John Cale Shares David Bowie-Inspired New Single "Night Crawling"

The track was written about the running through the streets of a pre-disco NYC

Photo: Nita Scott

BY Allie GregoryPublished Aug 2, 2022

John Cale has shared a new video for "Night Crawling" — his first new single since 2020's "Lazy Day" — written about hanging out in New York City in the '70s with David Bowie.

With additional drums by Deantoni Parks and backing vocals by Dustin Boyer, the track was mixed by Seven Davis Jr. and comes attached to an animated video by Mickey Miles.

Cale explained the story behind his new song and teased new material on the horizon in a statement:

It's been a helluva past 2 years and I'm glad to finally share a glimpse of what's coming ahead. There was this period around mid-late 70s when David and I would run into each other in NY. There was plenty of talk about getting some work done but of course we'd end up running the streets, sometimes until we couldn't keep a thought in our heads, let alone actually get a song together! One night we managed to meet up for a benefit concert where I taught him a viola part so we could perform together. When I wrote "Night Crawling," it was a reflective moment of particular times. That kind of NYC that held art in its grip, strong enough to keep it safe and dangerous enough to keep it interesting. I always figured we'd have another go at the two of us recording together, this time without the interference of being perpetually off our heads! The thing about creating music is the ability to divine a thought or feeling even when reality says it's a logical impossibility.

The artist is due to hit the road in UK this fall in celebration of turning 80 years old earlier this year. So far, the artist has no plans to tour Canada.

Watch Miles's animated "Night Crawling" video below.

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