This might not be not my favourite Bowie song but it is, for my money, the most perfectly produced song of all time.
It’s a lesson in balance, and an example of how to use that most important factor in musical production – space. Everything in its right place, popping out of one speaker, then another, the vocals hovering in between.

I just love the way the instruments each occupy their own place in the mix, never competing for attention but coming together to form a funky fusion that’s irresistible. The producer was Harry Maslin but the mix by Tony Visconti must take its share of the credit.

Nothing is wasted; there are vital contributions by the ‘lesser’ instruments like the congas, played by Bowie’s old school friend and travelling companion, Geoff McCormack and something called a “vibraslap” played by drummer Dennis Davis, which seems to do exactly what is says on the tin.

Then there’s George Murray’s bass and the funky licks of two guitarists, Carlos Alomar and Earl Slick – plus Bowie himself playing the Moog, the melodica and providing those crucial handclaps. Lastly, that ethereal backing vocal floating out of the very middle of the mix to whisper: “Angel.” It’s simply sublime.

Golden Years was the first single to come from the forthcoming Station To Station, where I always felt it sat slightly uncomfortably alongside the rest of the tracks.

With its glossy sheen of Philly Soul, it would have felt more natural on the previous album, Young Americans, though its original destination was somewhere else entirely – and somewhere far more unexpected.

It was only a couple of years ago, at a Bowie tribute show, that one of his superfans told me Bowie wrote this song not for himself but for Elvis Presley.

The two icons for two generations were mutual fans and even shared the same birthday – 8 January – and were signed to the same label, RCA.

In the event, The King passed on the song and, thankfully, Bowie left us his own recording. And this great performance on Soul Train.