David Bowie’s handwritten ‘Jean Genie’ lyrics sold at auction

9 February, 2023

David Bowie performs on stage on his Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane tour

The handwritten lyrics for David Bowie‘s classic single ‘The Jean Genie’ have been sold for £57,000 at auction.

Titled, dated, and signed by the late icon, the A4 lined sheet was given to Neal Peters when he was President of the New York-based David Bowie Fan Club in 1973.

Dan Hampson of Omega Auctions in Merseyside said the previous owner had decided to sell the piece of music history after seeing Bowie’s ‘Starman’ lyrics fetch a whopping £203,500 at auction in 2022 (via BBC News).

The pre-sale estimate for the ‘Jean Genie’ lyrics had been between £50,000 and £70,000.

“We’re well pleased with the price achieved for this historic set of lyrics,” said auctioneer Paul Fairweather after the sale.

Additionally, the auction lot included a 2009 letter on Neal Peters Collection stationery, which detailed how Bowie gifted Peters the lyrics, as well as numerous photocopied documents about the fan club.

Released back in November 1972, ‘The Jean Genie’ served as the lead single to Bowie’s sixth studio album ‘Aladdin Sane’ (1973). The song reached Number Two in the UK Singles Chart.

A special 50th anniversary reissue of ‘Aladdin Sane’ is due to arrive in April. The record will be released as a half-speed mastered LP and a picture disc LP pressed from the same master.

To mark the announcement, a 4K remastered version of ‘The Jean Genie’ music video was shared last month.

Bowie’s daughter recently posted a home video to mark the seventh anniversary of the legendary artist’s death.

The singer passed away on January 10, 2016 after privately living with cancer for 18 months. Bowie had released his 26th and final studio album, ‘Blackstar’, on his 69th birthday just two days prior (January 8).

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