David Bowie feat. Queen - Ashes To Ashes Lyrics | LetsSingIt David Bowie feat.

Queen Do you remember a guy that's been In such an early song I've heard a rumour from Ground Control Oh no, don't say it's true We got a message from the Action Man "I'm happy, hope you're happy too I've loved all I've needed to love Sordid details following" The shrieking of nothing is killing Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain't got no money and I ain't got no hair But I'm hoping to kick but the planet it's glowing Ashes to ashes, funk to funky We know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high Hitting an all-time low Time and again I tell myself I'll stay clean tonight But the little green wheels are following me Oh no, not again I'm stuck with a valuable friend "I'm happy, hope you're happy too" One flash of light but no smoking pistol I never done good things I never done bad things I never did anything out of the blue, woh-o-oh Want an axe to break the ice Wanna come down right now Ashes to ashes, funk to funky We know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high Hitting an all-time low My mother said to get things

 done You'd better not mess with Major Tom This song was last modified on November 24th, 2016.

Copyright with Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.. Written by PAT METHENY, LYLE MAYS, DAVID BOWIE. Lyrics licensed by LyricFind . Songs you may also like same album show all songs from the album Scary Monsters... And Super Creeps [1980] David Bowie show all David Bowie songs 1. show this week's top 1000 most popular songs 7 hours ago Space Oddity by David Bowie Songfacts Space Oddity by David Bowie Songfacts Songfacts Bowie wrote this after seeing the 1968 Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. "Space Oddity" is a play on the phrase "Space Odyssey," and the title does not appear in the lyrics. The song tells the story of Major Tom, a fictional astronaut who cuts off communication with Earth and floats into space. In a 2003 interview with Performing Songwriter magazine, Bowie explained: "In England, it was always presumed that it was written about the space landing, because it kind of came to prominence around the same time. But it actually wasn't.

It was written because of going to see the film 2001, which I found amazing. I was out of my gourd anyway, I was very stoned when I went to see it, several times, and it was really a revelation to me. It got the song flowing. It was picked up by the British television, and used as the background music for the landing itself. I'm sure they really weren't listening to the lyric at all (laughs). It wasn't a pleasant thing to juxtapose against a moon landing. Of course, I was overjoyed that they did. Obviously, some BBC official said, 'Oh, right then, that space song, Major Tom, blah blah blah, that'll be great.' 'Um, but he gets stranded in space, sir.' Nobody had the heart to tell the producer that." This was originally released in 1969 on Bowie's self-titled album and timed to coincide with the moon landing. Released as a single, the song made #5 in the UK, becoming his first chart hit in that territory. In America, the single found a very small audience and bubbled under at #124 in August 1969.

In 1972, the album was re-titled Space Oddity and re-issued in the US after Bowie achieved modest success in America with the singles " Changes " (#66) and " The Jean Genie " (#71). The newly released "Space Oddity" single made #15, becoming Bowie's first US Top 40. In 1975, back in the UK, the song was once again released, this time on a single which also contained the songs "Changes" and "Velvet Goldmine." Promoted as "3 Tracks for the Price of 2," the single leapt to the top of the charts, earning Bowie his first #1 in the UK. In 1980, Bowie released a follow-up to this called " Ashes To Ashes ," where Major Tom once again makes contact with Earth. He says he is happy in space, but Ground Control comes to the conclusion that he is a junkie. In 1983, Peter Schilling released a sequel to this called "Major Tom (I'm Coming Home)." Set to a techno beat, it tells the story of Major Tom in space. In 2003, K.I.A.

released another sequel called "Mrs. Major Tom," which is told from the point of view of Major Tom's wife. When the BBC used this during coverage of the moon landing, there was a great fear that if the missions in space didn't go well, this song would suddenly become inappropriate. >> Suggestion credit: Daniel - The North West, England In the line, "And the papers want to know whose shirt you wear," 'whose shirt you wear' is English slang for 'what football team are you a fan of?'. The thinking here being that if you can make it into space then your opinions on football matter. (Note to Americans- in this case, by "football" we mean "soccer.") Bowie's birth name was David Jones. He changed his name before the movie came out, but the name he picked is similar to the main character in the film: Dave Bowman. There was speculation that he got the name from the book The Sentinel, which the movie is based on, but Bowie has claimed that his moniker came from the Bowie knife. This appears on the soundtrack of the Adam Sandler movie Mr. Deeds.

>> Suggestion credit: Hans - Oakdale, CA Nita Benn's handclaps can be heard on this recording. She is the daughter-in-law of the British socialist politician Tony Benn and the mother of Emily Benn, who at the age of 17 became the youngest ever person chosen to fight an election when she was selected in 2007 as the Labour candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham. This was originally written by Bowie as a guitar song. It was the producer Gus Dudgeon who turned it into an epic. Session musician Herbie Flowers (" Walk On The Wild Side ," " Diamond Dogs ") played bass on this track. He recalled his experience working on this to Uncut magazine June 2008: "The first time I played with Bowie was on the session for 'Space Oddity.' Dear Gus (Dudgeon) was quaking in his boots. It might have been the first thing he ever produced. 'Space Oddity' was this strange hybrid song. (Keyboardist) Rick Wakeman went out to buy a little Stylophone for seven shillings from a small shop on the corner where Trident Studios was.

