The “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” associated with the 1982 film Cat People is a recording made with Giorgio Moroder. The version David Bowie included on Let's Dance in 1983 was recorded again with different producers and musicians, under Bowie and Nile Rodgers. It is not simply the film soundtrack track with its introduction shortened or its tempo increased. The confusion is compounded by the fact that the 1982 recording was also issued as a shorter single edit.
What did Bowie and Moroder record for the 1982 film?
Directed by Paul Schrader, Cat People premiered in 1982 with a score by Giorgio Moroder. On his official soundtrack page, the producer credits David Bowie with the title song's lyrics and lists Bowie's vocal performance. Moroder composed the music and produced the original recording, which MCA released on the soundtrack album on April 2, 1982.
MusicBrainz's detailed recording credits date the original session to 1981 and document Bowie's vocals in Montreux in July of that year. The arrangement combines keyboards and synthesizers, bass, drums, guitars and backing vocals. Credited musicians include Moroder himself, Keith Forsey, Leland Sklar, Michael Landau, Tim May and Sylvester Levay, with electronic programming by Brian Banks and Charles Judge. The synthesizer foundation and Bowie's low-register vocal help establish the tense atmosphere associated with the film.
Why is there another recording on Let's Dance?
While making Let's Dance, Bowie revisited the composition in a production credited to David Bowie and Nile Rodgers. Bowie's official discography identifies it as the album's seventh track, released by EMI in April 1983, and retains the Bowie/Moroder songwriting credit. In other words, it remained the same composition, but the recorded performance and production team changed.
MusicBrainz's track-specific credits document a separate 1983 session at Power Station in New York. Nile Rodgers and Stevie Ray Vaughan play guitars, Carmine Rojas plays bass, Tony Thompson drums, Rob Sabino keyboards, and Sammy Figueroa percussion, with backing vocals from Frank Simms, George Simms and David Spinner. Bob Clearmountain handled engineering and mixing. This different lineup, not merely the running time, establishes that the track is a new recording.
Comparison: original recording, single edit and remake
| Recording | Release | Production and musicians | Instrumentation and character | Documented length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original soundtrack recording | Cat People Motion Picture Soundtrack, MCA, 1982 | Producer: Giorgio Moroder. Vocals: Bowie. Contributors include Moroder, Keith Forsey, Leland Sklar, Michael Landau, Tim May and Sylvester Levay. | Prominent synthesizers and keyboards, drums, bass, guitars and backing vocals; a suspenseful atmosphere. | 6:40 on Moroder's official discography; other editions list approximately 6:41 to 6:45. |
| Short edit of the original recording | MCA 7-inch single, 1982 | The same Moroder-produced recording, issued in an abbreviated edit. | The 1982 arrangement with a shorter playing time. It is not the Rodgers session. | 4:08 on documented 7-inch releases. |
| Let's Dance re-recording | Let's Dance, EMI, 1983 | Producers: Bowie and Nile Rodgers. Guitars: Rodgers and Stevie Ray Vaughan; bass: Carmine Rojas; drums: Tony Thompson; keyboards: Rob Sabino. | A newly performed band arrangement, with guitars and rhythm section playing a more prominent role. | 5:09 on AllMusic's album listing; some discographies give 5:10. |
Running times differ by a few seconds across releases, pressings and databases. They can help identify an edition, but the decisive evidence separating the 1983 version is its set of credits and distinct recording session.
How does the sound change?
In the 1982 version, Moroder's electronic palette underpins a slow, ominous build suited to a suspense film's identity. The Let's Dance track instead uses the band-oriented approach Bowie and Rodgers brought to that album, with more pronounced guitars, a forceful rhythmic feel and Stevie Ray Vaughan's contribution. This compares the arrangements and credits; it does not establish that either recording is objectively better.
Dave Thompson, reviewing the song for AllMusic, explicitly favors the original, which he finds more atmospheric, and judges the re-recording unfavorably. That is the named critic's opinion, not an established universal consensus or a Dantverse review claiming firsthand listening experience.
How can you find the version you want?
For the recording associated with the film, look for the 1982 track on Giorgio Moroder's soundtrack album. A runtime of roughly 6 minutes and 40 seconds points to the long original recording; a roughly 4-minute, 8-second track may be its 1982 single edit, which was not produced by Nile Rodgers. For the performance remade with Rodgers and Vaughan, look for track 7 on Let's Dance (1983), generally listed at around 5 minutes and 9 seconds.
The title and songwriting credits are shared between the recordings. That is why the year, album, producer, musicians and specific edition are more reliable identifiers than the song title alone or a tiny difference in track length.
Sources and references
- Giorgio Moroder: official Cat People soundtrack credits
- David Bowie: official Let's Dance discography
- MusicBrainz: 1982 recording and personnel
- MusicBrainz: Let's Dance recording and personnel
- lescharts.com: 1982 single formats and timings
- AllMusic, Dave Thompson: Cat People (Putting Out Fire) song review
