David Bowie

David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 - 10 January 2016), known under his stage name David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor. Bowie was a figure in popular music for over four decades, and was known as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s.

Quotes



 * I always had a repulsive sort of need to be something more than human. I felt very very puny as a human. I thought, "Fuck that. I want to be a superman."
 * Quoted in this interview in Rolling Stone #206 (12 February 1976); a slightly altered version of the quote has appeared in various sources such as Fas Ferox - A Modern Day Mythology - World Walkthrough (2006), edited by Anna Young and James Curcio: "I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human. I felt very puny as a human. I thought, 'Fuck that. I want to be a superhuman.'"


 * I'm an instant star. Just add water and stir.
 * Quoted in the chapter on Bowie in Valentines & Vitriol (1978) by Rex Reed


 * I suppose I’ve been knocking on heaven’s door for about 11 years now, with one sort of high or another. The only kinds of drugs I use, though, are ones that keep me working for longer periods of time. I haven’t gotten involved in anything heavy since ’68. I had a silly flirtation with smack then, but it was only for the mystery and enigma of trying it. I never really enjoyed it at all. I like fast drugs. I’ve said that many times. I hate falling out, where I can’t stand up and stuff. It seems like such a waste of time. I hate downs and slow drugs like grass. I hate sleep. I would much prefer staying up, just working, all the time. It makes me so mad that we can’t do anything about sleep or the common cold.
 * As quoted in this interview in Playboy magazine (September 1976)


 * I get offered so many bad movies. And they're all raging queens or transvestites or Martians.
 * 1983 Comment, quoted in Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies 15th Edition (2003) by Leslie Halliwell, p. 60


 * I'm terribly intuitive—I always thought I was intellectual about what I do, but I've come to the realisation that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing half the time, that the majority of the stuff that I do is totally intuitive, totally about where I am physically and mentally at any moment in time and I have a far harder time than anybody else explaining it and analysing it. That's the territory of the artist anyway: to be quite at sea with what he does, and working towards not being intuive about it and being far more methodical and academic about it.
 * "Sermon From the Savoy", New Musical Express (29 September 1984)


 * I think fame itself is not a rewarding thing. The most you can say is that it gets you a seat in restaurants.
 * Interviewed in Q magazine (April 1990)

I only hope that it embraces you with the same lusty life force that it graciously offered me.
 * Music has given me over 40 years of extraordinary experiences. I can't say that life's pains or more tragic episodes have been diminished because of it. But it's allowed me so many moments of companionship when I've been lonely and a sublime means of communication when I wanted to touch people. It's been both my doorway of perception and the house that I live in.
 * Commencement Address for the Berklee College of Music, at Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts (8 May 1999)


 * [While filming 'Ashes to Ashes'] So we're on the beach shooting this scene with a giant bulldozer. The camera was on a very long lens. [The camera is along way away, but the artist fills the frame] In this video I'm dressed from head to toe in a clown suit. Why not. I hear playback and the music starts. So off I go, I start singing and walking, but as soon as I do this old geezer with an old dog walk right between me and the camera... Well, knowing this is gonna take a while I walked past the old guy and sat next to camera in my full costume waiting for him to pass. As he is walking by camera the director said, excuse me Mr do you know who this is? The old guy looks at me from bottom to top and looks back to the director and said... "Of course I do!!!! its some cunt in a clown suit." That was a huge moment for me, It put me back in my place and made me realize, yes I'm just a cunt in a clown suit. I think about that old guy all the time.
 * http://tonythegigguy.com/queen-bitch-beat-city-bowie-special-sleeve-notes


 * Never play to the gallery... Never work for other people in what you do. Always remember that the reason that you initially started working was that there was something inside yourself that you felt that if you could manifest in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you co-exist with the rest of society... I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfil other people's expectations.
 * Inspirations (1997), quoted in "Looking back at David Bowie's invaluable advice for young artists"


 * Ageing is an extraordinary process... If you are pining for youth I think it produces a stereotypical old man because you only live in memory, you live in a place that doesn’t exist … I think ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been.
 * quoted by Aaron Hicklin in "David Bowie: An Obituary"

Livewire interview (2002)

 * Livewire interview (16 June 2002)


 * It's odd but even when I was a kid, I would write about "old and other times" as though I had a lot of years behind me. Now I do, so there is a difference in the weight of memory. When you're young, you're still "becoming", now at my age I am more concerned with "being". And not too long from now I'll be driven by "surviving", I'm sure. I kind of miss that "becoming" stage, as most times you really don't know what's around the corner. Now, of course, I've kind of knocked on the door and heard a muffled answer. Nevertheless, I still don't know what the voice is saying, or even what language it's in.


