David Bowie - songwriter?

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Bowie used to write some pretty great songs, but I have to say that the image, production and packaging were a big component as well. A big problem with his current (read post-Let's Dance) stuff is that not only is it not terribly compelling musically, but his image is just one big blank. What made him so interesting wasn't just the music, but the fact that he seemed so freakish. Now he's just blah.

― Sean, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

As for his lyrics, he makes me want to defecate in ecstasy

Why would you do that to perfectly good ecstasy?

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

That list doesn't include Simon Turner/King Of Luxembourg's ACE covers of The Prettiest Star and Andy Warhol (though unfortunately, SFT doesn't do the "Warhol...as in holes bit at the beginning)

― jamesmichaelward, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Aladdin Sane is a great song - as long as you can get someone to do that fucked-up piano part at the end.

― Dave225, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Why would you do that to perfectly good ecstasy?
Don't ask me...ask Bowie! He's the one who started that notion.

― Lord Custos II, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

The list doesn't mention the Au Pairs' version of "Repetition". I was very surprised when I found out that Bowie had written that song. "Repetition" contains a concise, coherent narrative about domestic violence. It isn't a typical example of his songwriting style at all.

― Mark Dixon, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I agree that after Ziggy Startdust he concentrated more on his sound and a little less on songs, but I think what makes Bowie so great and covers of his songs not as great is that he makes his songs just for his sound, and they go together. (I feel the same about the Pixies) But pre-Ziggy Stardust I think because he wasn't really doing to much with his sound, that his songs were really good. So try coving somehting like Width of a Circle, or Come and Buy My Toys.

― A Nairn, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

My favourite Bowie song is "I dig everything." Released on Pye Records in the mid-60s I believe.

Mike Hanley, did you ever cover this?

Also--Redd Kross covered "Savior Machine", Ann Magnuson did "Moonage Daydream", and I saw Momus do a fab version of "Cracked Actor" in LA once. And Beck does "Win" live.

― Arthur, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Chris Connelly did "Cracked Actor" at least once live. And quite good it was too.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Wow!

Thanks. For making sure I am going to be in debt for the next 60,000 years. My children's children's children's children are going to be a vast army of slaves for Jeff Bezos' children's children's...ah fuck it where's the Visa

― dave q, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Suede have made an entire career of covering Bowie songs.

― John Darnielle, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

And such a fine job they do of it.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ned, stop rescuing damsels in distress! The list doesn't mention the Au Pairs' version of "Repetition". I was very surprised when I found out that Bowie had written that song. "Repetition" contains a concise, coherent narrative about domestic violence. It isn't a typical example of his songwriting style at all.

Good point about 'Repetition', though I would disagree that it's not typical of Bowie's songwriting style. It's not typical of his songwriting of the last, oh, twenty years. But go back far enough and you'll find gems of character observation and tightly-written narratives with consistent point of view: 'Space Oddity', 'God Knows I'm Good', 'When I'm Five', 'Five Years'. He can do it when he wants to.

I think Bowie's writing has been ruined by Brion Gysin, surrealism, laziness, post- modernism, whatever. Where he really writes brilliant stuff that stands up without the surrounding charisma / imagery, reads well on the page, and can be covered by third parties, is where he's got a story but he's using innovative techniques in its telling; language (his 'Clockwork Orange'-inspired slang period) or cinematic editing techniques (the dissolve shot in 'Space Oddity' on the pun on 'Hear / here': 'Can you hear / here am I sitting in a tin can...'

When he's bad he's very bad, but when he's good he's the best.

― Momus, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Oh, and although people often say he should go back on them, we could add drugs to the list of things that have undermined Bowie's clarity and coherence.

Of course, I also like the nonsense style. 'Blackout' off "Heroes" makes no sense, but is fantastic expressionist poetry.

― Momus, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ned, stop rescuing damsels in distress!

You're always ruining my fun! *cries*

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 24 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

five years pass...

I was just looking for a thread to proclaim the obvious, i.e. that "Oh You Pretty Things" is a fucking perfect song. So why aren't there a lot of covers of it? Because, like another of my favorite songs, "What a Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, it's relatively challenging to play and sing well.

― Hurting 2, Saturday, 27 October 2007 04:02 (sixteen years ago) link

twelve years pass...

He was a good songwriter imo. That B.E.F./Billy Mackenzie cover is wild.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 10 January 2020 03:30 (four years ago) link

Barbara Streisand covering Bowie. Forget whether I have heard that . Will have to give it another listen

― curmudgeon, Friday, 10 January 2020 17:04 (four years ago) link

two years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-ZtpYfNq74

― Eavis Has Left the Building (Tom D.), Thursday, 30 June 2022 23:50 (one year ago) link

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