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| "Rubber Band" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by David Bowie | ||||
| B-side | "The London Boys" | |||
| Released | 2 December 1966 | |||
| Recorded | 18 October 1966 | |||
| Studio | RG Jones, London | |||
| Genre | Baroque pop | |||
| Length | 2:05 | |||
| Label | Deram | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Bowie | |||
| Producer(s) | David Bowie and Dek Fearnley | |||
| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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"Rubber Band" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was recorded in October 1966 following Bowie's dismissal from Pye Records and helped secure him a record contract with Decca-subsidiary Deram Records, who released it as a single in the United Kingdom on 2 December of the same year. A departure from the mod-style sound of his previous releases, "Rubber Band" displays a style informed by vaudeville and British music hall – influenced particularly by British actor Anthony Newley. The lyrics tell the story of a man who goes off to war and, upon his return, finds his lover fell for a brass band conductor.
Like his other early singles, "Rubber Band" failed to chart. Nevertheless, Bowie's biographers note that the track represents a creative leap in the artist's songwriting. The song was re-recorded in February 1967 for Bowie's first full-length album, David Bowie (1967). Produced by Mike Vernon, the remake has a slower tempo and a varied vocal performance from Bowie. London Records issued the remake as a single in the United States on 27 May 1967. Both versions have since appeared on various compilation albums.