Song · David Bowie
“I Can't Give Everything Away” by David Bowie
Released 2016
“I Can't Give Everything Away” by David Bowie appears on 6 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2016 and 2026. It was first released in 2016. Its best result is #16 on the WBER Listener Countdown 2017.
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"I Can't Give Everything Away" is the last word on Blackstar, the closing track of David Bowie's final album, and it went out posthumously in 2016 as the record's third single. He wrote it alone and produced it with Tony Visconti, and besides singing lead and backing vocals he plays drum machine and harmonica on it.
That harmonica is a deliberate echo: it and the rhythm were meant to mirror "A New Career in a New Town" from Low in 1977, and reviewers caught the nod. Around Bowie, Donny McCaslin's tenor sax and alto flute, Ben Monder's guitar, Jason Lindner's synths and organ, Tim Lefebvre's bass and Mark Guiliana's drums shimmer and glide, a farewell that refuses to spell itself out.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 39 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2016 | 89 |
| 2016 | 89 | 90.9 The Bridge Kansas City, MO | 90.9 The Bridge Top 100 Songs of 2016 | 90 |
| 2017 | 16 | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2017 | 104 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 171 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 238 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
| 2026 | 885 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
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