"Black Tie White Noise" is the title track from British singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie's 1993 album of the same name. Featuring guest vocals by Al B. Sure!, it was produced by Nile Rodgers and released as the second single from the album in June 1993. Background The track was inspired by Bowie's stay in Los Angeles in April 1992, when the city saw race riots in reaction to the Rodney King incident. It is the epitome of its parent album's feelings towards conformity and corporations, with Benetton and the saccharine charity single "We Are the World" among the targets. Bowie would later explain that the track was concerned with the black community's own identity, and how it didn't need to be absorbed into the white community. It is among the most jazz- and soul-influenced tracks on the album, highlighted by the key vocal of Al B. Sure!, although Lenny Kravitz was reportedly Bowie's first choice for the duet. Essentially a rhythm and blues tune, the song ultimately reinforced the feeling of Bowie's tendency as a chameleon of musical styles. Release Released as the album's second single, "Black Tie White Noise" was a top 40 hit in Britain and subsequently reached No. 36 in the UK chart and No. 74 in Australia. Critical reception Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "This oddly churning but attractive track is a little too slow for current dancefloor tastes. Not as instant as many of Bowie's bigger hits, it will need a lot to push it into the top end of the chart. A moderate hit." Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel felt it's "one of the better ones" on the album, adding, "The groove is faux-funky, and the melody is undercooked, but Bowie's trumpet injects flavor, and the lyrics have something to say about race relations in America: "Getting my facts from a Benetton ad/ looking through African eyes/ lit by the glare of an L.A. fire/ I've got a face, not just my race." Bowie's cool, detached voice is nicely partnered by that of soul singer Al B. Sure!, and Bowie sneaks in a Marvin Gaye allusion." James Hamilton from the RM Dance Update described it as a "gloomy slow roller". Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it five out of five, declaring it as "fabulous", "funky and soulful – and you could listen to it again and again and never get bored.