Recorded in August of 1985, and released on 3 March 1986, it was the theme song to the 1986 film of the same name (itself an adaptation of the book Absolute Beginners).

It was recorded at Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley's Westside Studios, Shepherds Bush, London in the summer of 1985.

They recorded the whole thing in one or two takes, and David seemed really impressed and asked the band members to be ready to do the real session in a week’s time at Westside Studios near Ladbroke Grove.

The song featured Rick Wakeman on piano, who had previously performed on Bowie's "Space Oddity" single and Hunky Dory studio album.

Shortly after the sessions wrapped, Mick Jagger flew in to record the charity cover of "Dancing in the Street" with Bowie, which used many of the same musicians.

[2] AllMusic described "Absolute Beginners" as "the gem of his post-Let's Dance '80s output, a big, breathtaking ballad allowing him to indulge the [Frank] Sinatra croon that's driven many of his best performances".

They characterised it as "the sound of one man trying to violently expel his innards through the bell of his instrument" and "one of the most heartbreaking things put to record".

They stated the video "does a far better job of expressing the noirish romanticism" of MacInnes' novel than the film did and also praised the "great dance-fighting scene at the end".

In 1995, the full-length version appeared as a bonus track on the Virgin Records rerelease of Bowie's 16th studio album Tonight (1984).