 * Strangely, some songs you really don't want to write. I didn't like writing "Heathen". There was something so ominous and final about it. It was early in the morning, the sun was rising and through the windows I could see two deer grazing down below in the field. In the distance a car was driving slowly past the reservoir and these words were just streaming out and there were tears running down my face. But I couldn't stop, they just flew out. It's an odd feeling, like something else is guiding you, although forcing your hand is more like it.


 * Heathenism is a state of mind. You can take it that I'm referring to one who does not see his world. He has no mental light. He destroys almost unwittingly. He cannot feel any Gods' presence in his life. He is the 21st century man. However, there's no theme or concept behind Heathen, just a number of songs but somehow there is a thread that runs through it that is quite as strong as any of my thematic type albums.


 * I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does. There, in the chords and melodies, is everything I want to say. The words just jolly it along. It's always been my way of expressing what for me is inexpressible by any other means. What is very enlightening for me right now is that I sense that I'm arriving at a place of peace with my writing that I've never experienced before. I think I'm going to be writing some of the most worthwhile things that I've ever written in the coming years. I'm very confident and trusting in my abilities right now. But I've got to think of myself as the luckiest guy. Robert Johnson only had one album's worth of work as his legacy. That's all that life allowed him.

Song lyrics



 * All the young dudes Carry the news Boogaloo dudes Carry the news.
 * All The Young Dudes, performed by Mott the Hoople''


 * If our love song Could fly over mountains, Could laugh at the ocean, Just like the films, There's no reason To feel all the hard times, To lay down the hard lines. It's absolutely true. Nothing much could happen Nothing we can't shake Oh we're absolute beginners With nothing much at stake As long as you're still smiling There's nothing more I need I absolutely love you But we're absolute beginners. But if my love is your love We're certain to succeed.
 * Absolute Beginners (1986)

Space Oddity (1969)

 * Ground Control to Major Tom. Ground Control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on.
 * Space Oddity


 * This is Major Tom to Ground Control. I'm stepping through the door, And I'm floating in a most peculiar way. And the stars look very different today. For here Am I sitting in a tin can, Far above the world. Planet Earth is blue, And there's nothing I can do.
 * Space Oddity


 * I'm the cream Of the great utopia dream. And you're in the gleam In the depths of your banker's spleen.
 * Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed

The Man Who Sold the World (1970)

 * In the corner of the morning in the past I would sit and blame the master first and last. All the roads were straight and narrow And the prayers were small and yellow. And the rumour spread that I was aging fast. Then I ran across a monster who was sleeping By a tree. And I looked and frowned and the monster was me.
 * The Width of a Circle


 * Day after day They send my friends away To mansions cold and grey. To the far side of town Where the thin men stalk the streets While the sane stay underground. Day after day, They tell me I can go. They tell me I can blow To the far side of town Where it's pointless to be high, 'Cause it's such a long way down.
 * All the Madmen


 * Man is an obstacle, sad as the clown (Oh by jingo) So hold on to nothing, and he won't let you down.
 * After All


 * Live to your rebirth and do what you will (Oh by jingo) Forget all I've said, please bear me no ill.
 * After All


 * We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend Which came as some surprise I spoke into his eyes I thought you died alone, a long long time ago.
 * The Man Who Sold the World


 * When all the world was very young And mountain magic heavy hung The supermen would walk in file Guardians of a loveless isle.
 * The Supermen

Hunky Dory (1971)

 * Still don't know what I was waiting for And my time was running wild. A million dead-end streets and Every time I thought I'd got it made It seemed the taste was not so sweet. So I turned myself to face me But I've never caught a glimpse Of how the others must see the faker I'm much too fast to take that test.
 * Changes


 * I watch the ripples change their size But never leave the stream Of warm impermanence. So the days float through my eyes But still the days seem the same. And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of what they're going through.
 * Changes


 * Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes  Turn and face the strange.
 * Changes


 * It's a god-awful small affair To the girl with the mousy hair But her mummy is yelling "No" And her daddy has told her to go But her friend is nowhere to be seen Now she walks through her sunken dream To the seat with the clearest view And she's hooked to the silver screen. But the film is a saddening bore 'Cause she's lived it ten times or more.
 * Life on Mars?

