DAVID BOWIE almost collaborated with ELVIS PRESLEY!

According to the book “Strange Fascination: David Bowie, the Definitive Story” by David Buckley, a few of Bowie’s demos landed in the lap of Presley and his manager Colonel Tom.

“Apparently, Elvis heard the demos because we were both on RCA, and Colonel Tom thought I should write some Elvis songs,” Bowie recalled in a 2002 interview. “There was talk between our offices that I should be introduced to Elvis and maybe start working with him in a production-writer capacity. But it never came to pass. I would have loved to have worked with him. God, I would have adored it.”

Bowie had set out to write a song for Presley, coming up with “Golden Years.” Presley’s team, however, rejected the track.

“He did send me a note once,” Bowie added. “[That said], ‘All the best, and have a great tour.’ I still have that one.”

Bowie later recorded “Golden Years” for his own album. Two years later, Presley passed away.

There has been some debate, however, over the origins of Bowie’s song “Golden Years” and if he did in fact originally write it for Presley.

Bowie’s first wife, Angie Bowie, claims the musician actually wrote it about her and that he had “[sung] it over the phone for me just the way, all those years before, he’d sung me ‘The Prettiest Star.’ It had a similar effect. I bought it”.

His girlfriend, Ava Cherry, also believes she was the inspiration behind the track.

But in Buckley’s biography, guitarist Carlos Alamar recalled when Bowie sat down to write “Golden Years”, saying:

“Bowie was following around with some chords on the piano, trying to recreate a glitzy ‘On Broadway’ vibe: ‘David goes to the piano and plays, “They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway…come de dum ma baby…” That’s kind of the vibe he wanted. I said, ‘How about this?’ I play the opening guitar riff, and he says, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, like that, do that, do that.’”