With that and all the string arrangements, it's like a semi-orchestral piece." Jimmy Page told Uncut magazine June 2008: "I played on his records, did you know that? His very early records when he was Davy Jones & The Lower Third. The Shel Talmy records. I can think of two individual sessions that I did with him. He said in some interview that on one of those sessions I showed him these chords, which he used in 'Space Oddity'-but he said, 'Don't tell Jim, he might sue me.' Ha ha!" In 2009, a sound-a-like version was used in commercials for Lincoln automobiles. This version was by the American singer-songwriter Cat Power, the stage name of Charlyn "Chan" Marshall. The session players on the song were Rick Wakeman (mellotron), Mick Wayne (guitar), Herbie Flowers (bass) and Terry Cox (drums), plus string musicians. They were paid just over £9 each. An early version of this song is performed by David Bowie in Love You Till Tuesday, a promotional film made in 1969 which was designed to showcase the talents of Bowie. You can watch it here .

In 1969, this song was awarded the coveted Ivor Novello Award alongside Peter Sarstedt's " Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? " The Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded this song during his stay at the International Space Station in 2013, using a guitar that stays on the station. The female singer/songwriter Emm Gryner, who was part of Bowie's live band in 1999-2000, put the song together, adding additional tracks and incorporating space station sounds that Hadfield had posted to his Soundclound account. A video was compiled using footage of Hadfield performing the song in space, complete with shots of planet Earth, his floating acoustic guitar, and a weightless Hadfield. The sublime compilation was posted on May 12, 2013; it quickly racked up millions of views on YouTube and got the attention of Bowie, who posted about it on his social media accounts, calling it "quite possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created." Hadfield changed a few of the lyrics - he left out the part where Major Tom loses contact and drifts away.

Releasing a cover song recorded in space poses myriad legal challenges, since jurisdiction is unclear. The original agreement was for one year, so the video was removed on May 13, 2014. By this time, Hadfield was back on Earth and worked to negotiate a new deal with the song's publishers. In November 2014, an agreement was reached and the video went back up.

Karaoke Ashes To Ashes - Video with Lyrics - David Bowie Karaoke Ashes To Ashes Lyrics of Ashes To Ashes Do you remember a guy that's been in such an early song I've heard a rumour from ground control oh no don't say it's true They got a message from the action man I'm happy hope you're happy too I've loved all I've needed to love sordid details following The shrieking of nothing is killing Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain't got no money and I ain't got no hair But I'm hoping to kick but the planet is glowing Ashes to ashes, fun to funky we know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high hitting an all-time low Time and again I tell myself I'll stay clean tonight But the little green wheels are following me oh no not again I'm stuck with a valuable friend I'm happy hope you're happy too One flash of light but no smoking pistol I've never done good things I've never done bad things I never did anything out of the blue oh oh oh oh Want an axe to break the ice wanna come down right now Ashes to ashes, fun to funky we know Major Tom's a junkie Strung

 out in heaven's high hitting an all-time low My mother said to get things done You'd better not mess with Major Tom My mother said to get things done You'd better not mess with Major Tom My mother said to get things done You'd better not mess with Major Tom My mother said to get things done You'd better not mess with Major Tom Any reproduction is prohibited "Space Oddity" - 25 Bowie songs that left everyone else in the Stardust - Pictures - CBS News Next "Space Oddity" Glam rock legend David Bowie blurred the lines between male and female, music and theater, outsider and insider, as he ruled the charts for decades ch-ch-changing everything.

Released in July 1969, "Space Oddity" introduced the music world to its favorite fictional astronaut, Major Tom. Credit: Ralph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images "Starman" Bowie's first major hit since "Space Oddity," "Starman" (1972) was actually a last-minute addition to the album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It replaced a cover of Chuck Berry's "Round and Round" at the eleventh hour when RCA's Dennis Katz heard the demo and loved it. Good thing he did because "Starman" was the track that introduced the world to Ziggy Stardust. Credit: RCA Records "Under Pressure" In the early '80s, David Bowie was called in to do some backing vocals for a Queen track, called "Cool Cat." And though that cameo never panned out, something much better did: a jam session, which resulted in "Under Pressure." Fun fact: The vocal scatting in the song's final version is a testament to the track's improv origins.

Credit: EMI Records "The Jean Genie" The lead single from Bowie's 1973 album, Aladdin Sane, "The Jean Genie" is Bowie's fantastic, if not darkly cynical, take on Americana: "Strung out on lasers and slash-back blazers / Ate all your razors while pulling the waiters / Talking 'bout Monroe and walking on Snow White / New York's a go-go, and everything tastes right." Credit: Justin de Villeneuve/Getty Images "Heroes" In 1976, Bowie moved to West Berlin and produced three albums, known as his Berlin Trilogy. "Heroes," the second of these three albums, combined pop and rock with ambient sounds and synthesizers. While the title track wasn't an initial success in either the U.S. or U.K., it ultimately became one of Bowie's most covered signature songs. Credit: Mark Mainz/Getty Images "Life On Mars?" The number four track off the 1971 album, Hunky Dory,"Life On Mars?" was once described by the BBC as "a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dali painting" because of the surreal imagery in its lyrics.

Fun fact: "Life On Mars?" has the same chords as Frank Sinatra's "My Way," and that overlap is intentional. In 1968, David Bowie wrote an English lyric to the tune of a French song, called "Comme, D'Habitude." He was beaten to the punch, however, by Paul Anka, who bought the rights to the song and made a fortune with "My Way." Bowie then recorded this track as a sort of "My Way" parody, noting in the Hunky Dory liner notes that the track is "inspired by Frankie." Credit: RCA Records "Let's Dance" Bowie's second number-one hit in the U.S., "Let's Dance" (1983) introduced his music to a new generation of fans. Credit: EMI Records "Ziggy Stardust" "Ziggy Stardust" (1972) was ranked No. 277 on Rolling Stone 's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Credit: AP "Rebel Rebel" The last Bowie single written in the style of glam rock, "Rebel Rebel" (1974) is his most covered track.