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

 * Pushing through the market square, so many mothers sighing News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in. News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying.
 * Five Years


 * There's a starman waiting in the sky He'd like to come and meet us, But he thinks he'd blow our minds.
 * Starman


 * Making love with his ego Ziggy sucked up into his mind Like a leper messiah. When the kids had killed the man I had to break up the band.
 * Ziggy Stardust


 * Ziggy played guitar.
 * Ziggy Stardust


 * (Hey man) oh leave me alone you know (Hey man) oh Henry, get off the phone, I gotta (Hey man) I gotta straighten my face This mellow thighed chick just put my spine out of place.
 * Suffragette City


 * Oh don't lean on me man, cause you can't afford the ticket Back from Suffragette City Oh don't lean on me man 'Cause you ain't got time to check it You know my Suffragette City Is outta sight...she's all right ...Ah wham, bam, thank you ma'am!
 * Suffragette City

Aladdin Sane (1973)

 * Who'll love Aladdin Sane? Battle cries and champagne just in time for sunrise.
 * Aladdin Sane

Diamond Dogs (1974)

 * This ain't rock'n'roll. This is genocide!
 * Diamond Dogs


 * You've got your mother in a whirl She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl. Hey babe, your hair's alright. Hey babe, let's go out tonight. You like me, and I like it all. We like dancing and we look divine. You love bands when they're playing hard. You want more and you want it fast.
 * Rebel Rebel


 * Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress. Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess. Rebel Rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so!
 * Rebel Rebel

Young Americans (1975)

 * Do you remember, your President Nixon? Do you remember, the bills you have to pay? Or even yesterday?
 * Young Americans


 * Fame, (fame) makes a man take things over Fame, (fame) lets him loose, hard to swallow Fame, (fame) puts you there where things are hollow Fame (fame) Fame, it's not your brain, it's just the flame That burns your change to keep you insane (sane).
 * Fame, written with Carlos Alomar and John Lennon

Station to Station (1976)

 * Don't let me hear you say life's taking you nowhere, angel Come get up my baby. Look at that sky, life's begun Nights are warm and the days are young Come get up my baby.
 * Golden Years

Low (1977)

 * You're such a wonderful person But you got problems oh-oh-oh-oh I'll never touch you.
 * Breaking Glass, written with Dennis Davis and George Murray

"Heroes" (1977)

 * I, I wish you could swim Like the dolphins Like dolphins can swim Though nothing, nothing will keep us together We can beat them, forever and ever Oh, we can be heroes just for one day.
 * "Heroes", written with Brian Eno


 * I, I will be king. And you, you will be queen. Though nothing will drive them away. We can beat them, just for one day. We can be heroes, just for one day.
 * "Heroes", written with Brian Eno

Scary Monsters (1980)

 * It's got nothing to do with you, if one can grasp it More idols than realities, ooh-ooh... Yeah, yeah, yeah, up the hill backwards It'll be alright, ooh-ooh
 * Up the Hill Backwards


 * I've never done good things I've never done bad things I never did anything out of the blue, whoa whoa Want an axe to break the ice Wanna come down right now Ashes to ashes, funk to funky We know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high Hitting an all-time low. My mama said to get things done You'd better not mess with Major Tom
 * Ashes To Ashes


 * Well, I've been breaking these rocks And cutting this hay Yes, I've been breaking these rocks What's my price to pay? Well, the river's so muddy, but it may come clear And I know too well what's keeping me here I'm just a slave of a burning ray Oh, give me the night, I can't take another sight
 * Kingdom Come


 * Because you're young You'll meet a stranger some night Because you're young What could be nicer for you And it makes me sad So I'll dance my life away A million dreams, a million scars ...Left him nearly out of his mind They're people I know - people I love They seem so unhappy - dead or alive
 * Because You’re Young


 * Silhouettes and shadows Watch the revolution No more free steps to heaven Just walkie-talkie Heaven or hearth Just big heads and drums Full speed and pagan And it's no game
 * It's No Game

Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (1982)

 * Theme song for the film Cat People (1982)


 * See these eyes so green… I can stare for a thousand years Colder than the moon It's been so long… And I've been putting out fire… With gasoline!


 * See these eyes so red Red like jungle burning bright Those who feel me near Pull the blinds and change their minds.


 * Still this pulsing night A plague I call a heartbeat Just be still with me  Ya wouldn't believe what I've been thru.

Let's Dance (1983)



 * Never gonna fall for Modern love — walks beside me. Modern love — walks on by. Modern love — gets me to the church on time. Church on time — terrifies me. Church on time — makes me party. Church on time — puts my trust in God and man. God and man — no confessions. God and man — no religion. God and man — don't believe in modern love.
 * Modern Love — YouTube video


 * My little China Girl You shouldn't mess with me. I'll ruin everything you are. I'll give you television. I'll give you eyes of blue. I'll give you a man who wants to rule the world.
 * China Girl, written with Iggy Pop —Video at YouTube


 * Let's dance — put on your red shoes and dance the blues. Let's dance — to the song they're playin' on the radio. Let's sway — while colour lights up your face. Let's swa —, sway through the crowd to an empty space.
 * Let's Dance — Video at YouTube


 * And if you say run, I'll run with you And if you say hide, we'll hide. Because my love for you Would break my heart in two. If you should fall Into my arms And tremble like a flower.
 * Let's Dance


 * Let's dance for fear your grace should fall Let's dance for fear tonight is all
 * Let's Dance

Earthling (1997)

