David Bowie part 3

In 1971 Bowie released "Hunky Dory", possibly his most personal album. Half the songs were dedicated to people that he loved or admired: his newborn son (Kooks), his mentally ill brother (The Bewlay Brothers), Bob Dylan (Song For Bob Dylan), Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol), Lou Reed (Queen Bitch) and the other half were inspired by deeply personal feelings, including the majestic Life On Mars?. His public self was almost fully formed - and about to take over from his private self for a few years. This brought him to a pinnacle of fame, but almost killed him. He became addicted to drugs and had paranoid episodes. He would eventually "kill" all of his public personas and resume rigid control of his private life, which became pointedly obvious during the last 12 years.

The song that opened the album, "Changes", would telegraph his intentions to the world: he was ready to take big risks ("turn and face the strange") and nothing would be the same anymore. In less than a year from then, he had announced to the "Melody Maker" that he was gay, created the Ziggy Stardust persona and same-titled seminal album and famously appeared on Top Of The Pops perforning "Starman" with the Spiders From Mars, a flamboyant, multicolored creature in a a flamboyant, multicolored costume. He owned the stage, flirted with the camera and flirted with his guitarist, causing jaws to drop all through the nation, but not in shock and disgust, more like in shock and admiration. A superstar was born.

Changes for Bowie, however, meant an endless stream of them in rapid succesion: while people were still struggling to get their heads around the idea of his gayness, he was already telegraphing new facts through his songs. Years before his "I'm not gay, I'm actually bisexual" "Playboy" interview, it was already made clear in two songs in 1972.

"John, I'm Only Dancing" was recorded right after the "Ziggy Stardust" album, the watershed moment of Bowie's career and the definitive album of the Glam Rock movement. It was his follow-up single to "Starman" and it was a hit in the UK, although it was not released in the US, being judged too risqué. It's the timid apology of the singer to his lover: "John, I'm only dancing, she turns me on, don't get me wrong, I'm only dancing". He even equivocally states his love to him. " Oh shadow love was quick and clean, life's a well-thumbed machine. I saw you watching from the stairs, you're everyone that ever cared. Oh lordy, oh lordy, you know I need some loving. Move me, touch me."

In 1974, a completely reworked funky-dance version was recorded in the US, called "John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)", which drops the gay content of the original. Perhaps David meant to release it in the US market, where the "gay stuff" did not fly. The US success of his singles "Young Americans" and especially "Fame", made the release of JIODA redundant. It was finally released in 1979 in the UK and reached the same chart position as the original version.

the original:

It was a track from "Ziggy Stardust" called "Suffragette City" that took things to the next stage: this time there was no timid apology. "Hey man, ah leave me alone you know... This mellow thighed chick just put my spine out of place" he sings and to make things perfectly clear, he adds "There's only room for one and here she comes, here she comes". Not that romance is involved: he clarifies this with "wham bam thank ya ma'am!". The metamorphosis is complete, however: without much fanfare, Bowie is now a bisexual entering his heterosexual phase.

original lyrics version:

Live in Austin, Tx, 1990:

Lady Stardust is another great song. The lyrics go: "People stared at the makeup on his face. Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace. The boy in the bright blue jeans jumped up on the stage and Lady Stardust sang his songs of darkness and disgrace". The 2nd verse goes "I smiled sadly for a love I could not obey. Lady Stardust sang his songs of darkness and dismay." It closes with "Oh how I sighed when they asked if I knew his name!" The song was reportedly written for Marc Bolan.

In the title track, Ziggy Stardust, we're introduced to the incredible alien who fell to Earth to charm us into submission: naturally, he became a Pop Idol. Plus we get snippets of his physical description: "He came on so loaded man, well hung and snow white tan". And later: "He was the naz (= gorgeous), with God given ass. He took it all too far, but boy, could he play guitar!"

The song was later successfully covered by 80s Goth band Bauhaus.

The opening song is called Five Years and it's about announcing to the world that the Earth would be gone in 5 years. It contains the line: "A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest and a queer threw up at the sight of that."

This is a mesmerizing performance (watch his face!) from the Dinah Shore Chevy Show in 1975:

The fantastic rocker Moonage Daydream contains the lines: I'm the space invader, I'll be a rock'n'rolling bitch for you" and later: "the church of man love is such a holy place to be. Make me know you really care, make me jump into the air."

The epic closer of the album is called Rock'n'Roll Suicide: "You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it and the clock waits so patiently on your song. You walk past a cafe but you don't eat when you've lived too long. Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock'n'roll suicide." But all this doom and gloom is dissipated in the end by these lyrics: "Oh no love! You're not alone. You're watching yourself but you're too unfair. You got your head all tangled up but if I could only make you care" and it closes with the repeated phrase; "you're wonderful give me your hands!" A simple but effective message: You're Not Alone.

I think you can tell by now that "Ziggy Stardust" is one of my favorite albums of all-time. Just two points to get the full effect: a. listen to the songs in the original sequence and b. as Bowie himself often marked on the album covers of that era: "to be played at maximum volume."