David Bowie - Changes (1972, 1975)
11From the Hunky Dory album (1971). This song actually debuted as a single TWICE in the United States: first in April 1972 and again appearing in November 1974 following the
success of the live LP, David Live, released in September 1974. I remember hearing the song on the radio during both periods ... quite fondly. The live album would become such a smash in America that the live track of "Changes" would create a nostalgic demand for the original version of the song's reissue as a single. Despite a low performance on both Billboard and Cash Box (it did much better on Cash Box) in 1972, and doing somewhat better overall in 1975, the song became a signature Bowie hit and is considered today as being among his best known works.
"Changes" peaked at #59 on Cash Box on May 13, 1972 (#66 Billboard) and again at #38 on Cash Box on February 8, 1975 (#41 Billboard). Cash Box used jukebox statistics from all over the country (how many times a record got played each day on every jukebox in America) in addition to all the usual data when calculating a song's chart performance, something Billboard never took into consideration. This is one reason why I prefer Cash Box over Billboard. I can tell you that even a year later, in winter and spring 1976, "Changes" was the most frequently played jukebox single by David Bowie.