David Bowie (Image credit: Brian Ach/WireImage/Getty Images)

More than 10 years have passed since veteran music star David Bowie released an album, but today he has come out of the woodwork with the new single "Where Are We Now?" It hit the iTunes charts at No. 5, 12 hours after its release, right behind Taylor Swift's "I knew You Were Trouble" and Will.i.am featuring Britney Spears "Scream and Shout."

Bowie, who first gained recognition in the late '60s, released the new single on iTunes to coincide with his 66th birthday. His new album,"The Next Day," is slated for release in March.

Bowie has not performed since 2006 and has rarely been seen in public since then. He turned down the opportunity to appear at the Olympics Opening Ceremony last summer, despite a personal request from filmmaker Danny Boyle, leading to rumors of deteriorating health, which his representative denied.

"Where Are We Now?" was produced by Tony Visconti, with whom Bowie had worked before, although Bowie wrote the track and recorded it in New York, where he lives with his family. Tony Oursler directed the accompanying video.