On 12 September 1983, David Bowie released the single “Modern Love” - the opening track on his fifteenth studio album “Let's Dance”.
Since its release, "Modern Love" has received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised Bowie's songwriting, its production, and its power as an opening track. It is generally considered one of the best songs on Let's Dance, along with "China Girl" and the title track, and has since been called one of Bowie's greatest songs.
Following Bowie's death in 2016, "Modern Love" was named as one of Bowie's greatest songs by numerous publications. Rolling Stone listed it as one of Bowie's 30 essential songs, writing "[the song] reveals Bowie at his catchiest and most nihilistic." Ultimate Classic Rock, in their list of Bowie's 10 greatest songs, listed it at number eight, labeling it the best "pop song" of Bowie's career, praising its spoken intro and its "infectious chorus". In 2018, the writers of NME listed "Modern Love" as Bowie's eighth greatest song. They noted the "tragic irony" to the track, in that it is not about how Bowie managed to "make a perfect song about his cynicism at the world", but rather that his "prescient observations" of the 1980s music industry exposed the "hollowness" of his 1980s works.
[Intro]
I know when to go out
Know when to stay in
Get things done
[Verse 1]
I catch the paper boy
But things don't really change
I'm standing in the wind
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try
[Verse 2]
There's no sign of life
It's just the power to charm
I'm lying in the rain
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try
[Chorus]
Never going to fall for
(Modern love) Walks beside me
(Modern love) Walks on by
(Modern love) Gets me to the church on time
(Church on time) Terrifies me
(Church on time) Makes me party
(Church on time) Puts my trust in God and man
(God and man) No confessions
(God and man) No religion
(God and man) Don't believe in modern love
[Verse 3]
It's not really work
It's just the power to charm
Still standing in the wind
But I never wave bye bye
But I try
I try
[Chorus]
Never going to fall for
(Modern love) Walks beside me
(Modern love) Walks on by
(Modern love) Gets me to the church on time
(Church on time) Terrifies me
(Church on time) Makes me party
(Church on time) Puts my trust in God and man
(God and man) No confessions
(God and man) No religion
(God and man) Don't believe in modern love
(Modern love) Walks beside me
(Modern love) Walks on by
(Modern love) Gets me to the church on time
(Church on time) Terrifies me
(Church on time) Makes me party
(Church on time) Puts my trust in God and man
(God and man) No confessions
(God and man) No religion
(God and man) Don't believe in modern love
Modern love, modern love, modern love, modern love
Modern love, modern love, modern love, modern love
(Modern love, modern love, modern love, modern love)
Modern love, walks beside me (Modern love)
Modern love, walks on by (Modern love)
Modern love, walks beside me (Modern love)
Modern love, walks on by (Modern love)
Never gonna fall for
(Modern love, modern love, modern love, modern love)