Kooks

When David Bowie composed Kooks, he did so thinking of his newborn son, Duncan Jones. The news of his son’s arrival reached him on May 30, 1971, while he was at home listening to a record by Neil Young. That same night, or the next day, Bowie was already writing this song, which would become a key piece of the album Hunky Dory. The song is a reflection of fatherhood seen from a warm and even slightly bewildered perspective, as if Bowie himself wondered how to raise another human being when he felt like a complete mess. It contrasts with other songs of the time that portrayed fatherhood as something more catastrophic; Kooks, instead, is welcoming and fun, with lyrics that capture that sense of awe at the new responsibility.

The recording of Hunky Dory, which included Kooks, took place in mid-1971 at London’s Trident Studios. For this album, David Bowie decided to compose primarily on the piano rather than the guitar, giving the record a more melodic and pop-oriented sound, far removed from the harder rock of earlier works. He collaborated with musicians such as Mick Ronson on guitar, Trevor Bolder on bass, and Mick Woodmansey on drums. Rick Wakeman contributed his piano skills just before joining the band Yes. The album’s production was handled by David Bowie alongside Ken Scott, who had already worked on Bowie’s two previous albums. The song itself, clocking in at 2:53, features a structure built around choruses, with verses serving as bridges. The arrangement is dense, with Trevor Bolder providing a very active bass line and also contributing trumpet parts, while Rick Wakeman’s piano and Mick Ronson’s string arrangements complete the piece. Producer Ken Scott was so impressed that he suggested Bowie make a full album of children’s songs, an idea that, though considered, never came to fruition.