Cam Maclean - "Let's Dance"

by Cam Maclean

Maybe this is a bit cliché, but I became a David Bowie fan after some time spent in Berlin. I was in a bit of a rut, to put it mildly, and started listening to Bowie’s Berlin trilogy albums (Low, Heroes, and Lodger). I still associate those records with my time spent walking around Berlin. I was at one of those points most of us get to at some point or another, where things fall apart and we need do some putting back together. Bowie had created those records while he was trying to piece things back together in his own life, and so listening to those songs felt appropriate.

While my deep appreciation for Bowie began with some of his more brooding albums, I came to love all his records. He was such a strange, versatile pop artist. It goes without saying that “Let’s Dance” is an iconic pop song for so many reasons. To me it feels like one of those songs that could have been performed and arranged in all kinds of possible ways and have been great no matter what. Producer Nile Rodgers said that when Bowie first came to him with the song it was basically a folk song and he played it on a 12-string acoustic guitar. I think this really speaks to the song’s malleability. To honour this process, I’ve gone back to basics and have tried my hand at an acoustic cover of “Let’s Dance.” Hope you enjoy.