On 4 February 1972, David Bowie sent the band – one of his favourites – a demo of "Suffragette City" in hopes they would record it. The band played it and believed it didn't fit their style. Bassist Pete Watts contacted Bowie in late March 1972 and politely rejected it, stating the band broke up. Upon learning this, Bowie contacted Watts back two hours later and said, "I've written a song for you since we spoke, which could be great." At the time, Bowie had just finished recording two albums back-to-back and had another single, "John, I'm Only Dancing", prepared for release, so he was eager to write for other artists. While Defries worked on signing the band with CBS Records, Bowie met with Watts a few days later and played "All the Young Dudes" on acoustic guitar. Watts recalled: "He hadn't got all the words but the song just blew me away, especially when he hit the chorus." Watts then introduced Bowie to the rest of the band at an office located at Regent Street in London, where Bowie sat cross-legged on the floor and played the band "All the Young Dudes".