I think in the song Mr. Bowie is expressing his fear of the Americanisation of the world:
"I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world"
He's afraid he is also being absorbed into the American culture against his will:
"I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't."
And yes, he goes on to describe the things Americans seem to be obsessed with nowadays. Thinks like getting high, getting laid, and getting material posessions.
"God is an American" has a double meaning. One, most Americans view god as a version of themselves. The biggest bible-thumpers in America are also the biggest patriots (generally speaking), be they military people or just people who like to scream "USA! USA!" at the top of their lungs. And two, God is the controller of the universe according to christian mythology, and in reality, Mr. Bowie feels that America is gaining control of the universe, hence god and America are the same thing.
@RedDollShoes Nicely put! It is very interesting (as an Australian) to see how Americanised our country is. The number of Aussies speaking with American accents, or how our understanding of the world is often (nowadays) is shaped from American music, music videos, tv shows and films! It's not necessarily that American culture is bad, but that our individual cultures are being 'absorbed' or overshadowed by a larger, more influential one!
@RedDollShoes Nicely put! It is very interesting (as an Australian) to see how Americanised our country is. The number of Aussies speaking with American accents, or how our understanding of the world is often (nowadays) is shaped from American music, music videos, tv shows and films! It's not necessarily that American culture is bad, but that our individual cultures are being 'absorbed' or overshadowed by a larger, more influential one!
I think in the song Mr. Bowie is expressing his fear of the Americanisation of the world:
"I'm afraid of Americans I'm afraid of the world"
He's afraid he is also being absorbed into the American culture against his will:
"I'm afraid I can't help it I'm afraid I can't."
And yes, he goes on to describe the things Americans seem to be obsessed with nowadays. Thinks like getting high, getting laid, and getting material posessions.
"God is an American" has a double meaning. One, most Americans view god as a version of themselves. The biggest bible-thumpers in America are also the biggest patriots (generally speaking), be they military people or just people who like to scream "USA! USA!" at the top of their lungs. And two, God is the controller of the universe according to christian mythology, and in reality, Mr. Bowie feels that America is gaining control of the universe, hence god and America are the same thing.
That's my take.
@RedDollShoes Nicely put! It is very interesting (as an Australian) to see how Americanised our country is. The number of Aussies speaking with American accents, or how our understanding of the world is often (nowadays) is shaped from American music, music videos, tv shows and films! It's not necessarily that American culture is bad, but that our individual cultures are being 'absorbed' or overshadowed by a larger, more influential one!
@RedDollShoes Nicely put! It is very interesting (as an Australian) to see how Americanised our country is. The number of Aussies speaking with American accents, or how our understanding of the world is often (nowadays) is shaped from American music, music videos, tv shows and films! It's not necessarily that American culture is bad, but that our individual cultures are being 'absorbed' or overshadowed by a larger, more influential one!