Let's Dance (David Bowie album)

Let's Dance
Studio album by David Bowie
Released	14 April 1983 (1983-04-14)
Recorded	December 1982
Studio	Power Station, New York City
Genre	Post-disco dance-rock new wave dance-pop
Length	39:42
Label	EMI America
Producer	David Bowie Nile Rodgers
David Bowie chronology
Rare (1982) Let's Dance (1983) Golden Years (1983)
Singles from Let's Dance
"Let's Dance" / "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" Released: 14 March 1983 "China Girl" / "Shake It" Released: 31 May 1983 "Modern Love" / "Modern Love (Live)" Released: September 1983 "Without You" / "Criminal World" Released: November 1983

Let's Dance is the 15th studio album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 14 April 1983 through EMI America Records. Co-produced by Bowie and Nile Rodgers, the album was recorded in December 1982 at the Power Station in New York City. The sessions featured players from Rodgers' band Chic and the then-unknown Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitar. For the first time ever, Bowie only sang and played no instruments.

Musically, Let's Dance has been described as a post-disco record, with elements of dance-rock, dance-pop and new wave. The album contains two cover songs: Iggy Pop's "China Girl", which Bowie and Pop had recorded together for the latter's The Idiot (1977); Metro's "Criminal World"; and a reworking of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", originally recorded by Bowie and Giorgio Moroder in 1982 for the film of the same name.

Let's Dance was released to massive commercial success, reaching number one in numerous countries, and turned Bowie into a major superstar; it remains Bowie's best-selling album. The record's four singles, including the title track, were all commercially successful. The album received mixed reviews from critics whose opinions on the artistic content varied. "Let's Dance" and "China Girl" were supported by music videos that received heavy airplay on MTV. It was supported by the successful Serious Moonlight Tour throughout 1983.

Despite the album's success, Let's Dance began a period of low creativity for Bowie. He felt that he had to pander his music to his newly acquired audience, which led to his follow-up albums, Tonight (1984) and Never Let Me Down (1987), being critically dismissed. He later reflected poorly on the period, referring to it as his "Phil Collins years". The album was remastered in 2018 and included in the box set Loving the Alien (1983–1988).