An acoustic rendition of David Bowie’s “I Can’t Read ’97” has been just been unveiled as the second song on the upcoming Is It Any Wonder? EP which kicked off last week with a previously unreleased version of “The Man Who Sold the World.” The rest of the EP’s four songs will arrive one at a time on a weekly basis through the next month.
“I Can’t Read” was written by Bowie and Reeves Gabrels and originally appeared on Tin Machine’s 1989 self-titled debut album. A darker acoustic version, built around minor chords was later recorded for the soundtrack to Ang Lee’s 1997 film, The Ice Storm.
In 1996, the song was re-recorded by Bowie for a third time during the Earthling sessions as “I Can’t Read ‘97”. According to a statement, this was Bowie’s preferred solo version. At one point it even appeared on a master version of Earthling but was cut last minute in favour of “The Last Thing You Should Do.”
David Bowie | “I Can’t Read '97” [Official Video]
The accompanying official video was filmed by Tim Pope in January 1997 during rehearsals in Hartford, Connecticut. In the clip, a masked Bowie stares into a mirror while a projection of his uncovered face sings the lyrics, reminiscent of the wonderfully weird "Where Are We Now" video that bowie released 15 years later, in 2013.
Is It Any Wonder? is one of two new Bowie releases in the works. The other, ChangesNowBowie, arrives on Record Store Day, April 18th, as a limited-edition LP and CD.
Listen to I Can’t Read ’97 on Spotify:
