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The chilling moment Mott the Hoople knew ‘All the Young Dudes’ would be a hit. 120,000,000 streams later, they’re not wrong
After three albums without the success they had hoped for, Mott the Hoople were close to giving up when their UK tour was abandoned midway. David Bowie persuaded them to stay together and offered them songs to choose from; they picked ‘All the Young Dudes’, which Ian Hunter immediately recognised as a potential hit. Its success transformed the band’s fortunes and became their defining song.
Bowie produced the track, which he had considered offering alongside ‘Suffragette City’; he kept the latter, and both songs became era-defining hits. ‘All the Young Dudes’ has since reached 120 million streams, but the band’s renewed success did not last: Hunter left after Mick Ronson’s brief time with the group, and Mott the Hoople broke up in 1980.
In short
- Bowie’s song helped rescue Mott the Hoople’s faltering career.
- Ian Hunter said he knew at once it would be a hit.
- ‘All the Young Dudes’ has reached 120 million streams.
Explained simply
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band whose first three albums had not brought the success they wanted. By the time a UK tour was stopped part-way through, the group were considering splitting up.
David Bowie, already a successful singer and songwriter, encouraged them to carry on and offered them songs to choose from. They chose “All the Young Dudes”, which Bowie produced; he kept another song he had considered giving them, “Suffragette City”.
The song became Mott the Hoople’s best-known track and brought the band a level of success they had not previously achieved. That success was short-lived: singer Ian Hunter later left, and the group split in 1980.