All the Young Dudes Lyrics

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  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

The band was about to break up in 1972. Then fan and friend David Bowie gave them “All The Young Dudes”.

This song was supposed to be for the Ziggy Stardust album. And Mott turned down “Suffragette City” before picking this one.

Despite its place as a glam rock anthem to the youth, Bowie asserts that the song carries a far darker message. He said in an interview in 1973 that the song told the same story from the song “Five Years” from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and was about the newscaster message of impending apocalypse and that Earth has five years left before its end.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Mott The Hoople say about "All the Young Dudes"?
Genius Answer

Drummer Dale Griffin about Bowie offering the song to the group –

I’m thinking, ‘He wants to give us that? He must be crazy!’

Bowie disagreed with the song’s presentation –

[It’s] about the news, it’s no hymn to the youth.

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