submissions
| MGMT – Kids Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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The chorus could well be referring to "inheritence", a "sins of the father" style thing.
If you take this as the kind words of a mother to her son then you essentially have her talking of how they "we like to watch you laughing" (mother+father)shared in the baby's young curiosity, and a layer of reticence about what was to come subsequently "no time to think of consequences" relating to their relationship/behaviour towards each other.
If you discount the chorus at first and lead straight into the second verse you have an undeniable sentiment that there have been bad decisions made, many without thinking. The memories of when the child was sparkling and new (warm water) are now sharpened to a shiver by what is know known and experienced. "I though this wouldn't hurt" could perhaps refer to bringing the child into the world.
This then angles the whole chorus as a slight on the father. Control yourself, take only from your father what you need (i.e. the strength, love, role model, father figure etc) leaving behind the failures and foibles. The "family of trees" is a play on words from "Family tree", probably probing at the idea that if you repeat the mistakes of the your own father - he'll haunt "your" tree too. A forlorn warning about how there are two sides to everything "warm" "a baby is born" can end up difficult "shiver" "crying out for attention". |
submissions
| David Bowie – Jump They Say Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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About his schizophrenic half brother Terry who jumped from a railway platform in front of an oncoming train with rather obvious results. Terry was plagued by a crowd of spli personalities and voices in his head and it's a plea to him to "ignore" them. |
submissions
| David Bowie – Looking for Satellites Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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Welcome to the space age - looking for satellites or looking for Major Tom, it's grasping hold of the future either way and moving on.
The repetative chorus is basically referring to what are now the current generations "Icons" and major beliefs. Also the stuff you get on Satellite TV more often than now. |
submissions
| David Bowie – Rebel Rebel Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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It's written about one of Bowies friends during the early 70's who was well into dressing in drag and going out on the tiles. The references to Torn Dress and Messed Up Face I believe are about the fact his mate used to get the crap kicked out of him because he was even more "out there" than Bowie himself. |
submissions
| David Bowie – Seven Years in Tibet Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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I fell in love with this song off the "EART HL I NG" album, I don't know why just something about it really attracts me (probably the chugging rhythm and wailing finish really). I believe it was written about the continued strife in Tibet.
He appears to follow this song up in "Hours" on the last track...but that's a tenuous link at best. |
submissions
| David Bowie – Sunday Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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If you listen to the full album it's more about the journey through life, first being enamoured with God and life and being born.
The fact it's like a Gregorian chant is more of a reference to its lofty "religious" hymn.
As for 9/11 - I think that's a bag of cack but people can believe what they like in the end. |
submissions
| David Bowie – Under Pressure Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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Vanilla ice only did what any other rap artist was doing at the time, samplying and rapping over the top. To be honest it's a poor song made good by two of the greatest vocalists of the last 30 years. |
submissions
| David Bowie – All the Young Dudes Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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It's just a man in his life, out on the tiles trying to escape the rather boring home world with his non revolutionary brother.
It is really just a rally cry for the youth. |
submissions
| David Bowie – China Girl Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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It's a reference to the doll like fragility of relationships, whether it's about his estranged wife or not is another matter - but Bowie has a history of writing about his own life and its influences. Bowie had such great hopes, destroyed by his own ambition, any number of times he did indeed like the Sacred Cow arrive to be slaughtered quite willingly. At one point he exhibited certain Nationalist beliefs and I think everybody remembers the "nazi" salute image that made him infamous (though in recent times he has merelu suggested it was the angle of the camera catching him at an inopportune time).
"Man who wants to rule the world" - this is actually mentioned by another artist of the time "Ian Hunter" who wrote 'Boy' about a particular artist of the 70's. Some say it was Bowie, some say Bolan - but the simple fact Hunter refers to "genocidal tendancies" and similar obviously bare a lot of similarity to Bowies life more than Bolan. Is Bowie make an unacknowledged nod towards the former frontman of Mott The Hoople (for whom he'd written All The Young Dudes). Maybe. |
submissions
| David Bowie – As the World Falls Down Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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It's temptation. Bowie as Jareth throughout the Movie simply offers to Sarah what he thinks she wants, the frills and baubles. What's a more pretty bauble than the sky or moon itself? The simple fact she was tempted by a piece of fruit (cue Garden of Eden) should have been a dead give away that it was more about Jareth trying to bring her to his side, to willingly let the child go. |
submissions
| David Bowie – Ashes to Ashes Lyrics
| 22 years ago
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When you consider that Bowie himself went through an extended period of drug abuse from 1975 through to 80'ish during which he nearly died on several occasions (allegedly, but it is well recorded in several autobiographies about the extents of his abuse) it makes sense that where Space Oddity referred to the "spirit of youth" seeking to escape the grasps of a society that wasn't its own (thereby feeling isolated) Ashes to Ashes is rather a personal reference to him getting over his problem and moving on - burning and burying that portion of his life.
Oh, and his vocal range never changed - he just started to sing lower songs as that is what was fashionable or suitable (the Thin White Duke period simply didn't require that vocal style as he bid to reinvent himself once again). However in the past 15 years or so its noticeable lowered due to his still rabid smoking and they have had to alter the key of his songs, but he still pumps out the entire Scary Monsters Album with great force. |
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