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)
Future Legend
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy
Thoroughfare,
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building,
High on Poacher's Hill.
And red, mutant, eyes gaze down on Hunger City.
No more big wheels.
And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes,
Coveting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers,
Like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue.
Ripping and rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox, now leg-warmers.
Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald.
Any day now,
The year of the Diamond Dogs.
"This ain't Rock'n'Roll,
This is Genocide."
The lyrics of David Bowie's song "Future Legend" paint a vivid picture of a post-apocalyptic world, where death and decay are the only constants. The opening line "And in the death" sets the scene, as the last few corpses are left to rot on a slimy thoroughfare. The setting is Hunger City, where the shutters of the Temperance Building are lifted in inches on Poacher's Hill. The imagery implies that the city is in a state of decay, and the conditions are far from optimum. The red, mutant eyes mentioned in the lyric line signify an ominous presence that looms over the city.
The next few lyrics describe what life is like in this dystopian city. The description of fleas the size of rats sucking on rats the size of cats, and ten thousand peoploids splitting into small tribes, conjure up images of a city in total anarchy, where people are fighting for survival. The highest of the sterile skyscrapers is being coveted, like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue. The image of rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox as leg-warmers serves to paint a picture of a fashion-obsessed society where people have lost touch with reality. Finally, the lyric line "Any day now, the year of the Diamond Dogs" suggests that change is inevitable, and that the current state of decay is not sustainable.
Line by Line Meaning
And in the death,
As death approaches, the atmosphere looks hopeless and bleak.
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy Thoroughfare,
There are dead bodies on the ground, decomposing in a filthy street.
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building, High on Poacher's Hill.
The blinds of a building, situated on top of a hill, begin to open.
And red, mutant, eyes gaze down on Hunger City.
The eyes of mutants situated in Hunger City look down on the scene.
No more big wheels.
The powerful elite, formerly in control of society, have lost their power.
Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats,
Small and large creatures are now forced to share the same fate and are no longer at the top of the food chain.
And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes, Coveting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers,
The remaining survivors have been divided into small groups, each one fighting over ownership of the tallest, cleanest buildings.
Like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue.
The groups behave like dogs viciously trying to break through the windows of an enticing, but unattainable location.
Ripping and rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox, now leg-warmers.
The valuable, luxurious furs of animals are now being repurposed as leg-warmers for the surviving tribes.
Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald.
A cherished family emblem, signifying bygone luxuries, is still held on to as a symbol of status.
Any day now, The year of the Diamond Dogs.
The survival of these groups will depend upon their ability to adapt and create stone subcultures for themselves in a new era of society.
"This ain't Rock'n'Roll, This is Genocide."
The struggles of the present era are not to be compared with the thrills of past Rock and Roll; rather, they constitute an extermination of an entire way of living.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DrJKintobor
on I Can't Give Everything Away
I can totally imagine this being the end theme of Sabrina Online, when Sabrina marries Richard and they drive off into the sunset...
Peter Bonney
on Diamond Dogs
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