Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.
After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved massive commercial success in the 1980s starting with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).
During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists in history. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie
Studio albums
David Bowie (1967)
David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
"Heroes" (1977)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Let's Dance (1983)
Tonight (1984)
Never Let Me Down (1987)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
Outside (1995)
Earthling (1997)
Hours (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)
Blackstar (2016)
All The Young Dudes / Oh! You Pretty Things
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How he kick it in the head when he was 25
Don't wanna stay alive
When you're 25
Wendy's stealing clothes from unlocked cars
Freddy's got spots from picking
Off stars from his face
The television man is crazy
Saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks
Man, I needed TV when I got T. Rex
Hey, brother you guessed, I'm a dude
All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news
All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news
Now Lucy's looking sweet
Though he dresses like a queen
He can kick like a mule, it's a real mean team
We can love, we can love
And my brother's back at home
With his Beatles and his Stones
We never got it off on that revolution stuff
What a drag, too many snags
Well, I drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine
Gonna race some cat to bed
Is this concrete all around, or is it in my head?
Oh, brother you guessed, I'm a dude
All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news
All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news
All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news
The song "All The Young Dudes / Oh! You Pretty Things" by David Bowie is a commentary on the social and cultural changes taking place in the 1970s. The lyrics paint a picture of a generation that is rebelling against the norms and expectations of society. The opening lines reference a conversation about suicide and the idea that life may not be worth living past the age of 25, indicating a sense of disillusionment and hopelessness among young people. Wendy's theft of clothes from unlocked cars and Freddy's self-destructive behavior suggest a disregard for authority and a desire to break free from constraints.
Line by Line Meaning
Billy rapped all night 'bout his suicide
Billy talked all night about killing himself
How he kick it in the head when he was 25
He talked about kicking his head when he was 25
Don't wanna stay alive
He doesn't want to live anymore
Wendy's stealing clothes from unlocked cars
Wendy is stealing clothes from cars that are not locked
Freddy's got spots from picking
Freddy has spots on his face from picking at them
Off stars from his face
He is picking at the spots on his face
A funky little boat race
It's a weird, strange competition
The television man is crazy
The person on TV is insane
Saying we're juvenile delinquent wrecks
He thinks we are young people who are breaking the law and causing trouble
Man, I needed TV when I got T. Rex
He needed TV when the band T. Rex was on it
Hey, brother you guessed, I'm a dude
Hey brother, you guessed it, I'm a guy
All the young dudes
All the young guys
Carry the news
Spread the word
Boogaloo dudes
Guys who dance to boogaloo music
Now Lucy's looking sweet
Lucy looks nice
Though he dresses like a queen
Even though he wears women's clothing
He can kick like a mule, it's a real mean team
He can fight really well and is part of a tough group
We can love, we can love
We can love each other and it's okay
And my brother's back at home
My brother is at home
With his Beatles and his Stones
He likes listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
We never got it off on that revolution stuff
We didn't really get into the whole revolution thing
What a drag, too many snags
It's a shame, there are too many obstacles
Well, I drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine
I drank a lot of wine and I feel good
Gonna race some cat to bed
I'm going to hurry up and go to sleep
Is this concrete all around, or is it in my head?
Is this concrete real or am I imagining it?
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, TINTORETTO MUSIC
Written by: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Abigael Clark
He was such a beautiful, ethereal creature 💛⚡
USlisa50
This will never get old
Kevalino Picks
Was in Leeds to see his re-arranged show 4 days before this was recorded. 40 years ago and I will NEVER forget it. Easily the best show I have ever seen!!
Mike Colonna
so very sad to learn of this great loss...I don't really have much else to say but how grateful I am to have been exposed to such a musical visionary...and have his music spark my curiosity, as well as inspire me to take risks in my own creative output of art as well as music. Listening to his music over the years, I was always awed by Bowie's ability to give the music critic the "bird", and relentlessly push what he felt was what the listener, the fan and the fellow musician needed to hear...he was RIGHT, even listening to Blackstar...just really amazing! Rest in peace, and thank you...
Tom Hemery
What a genius. We will all miss him
Frederic rico Brown
david bowie a fantastic artist will be highly missed!
Cami Castle
Such a beautiful and talented guy!
whistonjuniors
one of my favorite moments in music
vtm57
RIP David Bowie. Saw him in concert in his different incarnations, all great. We lost a true innovator. Such a shock.
Dulceele
he was a true musical god