 * God is an American. I'm afraid of Americans. I'm afraid of the world. I'm afraid I can't help it. I'm afraid I can't
 * I'm Afraid of Americans

Heathen (2002)

 * Steel on the skyline Sky made of glass Made for a real world All things must pass Ooo Waiting for something Looking for someone Is there no reason?
 * "Heathen (The Rays)"

Reality (2003)

 * And there's never gonna be enough money And there's never gonna be enough drugs And I'm never ever gonna get old There's never gonna be enough bullets There's never gonna be enough sex And I'm never ever gonna get old So I'm never ever gonna get high And I'm never ever gonna get low And I'm never ever gonna get old
 * "Never Get Old"


 * The tragic youth was going down on me (...) I've been right and I've been wrong Now I'm back where I started from Never looked over reality's shoulder
 * "Reality"


 * Soon there'll be nothing left of me Nothing left to release
 * "Bring Me the Disco King"

The Next Day (2013)

 * Where are we now? Where are we now? The moment you know You know, you know As long as there's sun As long as there's sun As long as there's rain As long as there's rain As long as there's fire As long as there's fire As long as there's me As long as there's you
 * "Where Are We Now?" (2013)


 * First they give you everything that you want Then they take back everything that you have They live upon their feet and they die upon their knees They can work with satan while they dress like the saints They know god exists for the devil told them so They scream my name aloud down into the well below
 * The Next Day (2013)

Blackstar (2016)


Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all Your eyes
 * In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
 * "Blackstar" · Video at YouTube

Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried (I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar) How many times does an angel fall? How many people lie instead of talking tall?''' He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd (I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar, I’m not a gangster)
 * '''Something happened on the day he died
 * "Blackstar"

I’ve got scars that can’t be seen I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen Everybody knows me now''' Look up here, man, I’m in danger I’ve got nothing left to lose I’m so high it makes my brain whirl Dropped my cell phone down below Ain’t that just like me
 * '''Look up here, I’m in heaven
 * "Lazarus" · Video at YouTube

You know, I’ll be free Just like that bluebird Now ain’t that just like me
 * This way or no way
 * "Lazarus"

Saying no but meaning yes This is all I ever meant That's the message that I sent
 * Saying more and feeling less
 * "I Can't Give Everything Away"



Quotes about Bowie

 * I met him only once, it was 1973 or 1974. I was the producer of a record of a folk-rock band Steeleye Span. They wanted David Bowie to play a sax solo on one of the songs. I managed to get his phone number, I called him and said 'You don't know me, but some people which album I'm producing ask you if you'd like to play sax for them'. And Bowie asked - 'Okay, where and when?'. I replied - 'Whenever you can'. And he said - '3 o'clock this afternoon?'. I was frightened and thought he'd want 2000£ for that. He came at 3, smiling. He played just like we wanted, never asking about money, then shook everyone's hand and left. It was the only time we met. David taught me one beautiful thing. If you can and want to help somebody, do it for free. That's why I never asked anyone for money. By lending a hand in that way you give just a bit of what you do in your life.
 * Ian Anderson, interviewed by Piotr Kaczkowski in 1997 (Przy mikrofonie, Prószyński i S-ka, Warsaw, ISBN 83-7052-806-6)


 * There is a glimmer of hope in the choice to quote an old song about new beginnings, and it isn't the only moment on the album that suggests a cycle of death and rebirth. Buried in the bleakness of "Blackstar" is an airy, suspiciously earnest passage that imagines the transmigration of souls: "Something happened on the day he died / Spirit rose a meter and stepped aside / Somebody else took his place and bravely cried / 'I'm a black star.'" Bowie nearly became a Buddhist monk  when he was 19, and he specified in his will that his ashes should be scattered "in accordance with the Buddhist rituals." It's quite possible that he believed in reincarnation
 * Judy Berman, in The 2016 Canon: David Bowie's Blackstar Was Not Just a Final Album—It Was an Omen, Esquire magazine  Dec 12, 2016


 * David Bowie had everything. He was intelligent, imaginative, brave, charismatic, cool, sexy and truly inspirational both visually and musically. He created such staggeringly brilliant work, yes, but so much of it and it was so good. There are great people who make great work but who else has left a mark like his? No one like him.
 * Kate Bush, as quoted in "David Bowie, as remembered by…" in The Guardian (17 January 2016)


 * While a majority of posthumous music is released by an artist's estate, David Bowie organized new music to be released after his death himself. Bowie believed in reincarnation, and through the evolution of his many different personas and music styles, he became the king of reinvention. First he was a folk singer, then a glam rocker, next he was a new romantic; He was constantly changing and evolving in both his sound and his look.
 * Julia Kai, David Bowie: The King of Reinvention and Reincarnation, Intersect magazine, 9 Feb 2021