Hang On to Yourself

When you dive into *Hang On to Yourself*, you're met with a riff that seems plucked straight from the dawn of rock and roll, but with an energy that anticipates the explosion of punk. It's as if David Bowie had taken the essence of 50s rockabilly, with echoes of artists like Eddie Cochran, and projected it into the future, influencing bands that would come later. This connection between the past and future of rock is one of the most interesting things about the song, a kind of sonic bridge that makes it stand out. The original recording of this piece, which came to light in February 1971 at London's Radio Luxembourg studios, was released as the B-side to *Moonage Daydream* in May of the same year.

Later, in November 1971, a new version was recorded at London's Trident Studios. This take would become part of the album *The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars*, released in June 1972. At this stage, the band accompanying Bowie, known as The Spiders from Mars, consisted of Mick Ronson on guitar, Trevor Bolder on bass, and Mick Woodmansey on drums. The production of this version was handled by David Bowie himself alongside Ken Scott. Curiously, the idea of Arnold Corns, the project under which the first version was released, was a kind of facade; designer Freddi Buretti was present at the sessions, but the contributions of Bowie and him merged in such a way that the official band line became a construct.