A previously-unseen David Bowie performance, which sees him play the early single “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” in Paris, has been shared ahead of a series of new box sets.
Initially released in 1965 — as Bowie’s first single since changing his name from David Jones — the song was brought back for a number of performances in the 90s. At the time, Bowie was working on Toy, an album of re-recorded early songs that eventually fell through due to disagreements with his label.
The newly-released Paris performance of “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” took place in 1999, at the Elysée Montmartre. Alongside the video comes a live audio recording of the song, from a 1999 session for the BBC at Maida Vale Studios.
“I’m so pleased that this track is being released as it was such a joy and surprise when he included it in his set at Maida Vale that day,” says Mark Radcliffe, then a BBC Radio One presenter. “I remember that occasion so fondly. David was wearing an excellent shirt and was on such great, twinkly form.”
Both recordings arrive ahead of a new box set, David Bowie 5: Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001), which is due to be released next week (November 26). That will be followed by an official release of Toy on January 7, 2022.
Elsewhere in the Bowie universe, Brett Morgen — the filmmaker behind the Kurt Cobain biopic Montage of Heck — is working on a secretive film project that contains “thousands of hours of never before seen material” from the late musician.
Bowie’s wife, the supermodel Iman, has also recently paid tribute to her late husband with a fragrance based on his favourite scent and memories from the span of their relationship.
Watch the newly-released performance of David Bowie’s “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” below.
