| David Bowie – Ashes to Ashes Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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so this is a song about going straight? I've never heard anything so ridiculous, considering in the eighties Bowie looked as camp as he ever did in the 70s (serious moonlight Bowie, manly, Screaming Lord Byron, manly? Bowie at the Brits in black stilettoes? are you sure???) Ashes To Ashes is a line from the bible, of course, it is used at funerals, and the song is a funeral. The funeral procession is there, the semi-religious figures, the pyre. Whose funeral? Well obviously Major Tom's but that is not the real-point. The real point is that it is the funeral of the 70s. Every single line in the song references the 70s (and the late 60s in the case of Space Oddity references). I think your prurience is interesting, and indeed Bowie has written many overtly homosexual songs throughout his career (from the 60s right up to the 00s). Indeed, his greatest songs have been about homosexuality (Moonage Daydream, Width Of A Circle, Bewlay Brothers) but this is not an overtly homosexual song. As I have said earlier, the meaning of the song, to anybody who has listened to his music of the 70s, is obvious. It is about the 70s, it is about his experienes in the 70s and his music of the 70s. And it is a song of the 80s. So it is a funeral. Simple as that. I don't think Bowie has written a more direct and autobiographic lyric - he has said so much himself. It's one of the few Bowie lyrics that is not cryptic and does not need too much analysing. |
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| David Bowie – Ashes to Ashes Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Bowie has stated several times that the song is an Edwardian-type nursery rhyme summation of his career (to that point). It was the 80s and he was looking back at his career/life. The video: The Joey outfit and the ballerina girl, harking back to his time in a Commedia DelArte mime troupe (Pierrot, Columbine). Bowie says the digger truck was a symbol of advancing violence (love machine rumbles through desolation row) Location was Beachy Head, an infamous suicide spot, a reference to Major Tom's suicide in Space Oddity Padded Cell, a reference to his brother's time in a Hospital for the Mentally Ill He wears Green Ziggy Stardust boots, again a reference to his past career. Lyrics "Do you remember a guy that's been in such an early song". Obviously a simple reference to Space Oddity. "Pictures of Jap Girls in synthesis". Kabuki reference, the girls in Kabuki theatre are played by boys. Transformed with make up. "Ain't got no money, ain't got no hair". Reference to the mid 70s. Skint after the Mainman fiasco even after selling lots of records. No hair - reference to Man Who Fell To Earth. "Hoping to kick". Obviously a drug reference, he is trying to get off drugs that dominated his life in the 70s "Funk to Funky". Young Americans/Station To Station era music reference; although he purposefully sings it "fun to funky" "Hitting an all time Low". Reference to Low Album "I'm stuck with a valuable friend". This is Major Tom. Makes him a lot of money (royalties); and hope by sticking with him for this song that he will remain valuable. "Never did anything out of the blue". Bowie admitting his music is rather calculated rather than spontaneous. "Want to come down right now". Another obvious drug reference "My mamma said". Obviously, a reference to the Nursery Rhyme "My Mamma said" (same tune). Bowie (via his mother) considers that Major Tom is a bad influence, despite him being a valuable friend. Bowie is ending the 70s and to get things done, needs to leave the characters and music of the 70s behind. I think it is quite obviously a looking back and wrapping up of the 70s - his characters, music, drugs etc |
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