It has been covered by Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, Duran Duran, Joan Jett, and The Smashing Pumpkins, just to name a few. Its gender-bending lyrics, like "You got your mother in a whirl / She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl," are also some of the most direct examples of David Bowie's iconic androgynous persona. Credit: Sukita/EMI Records/Jones - Tintoretto Entertainment Co. "Dancing in the Street" A signature Motown track, written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter, "Dancing in the Street" was epically covered by David Bowie and Mick Jagger in 1985. The pair of rock icons recorded the track to raise money for the Live Aid famine relief cause. Their generosity was quickly repaid as the single rocketed to number one. Credit: EMI Records "Ashes To Ashes" A U.K. number-one single, "Ashes to Ashes" (1980) was Major Tom 2.0.

Unlike the hippie astronaut presented to the world in 1969's "Space Oddity," however, the Major Tom portrayed in "Ashes to Ashes" was a "junkie, strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low." Credit: RCA Records "Diamond Dogs" The title track off Bowie's 1974 album of the same name, "Diamond Dogs" introduced Bowie fans to a new persona, known as Halloween Jack. Credit: Cinema 5 "Fame" Bowie's first number-one single in America, "Fame" marked a new sound for the glam rock icon; one he deemed "Plastic Soul." In a 1976 interview with Playboy magazine, he elaborated, "It's the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak, written and sung by a white limey." As much as he may have considered the sound "squashed remains" of soul, people loved it.

In fact, Bowie was one of the first Caucasian artists ever invited to perform on "Soul Train." Credit: AP "Young Americans" Recorded in Philadelphia, Bowie's 1975 single, "Young Americans" was another huge breakthrough hit for the British artist in America, where his "plastic soul" sound was much appreciated. In 2004, it was ranked at number 481 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Credit: RCA Records "The Man Who Sold the World" The title track off David Bowie's third album, "The Man Who Sold the World" (1970) delves into the themes of splintered personalities and the search for personal unity. It has been covered by a number of artists, including Nirvana in 1993. Credit: Mercury Records "Changes" The number one track off Bowie's iconic 1971 album, Hunky Dory, "Changes" is often interpreted as an introspective look into the star's chameleonic personality and sound.

It has also served as a source of inspiration for young people around the world, examining increasingly complex identities: "And these children that you spit on / As they try to change their worlds / Are immune to your consultations / They're quite aware of what they're going through." Credit: Chris Kasson/AP "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" The title track off Bowie's 1980 album, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), this song is notable for its synthesized percussion, distinctive guitar work, and dark lyrics about a woman's descent into madness. Credit: Robert E. Klein/AP "Oh! You Pretty Things" The number two track off Bowie's 1971 album, Hunky Dory, "Oh! You Pretty Things" presents the glam rock icon's omnipresent themes of alien life and the obsolescence of the human race, in a deceivingly cheery musical package. Notable for its stripped down piano verses, this track opens up into an anthemic refrain reminiscent of the Beatles.

Credit: Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images "China Girl" While living in West Berlin, David Bowie shared an apartment with Iggy Pop, and the pair co-wrote the track, "China Girl" (1977). In a 1983 interview with Rolling Stone, Bowie described the music video as as a "very simple, very direct" statement against racism. Credit: RCA Records "Slow Burn" This single from David Bowie's 2002 album, Heathen, features guitar work by Peter Townshend and earned Bowie a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Male Vocal Performance. Credit: Bob Child/AP "Suffragette City" With lyrical references to "A Clockwork Orange" and musical references to Little Richard, this 1976 track is not to be missed. Recorded near the end of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust sessions, "Suffragette City" has since been covered by such artists as Boy George, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Franz Ferdinand.

Credit: RCA Records "Drive-In Saturday" One of Bowie's many tracks which imagines a post-apocalyptic future, "Drive-In Saturday" (1973) depicts a population that has to watch old pornographic films to remember how to reproduce. Influenced by 1950s doo-wop, it became a top three hit in the U.K. Credit: Granada Visual/Russell Harty Plus Pop "Modern Love" The number one track off Bowie's hugely successful 1983 album, Let's Dance, "Modern Love" deals with issues of humanity and divinity: "God and Man no confessions / God and Man no religion / God and Man don't believe / in Modern Love." Credit: Jo Hale/Getty Images "Golden Years" Somewhat more funk and soul-inspired than the rest of Bowie's 1976 album, "Golden Years" is perhaps more a product of Young Americans than Station to Station. Nevertheless, fans ate it up. "Golden Years" reached number 10 on the U.S. charts and number eight on the U.K.

charts, even earning Bowie a performance on "Soul Train." Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images "Lazarus" On January 8, 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday, he released a jazz-inflected surprise album, called "Blackstar," which yet again saw the music icon exploring new sonic worlds. Days later, he succumbed to an 18-month battle with cancer , casting new light on his swan song album. The single, "Lazarus," for example, now serves as a sort of farewell from a music legend, who struggled in life with addiction and tormented thoughts, but is finally at peace: "Look up here, I'm in heaven / I've got scars that can't be seen." Credit: ISO/Columbia Records The String Quartet - Ashes To Ashes (David Bowie Instrumental Cover) - YouTube The String Quartet - Ashes To Ashes (David Bowie Instrumental Cover) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Jan 11, 2016 Available on Amazon: 01. Emilie Simon - Space Oddity Arranged By [Strings], Cello – Arnaud Crozatier Bass – Simon Edwards Producer, Programmed By – Emilie Simon 02. Pacovolume - The Jean Genie 03. Yann Tiersen & The Divine Comedy - Life On Mars 04. Medi & The Medicine Show - Rebel Rebel 05. Microsillon Feat. Eugénie Alquezar - This Is Not America Featuring – Eugénie Alquezar Written-By – Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny 06. Los Chicros - Changes 07. The Gourds - Ziggy Stardust 08. The New Standards - All The Young Dudes Bass – John Munson Vocals – Chan Poling, John Munson 09. Ask The Dust - John I'm Only Dancing Mixed By – Guillaume Couderette Producer – Nicolas Lévy, Sylvain Vasseur 10. Rhonda Harris - China Girl Written-By – Iggy Pop 11.

