Let's Dance

David Bowie, 1983, from Let's Dance. Solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Vaughan's stinging Texas blues solo sits unexpectedly well over Nile Rodgers' sleek dance-rock production.

Few guest spots feel as surprising as Stevie Ray Vaughan's work on Let's Dance. Nile Rodgers' production is sleek, precise dance-rock, and into it Vaughan drops stinging Texas blues bends, sharp attacks and a thick, biting tone. The contrast is what makes it work: the raw, human sound of his guitar against the polished groove gives the song an edge it would not otherwise have. It also introduced Vaughan to a huge audience just before his own debut album. Listen for how he uses bends and short, jabbing licks rather than long runs, and how his phrases often start just behind the beat, giving them a relaxed, confident swagger.

Let's Dance by David Bowie is featured in our New Wave (#25), Pop (#4) lists. The solo is played by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the song was released in 1983.

In our lists

• Beyond the Canon — #28
• The 25 Greatest New Wave Guitar Solos — #25
• The 25 Greatest Pop Guitar Solos — #4
• Guest Solos — #23
• Best of Stevie Ray Vaughan — #6
• The Best Nile Rodgers Guitar Solos — #7
• The Best David Bowie Guitar Solos — #2
• The Best Stevie Ray Vaughan Guitar Solos — #16

Sources

• Far Out Magazine: 10 pop songs with outrageously good guitar solos