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| "TVC 15" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by David Bowie | ||||
| from the album Station to Station | ||||
| B-side | "We Are the Dead" | |||
| Released | 30 April 1976 | |||
| Recorded | September–November 1975 | |||
| Studio | Cherokee, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Art rock | |||
| Length |
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| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Bowie | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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"TVC 15" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on his 1976 album Station to Station. RCA Records later released it as the second single from the album on 30 April 1976. The song was recorded in late 1975 at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles. Co-produced by Bowie and Harry Maslin, the recording featured guitarists Carlos Alomar and Earl Slick, bassist George Murray, drummer Dennis Davis, pianist Roy Bittan and Warren Peace on backing vocals. The upbeat song is mostly art rock performed in a style reminiscent of the 1950s. Lyrically, the song concerns a character's girlfriend being eaten by a television set. It was inspired by a dream of Iggy Pop's and Bowie's role in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). Some lyrics are also influenced by the Yardbirds and Kraftwerk.
Upon release as a single, "TVC 15" peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart and number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Its release coincided with the European leg of the Isolar tour. Initial reviews praised the song as one of the album's highlights, although some reviewers found the lyrics difficult to comprehend. Later reviews continue to praise the song, with some considering it one of Bowie's best. It has appeared on several compilation albums and was remixed by Maslin in 2010 for reissues of Station to Station and remastered in 2016 for the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set.