The original version of "Young Americans" was recorded in August 1974 by David Bowie and features on the album of the same name. This live medley with Cher, which was part of Bowie's album promotion tour, was aired in November 1975 on The Cher Show. This was a weekly segment where the "Believe" singer would interview various celebrity guests ranging from musicians, actors, and pop culture figures.

In this recording, the unlikely pairing of Bowie's raw delivery and Cher's silky vocals presented an exciting rendition of showstopper tunes. This duet has lived on in live performance history as an example of how to successfully create scintillating on-stage chemistry.

Their setlist for the show included "Young Americans", "Song Sung Blue," "One," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Maybe Maybe Baby," "Day Tripper," "Blue Moon," "Only You (And You Alone)," "Temptation," "Ain't No Sunshine," and "Young Blood."

Bowie’s website on the performance states: “On paper, it looks a little cheesy, but if you’ve not seen it we think you’ll agree that both singers’ performances are sincere and heartfelt. It shouldn’t have worked, what with Cher’s house band performing the backing and the choice of snippets performed, but it did.”