The String Quartet - Ashes To Ashes 12. Botox - Fashion 13. Cocosuma - The Man Who Sold The World 14. Sacha Sieff & Manuel Armstrong - Heroes Performer – Mark Kerr Written-By – Eno Brian Peter Georges* 15.1. Arno & Beverly Jo Scott - Jean Baltazaarrr Written-By – Jacques Dutronc, Jacques Lanzmann 15.2. Langley Schools Music Project - Space Oddity Adapted By [Adaptations] – Jean-Louis Merlet Artwork By [Illustrations], Design – Florence Deygas Compiled By, Compiled By, Compilation Producer – Béatrice Ardisson Mastered By – Jean-Sébastien Dupuis Written-By – David Bowie Track 15.2 is not listed in the tracklisting. It is only listed (in mirrored printing) on the inner side of the inlay. This track is part of track 15 and starts after 2 minutes of silence after the Arno & Beverly Jo Scott track. ------------------------ "Ashes to Ashes" is a song by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made No.

1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album, also a No. 1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet. The lyrics revisit Bowie's Major Tom character from 1969's "Space Oddity", which he referenced once again in 1995 with "Hallo Spaceboy". The song's original title was "People Are Turning to Gold." Interviewed in 1980, Bowie described the song as "a nursery rhyme. It's very much a 1980s nursery rhyme. I think 1980s nursery rhymes will have a lot to do with the 1880s/1890s nursery rhymes which are all rather horrid and had little boys with their ears being cut off and stuff like that...". Years later, Bowie said that with "Ashes to Ashes" he was "wrapping up the seventies really" for himself, which "seemed a good enough epitaph for it".

Music and lyrics Melancholic and introspective, "Ashes to Ashes" featured Bowie's reinterpretation of "a guy that's been in such an early song", namely Major Tom from his first hit in 1969, "Space Oddity". Described as "containing more messages per second" than any single released in 1980, the song also included plaintive reflections on the singer's moral and artistic journey: I've never done good things I've never done bad things I never did anything out of the blue Instead of a hippie astronaut who casually slips the bonds of a crass and material world to journey beyond the stars, the song describes Major Tom as a "junkie, strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low". This lyric was interpreted as a play on the title of Bowie's 1977 album Low, which charted his withdrawal inwards following his drug excesses in America a short time before, another reversal of Major Tom's original withdrawal "outwards" or towards space.

The final lines, "My mother said, to get things done, you'd better not mess with Major Tom", have been compared to the verse from a nursery rhyme: My mother said That I never should Play with the gypsies in the wood Bowie himself said in an interview with NME shortly after the single's release, "It really is an ode to childhood, if you like, a popular nursery rhyme. It's about space men becoming junkies (laughs)." Musically "Ashes to Ashes" was notable for its delicate synthetic string sound, counterpointed by hard-edged funk bass, and its complex vocal layering. Its choir-like textures were created by guitarist Chuck Hammer with four multi-tracked guitar synthesizers, each playing opposing chord inversions; this was underpinned by Bowie's dead-pan, chanted background voices. Release "Ashes to Ashes" hit No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release, rising to No. 1 a week later, making it Bowie's fastest-selling single to that point in time. The single peaked at No. 101 in America.

more info about the song here ) Category NME's 40 favourite Bowie tracks - the full list - David Bowie Latest News NME's 40 favourite Bowie tracks - the full list “There’s been many others” For those of you that haven't yet managed to get your hands on NME in one format or another, they have now published the full list of the forty Bowie tracks chosen for this week’s ten-page Bowie cover feature, online. If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now...if you do, here they are in descending order. David Bowie's 40 Greatest Songs - As Decided By NME And Friends David Bowie has plenty of stone-cold classics to choose from so it was a challenge to pick out his 40 greatest songs. With a little help from Thurston Moore, St Vincent, Johnny Marr, Wild Beasts and a few more of our favourite artists we count down, from 40 to 1. As the new David Bowie best-of is prepared for release, we rank his Top 40 tracks, as chosen by NME and with a little help from Thurston Moore, St Vincent, Johnny Marr, Wild Beasts and a few more of our favourite artists. 40.

'It's No Game (Part 1)' (1980) St Vincent: "'It’s No Game (Part 1)' from ‘Scary Monsters’ is my favourite song, an example of his ability to make immensely likable and at the same time dystopian music. I love Robert Fripp’s guitar playing there, it’s so perverse – it’s disgusting and I love it." 39. 'Wild Is The Wind' (1976). With his album 'Pin-Ups', Bowie paid tribute to his favourite bands of the previous decade by covering their songs. Released three years later, 'Wild Is The Wind' – formerly recorded by Johnny Mathis and Nina Simone – would have stuck out like Ziggy at a funeral on that LP. In Bowie's hands, the winsome, delicate track twists like a snake around a branch. 38. 'Aladdin Sane' (1973). Peter Brewis, Field Music: "This song is, for me, one of David Bowie's standout pieces. Stylistically it has one foot in the Ziggy Stardust era with the other kicking towards the experimentalism of the European years.

