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"Sweet Thing" is a song written by David Bowie for the album Diamond Dogs in 1974. The song is split in two with the song "Candidate" in the middle.

In the opening line, "Sweet Thing" contains the lowest note Bowie had recorded in a studio album (C2) until "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spacecraft" for the album "Heathen"(2002), where he growled the word "Well" (G1) towards the end of the song.[1]

Bowie recorded a track with the same title, "Candidate" – but no musical similarity to the Diamond Dogs song "Candidate" and only a few words of lyrics in common – on 1 January 1974.[2] It was unavailable until 1990 when it was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc reissue of Diamond Dogs; it also appeared on the bonus disc of the 30th Anniversary Editionof Diamond Dogs in 2004.

Contents[]

 [hide*1 "Tragic Moments/Zion/Aladdin Vein"

"Tragic Moments/Zion/Aladdin Vein"[edit][]

A track now referred to as "Zion" has also appeared on bootlegs under the titles "Aladdin Vein", "Love Aladdin Vein", "A Lad in Vein",[3] and "A Lad in Vain".[4] Incorporating parts reminiscent of "Aladdin Sane" and what would become "Sweet Thing (Reprise)" on Diamond Dogs, this instrumental piece was generally thought to have been recorded during theAladdin Sane sessions at Trident Studios early in 1973. However a recent estimate places it alongside recordings for Pinups later that year, as a preview of Bowie's next original work, leading author Nicholas Pegg to suggest that it "perhaps ought to be regarded more as a Diamond Dogs demo than an Aladdin Sane out-take".[3] A 1973 article about Bowie recording Pinups in France accurately describes the song, which seems to confirm Pegg's theory:

Live versions[edit][]

A live version (which also included "Candidate" and "Sweet Thing (Reprise)") from the 1974 tour was released on David Live. Another live recording from the 1974 tour was released on the semi-legal album A Portrait in Flesh.

In one live version[6] in the first line, Bowie sings a step higher than C2, and a little more clearly. Some skeptics have accused Bowie of "studio tinkering" to enhance his range, but this is proof that he is capable of singing a C2.

Cover versions[edit][]

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