacious realism.

    For the play "Pierrot in Turquoise", Bowie wrote the songs “Threepenny Pierrot,” “Columbine” and “The Mirror”. If you are interested in Annie Stainer, I'd recommend that you check these songs on Youtube. Type in "Threepenny Pierrot" and you'll find a wonderful song and video with Bowie, Kemp, Stainer and Birkett.

    Hope this info tickled your proverbial fancy!!!! x

    C.... C....

    Ooh I didn't know one of these dancers is Lindsey!

    C.... C....

    Thank you so very much for taking the time to share this. I love these dancers so much. Do you happen to know who or from where the dancers are from The 1980 Floor Show, especially “Time”?

    C.... C....

    Tank you for all these info.

    C.... C....

    Deutsch?

  85. T.... B....

    Miss you david, RIP

  86. S.... E....

    I want that jacket.

  87. S.... S....

    Sexiest song eva!

  88. P.... H....

    Please promote my dancing channel

  89. M.... ....

    This version is a bit weird. I personally prefer John, I'm Only Dancing (Sax Version).

    M.... ....

    I prefer this one, it's got a more haunting quality to it. (plus it was the one I heard first)

    M.... ....

    Thanks for the tip. Have to check it out.

  90. J.... H....

    How is it possible that this cunt's famous?

    J.... H....

    john, hes only dancing

    J.... H....

    @Kitten Mew Hahahah

    J.... H....

    @Kitten Mew we salute thee

    J.... H....

    @Kitten Mew thugged!!!

  91. k.... r....

    Yikes! This is a spectacular song,

  92. m.... M....

    This hot!
    I love this song

  93. S.... C....

    1:17 Does anyone know who this dancer is? I know the other one is Lindsey Kemp but I cannot find anything on this woman

    S.... C....

    Her name is Annie Stainer. She is a British dancer, mime artist and actress. As you already mentioned, the great Lindsay Kemp can be seen performing in this video. The other man in the video is Jack Birkett. He was a British dancer, mime artist, actor and singer. Annie Stainer is still alive, but unfortunately Lindsay Kemp and Jack Birkett passed away. 

    Bowie did a lot of work with Kemp, Stainer and Birkett in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970, Kemp requested Bowie to write the narrative for a play. The play's story became a TV Short called "Pierrot in Turquoise" (or "The Looking Glass Murders"). This production starred Bowie, Kemp, Stainer and Birkett.

    The play featured Pierrot (Lindsay Kemp) who is the sad mime, with his unrequited love for Columbine (Annie Stainer) and her lover Harlequin (Jack Birkett). The production became a traveling soap opera both on stage and off it also: Bowie was having simultaneous affairs with Kemp and the costume designer Natasha Korniloff. Once Kemp found out what was going on behind closed curtains, he lived up to the role of the betrayed Pierrot and slashed his wrists before a show. When he reopened the wounds while performing that night, blood stained his Pierrot costume and the audience roared at the audacious realism.

    For the play "Pierrot in Turquoise", Bowie wrote the songs “Threepenny Pierrot,” “Columbine” and “The Mirror”. If you are interested in Annie Stainer, I'd recommend that you check these songs on Youtube. Type in "Threepenny Pierrot" and you'll find a wonderful song and video with Bowie, Kemp, Stainer and Birkett. 

    Annie Stainer has her own website. It is http://www.anniestainer.com/about/
    Her website states that she is a Theatre Director and International Performer. There is a lot of info and photos on her page. There are some great photos of her with Bowie on stage from the 1970s on her website and also if you type her name into Google Images also.

    Hope this helps!!!! x

    S.... C....

    Thank you! Xoxo

    S.... C....

    @Céline Cendrars Yes, thanks so much for the info!

  94. S.... T....

    K wuena rola en 2018

    S.... T....

    Tienes razón bro xd

  95. s.... c....

    Where it all began for me

    s.... c....

    sandra craig
    Ditto. Mostly.. i watched the Serious Moonlight on VHS Tour in '85, got the S+V box set in '89, & started buying an album a weekend. This was.. WOW. 😍

  96. G.... N....

    Methinks of Greek vases come to life when I see the dancers.

  97. a.... p....

    John: am i a joke to you

    a.... p....

    aurtura pal! 😂😂😩

    a.... p....

    My dads name is John, ooops

    a.... p....

    aurtura pal! He’s only dancing

    a.... p....

    this made me laugh so loud