The lyrics seem to deal with the pre-war decadence of the ‘Bright Young Things’." 37. 'Quicksand' (1971). Aaron Hemphill, Liars: "With just his voice, an acoustic guitar and amazing lyrics that are incredibly arranged, this song takes me further than any track ever has from ‘Hunky Dory’. I think his choice in words and incredibly expressive voice communicates such a unique mental and emotional state that it makes the song much more than the sum of its parts." 36. 'Fashion' (1971) Imagined as a successor to The Kinks' 'Dedicated Follower Of Fashion', their commentary on British fashion and its disciples, 'Fashion' sends up that scene as something conformist and controlled ("We are the goon squad and we're coming to town"), even aligning its regimented posturing with military formations ("Turn to the left, turn to the right"). 35. 'Andy Warhol' (1971).

Bowie’s fascination with Andy Warhol boiled over into song on 1971’s ‘Hunky Dory’, capturing all the kaleidoscopic colour of the ’60s icon’s famous prints in four minutes of flamenco guitars. Warhol reportedly didn’t like the song, worrying that it made fun of his appearance, but for plenty of Bowie fans it’s one of the most inventive of his early-’70s pomp. 34. 'Black Country Rock' (1970). King Tuff: "'The Man Who Sold The World' is my favorite Bowie album because it’s as close as Bowie ever got to Sabbath, and there’s lots of pretty crazy ‘out’ musical moments. Lyrically it’s all about insanity and straight-up weirdness. The guitar playing is some of Mick Ronson’s best, and Tony Visconti kills it on the bass, big ol’ funky style." 33. 'The Jean Genie' (1973). Johnny Marr: "Even though he's made much cleverer records, 'Jean Genie' is an amazing example of what a good rock singer he is. It has such a cool detachment, and it's very sexy.

It has a simmering undertow of violence about it, which is a weirdly English thing. Even though it's based on a Muddy Waters riff, it doesn't sound like an American band." 32. 'Lady Grinning Soul' (1973). The last track on ‘Aladdin Sane’ has long been rumoured to be about American soul singer Claudia Lennear, whom Bowie had a dalliance with – as did Mick Jagger, who is reported to have written the much earthier ‘Brown Sugar’ about her. Whoever it’s about, it’s one of Bowie’s most off-kilter recordings from a particularly fertile period in his career. 31. 'Absolute Beginners' (1986) Written for Julien Temple’s fairly rubbish adaptation of Colin MacInnes’ 1959 novel of the same name, Bowie’s theme is the best thing about the whole sorry affair (including his own performance in the movie). A retro-sounding ode to blossoming love, the doo-wop-flavoured track was a welcome return to form after the horror of 1984’s ‘Tonight’ album. 30.

'John, I'm Only Dancing' (1972) "I'm gay and always have been," Bowie said in 1972. Eight months later, 'John, I'm Only Dancing' was released. Bowie never confirmed whether or not it concerned what it was rumoured to be about – a real-life gay relationship or John Lennon’s comments on his cross-dressing – but that didn’t stop his US label from preventing its release until 1976. 29. 'Always Crashing In The Same Car (1977). One of the last songs to be drawn from the cocaine-addled period Bowie spent in LA between 1975-76, apparently based on an incident when he sought vengeance on a rip-off drug dealer by deliberately crashing into his car. The oddly hushed drums and eerie synth led producer Tony Visconti to describe it as “spooky”. 28. 'All The Young Dudes' (1974). As if being the greatest rock star on the planet wasn't quite enough, by 1972 Bowie had even set about saving his contemporaries from extinction.

Apparently, Mott The Hoople were about to call it a day – until Bowie learned of their predicament and wrote, produced and played guitar on '...Dudes', which instantly took the band to the top of the charts. 27. 'China Girl (1983). Originally included on ‘The Idiot’, Iggy Pop’s David Bowie-produced 1977 solo debut, with Bowie on toy piano and Pop playing a fun-size drumkit. It was re-recorded for ‘Let’s Dance’: Bowie replaced the original’s claustrophobic scratchiness with extroverted disco hinging on a Nile Rodgers riff. 26. 'Drive-In Saturday' (1973). A homage to the doo-wop of 1950s America, 'Drive-in Saturday' described a world that would have been as alien to a young Bowie as that described in 'Life On Mars?'. Its lyrics are a sci-fi movie in miniature, telling of a post-apocalyptic society learning how to "get it on like once before" by watching videos of Mick Jagger over coo-ing glam rock’n’roll. 25. 'Kooks' (1971).

Written after the birth of Bowie and wife Angie’s son Zowie (who renamed himself Duncan and went on to direct the excellent Moon), Bowie makes it clear that he would never be a tough parent, suggesting gently to his offspring, “Don’t pick a fight with the bullies or the cads/’Cos I’m not much cop at punching other people’s dads”. 24. 'TVC 15' (1976). The recording of ‘Station To Station’ has become infamous for Bowie’s diet as much as anything else. He starved his body of all nutrients (besides milk, cocaine and red peppers) and replaced them with dirty disco and funky soul. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he became prone to hallucinations; on 'TVC 15', his girlfriend crawls into his TV set. 23. 'Queen Bitch' (1971). Here, Bowie doffed his “bipperty-bopperty hat” to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. The track would also influence Bowie’s future – it’s a glam rock prototype, with a camp, catty lyric from Bowie and guitarist Mick Ronson nicking the razor-sharp riff from Eddie Cochran’s ‘Three Steps To Heaven’.

