David Bowie Records His First Single Under His New Name

On this day 10th December 1965

On this day in history an 18 year old David Bowie stepped into London’s Marble Arch Studios to record "Can’t Help Thinking About Me" a punchy, soul-tinged pop single that would quietly mark a major turning point in his career. It was the very first release under the name David Bowie a conscious rebranding after years of confusion with another rising star of the era, Davy Jones of The Monkees.

Before this moment, Bowie had already issued a handful of singles as Davy Jones and Davie Jones, fronting bands like The King Bees, The Manish Boys, and The Lower Third. None had made a serious dent in the charts, but each step helped him refine his sound, image, and artistic ambition.

"Can’t Help Thinking About Me” was recorded with his band The Lower Third and released in January 1966 on the Pye label. The song is a sharp slice of mid-60s London beat music, driven by Bowie’s youthful urgency and themes of isolation, self-reflection, and reinvention, themes that would echo throughout his future work. Though not a commercial hit at the time, it marked the beginning of Bowie as Bowie, the first moment he put his new identity into the world.

This period was pivotal: Bowie was still a teenager, restless, ambitious, and trying to carve out a place in a rapidly shifting musical landscape. What he didn’t yet know was that this small, somewhat overlooked single would become the first building block in one of the most transformative and influential careers in modern music history.

From this point on, David Bowie was no longer simply chasing a pop breakthrough

he was becoming an artist who would redefine himself, and popular culture, again and again.

Explore Bowie’s Story in London

On my David Bowie tour of Soho and Brixton, we visit the key locations that shaped Bowie’s career from the clubs of Soho to the streets of his Brixton childhood. Discover the stories behind his music, his collaborations, and the many reinventions that made him a legend.

📆 Check the Calendar in the main menu for available tour dates and times.

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