43 Years Ago, This Album Debuted With a Single That Topped a Whopping 19 Charts

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues (or whatever color tickles your fancy). On this day in 1983, David Bowie's Let's Dance took the world by storm, debuting with massive global success despite mixed reviews from music critics. It marked a new musical chapter for the artist. He even brought in emerging blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan to play lead guitar on the album, whose popularity skyrocketed afterward. Additionally, for the first time in Bowie's career, he did not play any instruments during the album's recording.

Let's Dance abandoned Bowie's more rock sound of the early-to-mid '70s, leaning into elements of post-disco, dance-pop, and new wave (with a smattering of dance-rock for good measure). While this is indisputably Bowie's best-selling album, he felt his creativity had cratered in the period to follow, with his subsequent albums being critically panned.

However, the record is still worth a listen, particularly its titular track, "Let's Dance." Debuting as a single on Mar. 14, 1983, one month before the album's release, the tune is an infectious, toe-tapping delight. Sure, it's not Bowie's best work, but it'll certainly make you get up and dance.

"Let's Dance" dominated the worldwide weekly charts in 1983, topping a whopping 19 of them, including the US Billboard Hot 100. It revitalized Bowie's career as a global superstar, even though the iconic artist felt he had to pander to a new audience. NME ranked the tune at number 21 in its list of the year's best tracks. As an album, Let's Dance was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year but (understandably) lost to Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Following Bowie's passing on Jan. 10, 2016, Rolling Stone published "David Bowie: 30 Essential Songs," and named "Let's Dance" as an important part of his musical catalog. Meanwhile, Ultimate Classic Rock placed the tune at number seven in its ranking of his songs from worst to best.