The road to the all-conquering ‘Ziggy’ era began here 22. 'Be My Wife' (1977). Bowie decided, for whatever reason, to sing one of ‘Low’’s more conventional tracks in an exaggerated but strangely cold and remote London accent, something he never repeats anywhere else on the record. It’s wholly at odds with the crashing piano, squalling guitar solos and booming drums that litter the song, resulting in a compellingly confusing listen. 21. 'Fame' (1975). The single that made David Bowie huge in America was inspired by the rather unsexy subject of how utterly pissed off he was at his then-management. While attempting to extricate himself from his contract, Bowie was egged on by his new pal John Lennon, who went on to supply the title and backing vocals. 20. 'Ziggy Stardust' (1972). Remarkably, this track was never released as a single, despite being one of Bowie’s most famous songs. The lyric is about Ziggy, the ultimate rock superstar, getting too big for his boots and ultimately self-destructing.

It’s helpful that Mick Ronson is on hand to paint this picture with one of the great all-time rock riffs. 19. 'Station To Station' (1976). William Doyle, East India Youth: "When I first heard 'Station to Station', it scared me how good it was. This song seems to deal with all of his neuroses at the time of recording – his obsession with the occult, the Third Reich, normal things like that – and it’s backed by the most coked-up end section I've ever heard." 18. 'Space Oddity' (1969). Anna Calvi: "My dad put it on the car when I was six, and at first I thought his voice was horrible. But by the end of the song, I loved it. That was it – my passion for David Bowie began and it hasn’t stopped since." 17. 'The Man Who Sold The World' (1971). 1971’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ is not just a vintage slice of Bowie story-telling but a key part in his ’90s renaissance, 20 years later.

Bowie’s critical stock was at a career low when Nirvana gave a rendition of the track in their iconic MTV Unplugged session, coming after Bowie’s late-’80s run of maligned albums. 16. 'Golden Years' (1976). "Gonna drive back down where you once belonged/ In the back of a dream car 20 foot long," promises 'Golden Years', but that positivity soon dissipates, as Bowie prays "I'm begging you save her little soul" and tells the woman in question (claimed to be either his first wife Angela or backing singer Ava Cherry) to "run for the shadows". 15. 'Starman' (1972). Ian McCulloch, Echo And The Bunnymen: "It made me want to be heard. When I saw Bowie on 'Top Of The Pops', I thought, ‘I want to wear his kecks too.’ I stared at his groin thinking, ‘I’ve got a lot of puberty to do.’" 14. 'Suffragette City' (1972).

"Say droogie, don't crash here!" yelps Bowie, showing off the influence of Anthony Burgess' 'A Clockwork Orange'. The song – which borrows from ’50s rock'n'roll, including a piano riff inspired by Little Richard – was offered to Mott The Hoople to record, but frontman Ian Hunter didn't think it was good enough and they recorded 'All The Young Dudes' instead. 13. 'Rock'N'Roll Suicide' (1972). The closing track on ‘Ziggy Stardust’ was one of the songs that actually fitted the loose ‘concept’ feel of the LP. Bowie chronicled Ziggy's final fall from grace, torn into pieces by his feverish acolytes. The melodrama of the story is reflected in the music, a grandiose, theatrical epic, inspired, according to Bowie himself, by French poet Baudelaire. 12. 'Five Years' (1972). Thurston Moore:: “It was one of the first Bowie things I heard as I got that album when it came out.

The fact that he opened up with this drum pattern that was really kind of a bit odd, was just completely experimental and avant-garde. Then there’s acoustic guitar and this voice that had a certain banality to it. It’s just a completely radical listen.” 11. 'Moonage Daydream' (1972). Although an integral part of the storyline of Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust', 'Moonage Daydream' was released in 1971 as the debut single by his side project Arnold Corns. In 2003, Bowie revealed the influence of The Hollywood Argyles' 1960 track 'Sho Know A Lot About Love' as he thought the combination of sax and piccolo was "a great thing to put in a rock song". 10. ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ (1971). Written just before Bowie's first child was born, 'Oh! You Pretty Things' finds him relating his anxieties about his impending fatherhood by pumping them into a story of aliens taking over the earth. With both prescience and paranoia, he warns parents: "Don't kid yourself they belong to you/They're the start of a coming race". 9.

'Ashes To Ashes' (1980). Recall is a powerful tool. Bowie likes to litter his songs with references to earlier works, and it's a trick he pulled off most neatly in 'Ashes To Ashes', looking to the future with its airy funk, but looking back to an earlier character in its lyrics. Its big reveal is the fate of Major Tom, cast here as a junkie drifting into oblivion. 8. 'Modern Love' (1983). There's a tragic irony to 'Modern Love'; it's not that David Bowie managed to make a perfect song about his cynicism at the world. It's that his prescient observations about the burgeoning business charm offensive of the 1980s exposed the hollowness that would consume his own career for a few years – critically, at least– until he formed Tin Machine in 1989. 7. 'Life On Mars?' (1971). James Bagshaw, Temples: "It’s really catchy, but in a really unconventional way.

There’s one bit where he hits a really high note and it’s so bold – I don’t think I could ever be that bold until I really learn to sing. It’s very clever without being pretentious, which is the perfect mix." 6. 'Let's Dance' (1983). Courtney Barnett: "Most of the stuff he does makes me want to dance. He knows how to write a good song and everything he does is kind of funky. I normally do a little bit of the twist – a subtle twist." 5. 'Rebel Rebel' (1974). Bowie’s friendship with Mick Jagger intensified around the period when ‘Rebel Rebel’ was written and released – Bowie’s wife Angie claims she caught them in bed together. It was common for Bowie to take inspiration from his musical heroes, but the heaven-sent riff here owed as much to Keith Richards as it did to the Stones' singer. 4. 'Young Americans' (1975). From its opening verse, as two lovers endure awkward first-time sex, ‘Young Americans’ only gets bleaker.

