The youtube clip I've posted is the Scary Monsters album version of Ashes to Ashes. But of course you must watch the iconic music video as well, the most expensive of its time. I still get kind of freaked out by it, the weird fuzzy pink swampy world, the bulldozer with those Greek Orthodox-looking people bowing ahead of it, Bowie in the freaky Pierrot clown costume.
The memorably wiry jiggly string plucks open the song, joined by punchy slap bass. Drums and stabbing guitar chords accompany. Bowie starts singing at the 0:34 mark, like he's at a bar talking to the guy on the stool next to him:
"Do you remember a guy that's been
In such an early song"
Oh yeah, dude, you're talking about Major Tom from the Space Oddity tune. Hey, Ground Control supposedly received a message from him:
"I'm happy. Hope you're happy, too."
You also have Bowie singing about his own situation via his alter ego Major Tom, his issues with drugs and fame, 'the shrieking of nothing.' It's a complex tune for sure, many layers involved, lots of discussions about the tune out there on the internet. My favorite part is when he sings 'I've never done good things I've never done bad things I never did anything out of the blue.' Kind of self-loathing talk, like what good was all that time spent being so out of it? The sweet choral background synths are very soothing during this part, like it's OK, you made it out of there, David. You found that axe to break the ice and you are coming down. Major Tom, however, must stay up there in space. You had better stay away from him now, remember what your mama said.
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