Back to the ’80s: a haze of neon lights, big hair, shoulder pads, and a seemingly endless supply of enthusiasm for all things audacious. This era gave us the goofy Pepsi commercial featuring David Bowie and Tina Turner. Decades later, the ad feels like a time capsule that sends us straight back to 1985.
Bowie, the ‘Starman’ himself, shares screen time with Tina Turner, the ‘Queen of Rock n Roll,’ in a spectacle that screams the ’80s with every note. The duo is seen belting out a duet to Bowie’s hit “Modern Love.”
As a long-time Bowie fan, watching this commercial is a somewhat bittersweet experience. The ’80s were a pivotal era for the singer; a decade of commercialization saw him shift from the raw, creative power of his Ziggy Stardust and Berlin periods to a more commercially appealing persona. While “Let’s Dance” and “China Girl” topped the charts, to many ardent fans, it felt as if Bowie was losing his edgy charm, trading in his groundbreaking artistry for mainstream popularity.
Bowie himself once commented on this period of his career as his “Phil Collins years.
The Pepsi commercial feels like a zenith of this transition. Bowie, once the leading figure of glam rock and punk’s elder statesman, is now seen singing alongside Tina Turner for a soda advertisement. For a figure who once wrote anthems of alienation and societal discontent, this commercial venture was a disorienting detour. Bowie himself once commented on this period of his career as his “Phil Collins years,” hinting at a dissatisfaction that echoed the sentiments of many fans.
But in retrospect, what at the time might have seemed like a ‘sell-out’ can be viewed through a different lens. The ’80s was a decade of excess, where the lines between art, pop, and commerce were continuously blurred. Many artists, like Bowie, navigated this landscape by adopting different personas and exploring new avenues, sometimes leading to criticism.
The Berlin-era Bowie and the Pepsi commercial Bowie might seem worlds apart, but they’re both facets of the same multifaceted artist who never stopped evolving.
The commercial doesn’t erase Bowie’s profound impact on the music industry; rather, it offers a snapshot of a particular moment in his career. It was a decade where he, like many others, grappled with the changing dynamics of the music industry and his place within it. The Berlin-era Bowie and the Pepsi commercial Bowie might seem worlds apart, but they’re both facets of the same multifaceted artist who never stopped evolving and challenging expectations.
In retrospect, that Pepsi commercial is a testament to the enduring appeal of David Bowie. It symbolizes his ability to mold himself according to the zeitgeist, even if the result wasn’t always to everyone’s liking. For all its commercial gloss, the Bowie-Turner duet stands as a testament to an artist who was always willing to take risks, evolve, and challenge his identity’s boundaries.