The air of gloom mirrored that of 1970s America, where the news was full of Richard Nixon’s defiant smirks and Ted Bundy’s murderous suburban rampages. The result, underneath a blanket of 70s soul-pop, is one of Bowie’s most quietly heartbreaking songs. 3. 'Changes' (1971). Tom Fleming, Wild Beasts: "I think 'Changes' is appropriate funeral music – it’s cheery without being Paul McCartney with his thumbs in the air. Funerals are about change. Everyone dies. So what? 'Time may change me, but I can’t trace time' – that’s kind of perfect really." 2. 'Sound And Vision' (1977). Originally conceived as an instrumental (save for a backing vocal by producer Tony Visconti’s then-wife Mary Hopkin), Bowie reputedly added his vocal at a very late stage in proceedings. Despite the sprightly guitar riff, sparkling sax and synth splashes, Bowie sings of the inescapable ennui that plagued his attempt to kick a severe coke habit. 1. ''Heroes'' (1977).

A romance for the ages, with Bowie's remarkable vocal and a rumbling, relentless, four-chord juggernaut of sound that's almost as monolithic as the Berlin Wall itself. On release, it was met with a resounding shrug: that it's gone on to become his best-loved song – and it topped our writers’ poll comfortably – is its ultimate triumph. Bowie Golden Years : 1980 1980 JANUARY 1 New Year's celebrations spent with Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall and friends at Jagger's manager's apartment near Central Park in New York. Uncut version of The Man Who Fell to Earth given general release in the US, previous release having twenty minutes censored from the UK version. Bowie went to see Iggy's last show at the Irving Plaza. Also there were Tom Verlaine and most of the Patti Smith Group. After the show, Bowie and Iggy went to see James Chance and The Contortions who were playing a benefit show at Hurrahs with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. Melody Maker special on the 80s published and included a short message from Bowie about his thoughts on the new decade.

David Bowie: To be 67 by 1990 To win a revolution by ignoring everything else out of existence To own personal copy of Eraserhead. 5 Saturday Night Live broadcast in New York including three songs from Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World: Bowie was encased in a solid mould body, carried up to the microphone, with only his arms and head being mobile. TVC 15: performed in a dress with a toy poodle at his feet with a television screen in its mouth. Boys Keep Swinging: Bowie adopted a puppet's body using a split-screen technique. His backing band for the show included Blondie's Jimmy Destri and German singer/ performer Klaus Nomi. 1980 All Clear promo LP issued (DJL13345) featuring ten tracks - one from each album. FEBRUARY 8 Bowie and Angie's divorce becomes final, Bowie gaining custody of Joe (as Joey had wanted to become known). Angie received a settlement of ï¿½130,000. Bowie was approached by director, Jack Hofsiss with the offer of the part of John Merrick, the leading role in the touring version of The Elephant Man.

Scary Monsters sessions Bowie returns to New York to start work on Scary Monsters album at New York's Power Station. After two and a half weeks only It's No Game No.2 was entirely complete. The rest of the tracks were left as instrumental and shelved until Bowie had a chance to revisit them with fresh ideas for lyrics. Also recorded during the sessions was Crystal Japan, intended to close the album before the It's No Game No.2 reprise took its place. It was released a single in Japan in March. The album was completed in April in London at Visconti's Good Earth Studios. The LP marked the return to a more conventional style of writing as Tony Visconti had witnessed. 'He actually sat down and wrote the songs for a change, for David, this is good form.' The 20-20 Show, a US news magazine program, film a short special about Bowie and include footage of Scary Monsters recording sessions. The show was broadcast on US TV in 1981. 15 Alabama Song / Space Oddity single released. Space Oddity anticipated Ashes to Ashes, revisiting Major Tom in a stark new arrangement. Both songs recorded at Visconti's Good Earth Studios, London.

(Alabama Song July 1978, Space Oddity September 1979). The initial release of the single by RCA came with a foldout colour poster . Alabama Song written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill for The Threepenny Opera. Both tracks reissued on Ryko Scary Monsters. 16 Bowie tells fans at Hurrah nightclub in New York about the new album and that he had just sold his ticket for the Winter Olympics. He wasn't able to go because of recording commitments. MARCH APRIL Having completed the main part of the recording for Scary Monsters, Bowie went to Japan to make two television commercials for Crystal Jun Rock, a Saki drink exclusive to Japan marketed by the Takar Shuzo Co. Ltd. Filming, which lasted for two weeks, was centred in a temple in Kyoto. The only lines Bowie uttered during the commercial were, 'Crystal Jun Rock in Japan'. He made only one short interview just before he left: Q. Why did you agree to do the commercial? DB: There are three reasons. The first one being that no one has ever asked me to do it before. And the money is a very useful thing [spoken in Japanese].

And the third, I think it's very effective that my music is on television twenty times a day. I think my music isn't for radio. Q. So did you write the music for the commercial? DB: Yes, this is the important point and the reason I agreed to do the commercial. It's a very slow one. I didn't use bass or drums so it's very different from anything I have done before. It will be included in my next album. I don't drink while I work so I didn't drink while I wrote this one, of course. Crystal Japan / Alabama Song single released in Japan, the A-side taken from Bowie's television advert. Produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti (RCA). Crystal Japan reissued on Ryko release of Scary Monsters and All Saints - Collected Instrumentals 1977-1999. 27 Iggy Pop appears at the Metropol, Nollendorf, Berlin. During the set Iggy dedicated China Girl to Bowie who was in the audience saying, 'Hi Dave, wherever you are.' Bowie later joined Iggy on stage for a couple of numbers on keyboards and then watched the rest of the show from the side of the stage.

