Bowie cover of the week: St. Vincent sings “Young Americans” (plus her song, “New York”)

I have some familiarity with St. Vincent— I like what I’ve heard and probably will seek her out and listen more in the future. It turns out, I probably saw her, too, at a Bowie concert. St. Vincent had been part of a band called Polyphonic Spree, which opened for Bowie during his Reality tour. The band was huge and I have no specific memory of St. Vincent, who went by Anne Clark at the time (yes, I had to look it up). I do remember Bowie plugging the band, not just showing up after, so he liked what he was hearing. And I like what I’ve heard from St. Vincent, who probably would have been categorized as “alternative” thirty years ago.

This clip is from a concert in New York from just a few days ago. The clip includes her singing her own song, “New York,” followed by “Young Americans.” The arrangement of “Young Americans” is true to Bowie’s original, and she doesn’t seem to alter any of the lyrics, even the reference to President Nixon. But her voice is distinctive and the overall performance is very strong. I hope to be hearing more from St. Vincent in the future and hope that this video doesn’t come down, as sometimes happens with new clips that don’t seem to come from an official source.