LISTEN: That time David Bowie kicked toxic masculinity by doing drag

Throughout his career—which remained active and awe-inspiring for more than half a century until his death in 2016—David Bowie reinvented himself on countless occasions and pushed the boundaries of gender expression and sexuality.

From an early 1960s boybander to Ziggy Stardust, and then later simply “David,” the English singer-songwriter and actor often used his personal and professional platforms to challenge the status quo.

Back when he released “Boys Keep Swinging” in 1979, he took a pointed position: being a boy can be a drag. 

Not to be confused with Jake Shears’ memoir of the same name—which is also worth a read—Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging” is a highlight on his 13th studio album, “Lodger.” The album was in fact the last of a trilogy, with albums “Low” and “Heroes” coming before, and considered a middling commercial success compared to his previous work.

Whereas Bowie’s other albums took him to the stars, many critics felt “Lodger” was too groundbreaking and grounded in experimental pop to be appreciated at the time. 

“Lodger” peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, staying for 17 weeks, and peaked at No. 20 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, staying for 15 weeks. A great deal of that success had to do with Bowie’s promo for the album, which included music videos and performances of “Boys Keep Swinging” as the lead single.

When you’re a boy, Bowie sings, “Heaven loves ya/The clouds part for ya/Nothing stands in your way.” Life is a “pop of the cherry,” and you “get a girl” and “other boys check you out.” The lyrics hit home on many levels for many people.

On its surface, the song seemed to be a celebration of boyhood and all the things that makes dudes, well, dudes. But when Bowie released the accompanying video for the song, it was clear that he was skewering the machismo and misogyny that dominated the time, and still does today, by calling boys out for being dense when they could be using their privilege to help others.

In the video, he is busting moves in the main shot before the camera cuts to him dressed in drag as blonde, brunette and redheaded women—all equally captivating. The juxtaposition between his homoerotic thrusting and his drag personas play into themselves, leaving the viewer to understand that he purposely aims to undermine both. 

But Bowie didn’t stop there.

For a live performance of the song on SNL (also in 1979) he had his head, and the heads of his band, digitally imposed over the bodies of marionette dolls, which nodded to men being puppets of masculinity.

The cherry on top of that moment was that his puppet body was sporting a raging erection that was apparently missed by the censors, so the moment lives on online. Does it get more masculine than that? An added bonus is the presence of gender-fluid artist and performer Klaus Nomi singing back up for the performance. 

When you’re a boy, “you can buy a home of your own,” Bowie sings. When you’re a boy, “learn to drive and everything,” he adds in the song. Considering at the time, and even in many cultures today, women were discouraged doing things that would make them more independent, “Boys Keep Swinging” is still just as relevant as the day it was released. 

Bowie became a queer icon because he very much enjoyed the freedoms and fluidity he was allowed as a boy. He publicly enjoyed affairs with famous women just as much as famous men such as Mick Jagger, before he found the love of his life in Iman. However, just as much as Bowie truly did whatever he wanted as a boy, he understood his privilege and used his platform to call out the system. 

No matter your gender, “Boys Keep Swinging” still slaps alongside songs of today, even if it does aim to slap you in the face at certain moments.

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