After the performance, Bowie joined Iggy at the Exile restaurant in Kreuzberg, a favourite place of theirs since 1977. Eventually, the large party of diners broke up and Bowie and Iggy played billiards.

MAY Lyrics for "Ashes To Ashes" by David Bowie Do you remember a guy that's been In such an early song I've heard a rumor from Ground Control Oh no, don't say it's true They got a message from the Action Man "I'm happy, hope you're happy too I've loved all I've needed to love Sordid details following" The shrieking of nothing is killing Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain't got no money and I ain't got no hair But I'm hoping to kick but the planet it's glowing Ashes to ashes, funk to funky We know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high Hitting an all-time low Time and again I tell myself I'll stay clean tonight But the little green wheels are following me Oh no, not again I'm stuck with a valuable friend "I'm happy, hope you're happy too" One flash of light but no smoking pistol I never done good things I never done bad things I never did anything out of the blue, woh-o-oh Want an axe to break the ice Wanna come down right now Ashes to ashes, funk to funky We know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high

 Hitting an all-time low My mother said to get things done You'd better not mess with Major TomWriter/s: PAT METHENY, LYLE MAYS, DAVID BOWIE Publisher: EMI Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind Song-Off: Major Tom Song-Off: Major Tom Peter Schilling – “Major Tom (Coming Home)” DwDunphy: It almost seems unfair that Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom” should go up against David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” “Major Tom” is a pleasant enough piece of ’80s fiddle-dee-dee, but come on! Let’s review the facts here. First, Bowie’s song is about an astronaut as metaphor for a smack junkie. Schilling’s song is about an astronaut. Sure, it’s an astronaut lost in space, but so what? All kinds of crap gets lost out there. Second, Bowie is starting to get his freak on as this song arrived just before the Ziggy Stardust juggernaut. Schilling’s delivery makes Kraftwerk sound like Disco Tex and the Sexolettes. Third, Schilling’s keys sound like a Casio on sale at Wal-Mart. “Space Oddity’s” mellotron part? Rick goddamn Wakeman. Zack: Sheesh, you aren’t going to make this easy, are you? Obviously there would be no Schilling song without Bowie’s original concept (or would there?

The story of Major Tom bears a surprising similarity to the plot of the Asimov short story “Does a Bee Care?” ), and “Major Tom (Coming Home)” only reached #14 on the American singles chart. That’s way worse than “Space Oddity,” right? Actually, no, it’s not. Even after Bowie’s record label attempted to buoy “Space Oddity’s” popularity by releasing it to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the original release, failed to chart in the U.S. Yeah, but who cares about the U.S.? How much did the hometown fans in the U.K. like it? The original version only reached #5 in the U.K. It wasn’t until 1975, six years later, that a third release of Bowie’s song managed to reach the top of his home market, something that Schilling accomplished in about six minutes when he released “Major Tom” in 1980 in his native Germany. DwDunphy: Hmm. That’s another thing I’m not too fond of when it comes to “Major Tom” – those English lyrics.

Look, it’s not like I’m expecting some scholar to take time off from translating the most recent Umberto Eco book to do a dust-off for a pop song, but these tunes just barely get by on that broken-English charm. The same goes for “Rock Me, Amadeus” and “99 Luftballoons.” And as for the song as it stands, you poll at least twenty strangers on the street. At least seven of them will tell you to piss off and two will think you’re hitting on them. The remaining nine, when asked about “Major Tom” will go to Bowie and not Schilling. Hits, schmitz. The guy has a legend on his side. Zack: Here’s the thing – Space Oddity is boring. A countdown ought to build excitement, but Bowie somehow manages to make it duller than listening to John McCain read a bunch of baseball box scores.

For each number that drags by at about 2/3 the speed that it ought to, I feel like grabbing his highness the Goblin King, shaking him until the glitter falls out of his hair, and screaming “GET ON WITH IT ALREADY, YOU MINCING SISSY!” By contrast, Schilling’s song is crisp and optimistic, and makes a space launch feel the way it ought to – exciting. Schilling’s translated lyrics are just fine – and I can’t believe you’d have the gall to suggest that “Major Tom” and “99 Luftballoons” have anything in common with that godawful Falco abomination. I think when you throw a song that uses words like “stratosphere” and “stabilizers” (in situations where they actually make sense) into the ring with Space Oddity, which contains such lyrical bombs as “planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do…” it can hold its own with little difficulty. DwDunphy: That’s because the junk in Bowie’s system is causing decreased bloodflow. Planet Earth is clearly a blue balls inference. Okay, maybe not clearly. Okay, maybe I pulled all that out of my ass, but still!

“Space Oddity” is pretty. “Major Tom” sounds like anything else that came out at the time, stabilizers included. Zack: Sometimes it’s just fine for a song to be about what it sounds like its about – in the case of “Major Tom,” an intriguing story about a creature who manages to escape from Earth’s gravity well. Is “Space Oddity” about drugs? Is the astronaut a metaphor for Bowie himself? The followup “Ashes to Ashes” certainly suggests this, and once again we’re led down the tired path of drug tales. Woo hoo. At least Schilling has the guts to share an original story. —

Question: In which David Bowie song which charted in 1980 does Major Tom become a junkie
Answer: Ashes to Ashes