Rebel Rebel and Winston Smith

I remember being in bed sick when I heard Rebel Rebel for the first time. It was 1984 and Bowie was back, with Rebel Rebel entering the UK top ten at number 5. The first notes of that incredible riff made the song instantly a hit. Within the context of the Diamond Dogs album, Rebel Rebel is somewhat of an oddity. The album is loosely based upon the George Orwell novel, 1984 (Bowie tried and failed to get the rights to make a musical of it) and is one of Bowie’s most downbeat and bleak records, depicting the world of Diamond Dogs roaming the streets “like packs of dogs, assaulting the glass fronts of love-me avenues”.

At first glance, Rebel Rebel seems like a throwaway rock jingle, with it’s catchy chorus and killer riff (which took me ages to perfect on the guitar, by the way). “Rebel, Rebel … you’ve torn your dress, Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess” …. Simple, throwaway pop.

But on another level, for those who are familiar with the plot of 1984, maybe there is more going on. In 1984, the hero, Winston Smith, battles against the depersonalisation of a society dominated by Big Brother (the original title was “The Last Man in Europe”) engaging in an illicit affair with Julia (powerfully depicted in the song “We Are the Dead”, also on Diamond Dogs) as he fights his losing battle with the Big Brother society. In this light, I imagine “Rebel Rebel” as a playful but desparate conversation between Winston and his fellow-rebel girlfriend. His affair still secret, he croons to her “Rebel Rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so”.

Brilliant, on many levels.