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)
I'd Rather Be High
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Upon the beach at Gruenwald
Brilliant and naked just
The way that authors looks
Clare and Lady Manners drink
Until the other cows go home
Gossip 'til their lips are bleeding
I'd rather be high (I'd rather be high)
I'd rather be flying (I'd rather be flying)
I'd rather be dead or out of my head
Than training these guns on those men in the sand
I'd rather be high
The Thames was black, the tower dark
I flew to Cairo, find my regiment
City's full of generals
And generals full of shit
I stumble to the graveyard and I
Lay down by my parents, whisper
Just remember duckies
Everybody gets got
I'd rather be high (I'd rather be high)
I'd rather be flying (I'd rather be flying)
I'd rather be dead or out of my head
Than training these guns on those men in the sand
I'd rather be high
I'm seventeen and my looks can prove it
I'm so afraid that I will lose it
I'd rather smoke and phone my ex
Be pleading for some teenage sex, yeah
I'd rather be high (I'd rather be high)
I'd rather be flying (I'd rather be flying)
I'd rather be dead or out of my head
Than training these guns on the men in the sand
I'd rather be high
I'd rather be flying, I'd rather be flying
I'd rather be high
I'd rather be flying
I'd rather be flying
I'd rather be high
I'd rather be flying
The song I'd Rather Be High by David Bowie is a commentary on war and its impact on society. The lyrics use contrasting imagery to highlight the absurdity of war and the ultimate futility of violence. The first verse mentions the famous author Vladimir Nabokov, who is depicted as being natural and unpretentious on the beach at Gruenwald. This is contrasted with the decadent and superficial behavior of Clare and Lady Manners, who drink and gossip until their lips are bleeding. The second verse describes the dark and oppressive nature of war, as the singer flies to Cairo to be with his regiment. He describes the city as full of "generals full of shit," emphasizing the hypocrisy and corruption of the military establishment.
The chorus declares that the singer would "rather be high" or "flying" than engaging in the violence of war. He would rather be dead or out of his head than training guns on other people. The repetition of these lines highlights the singer's desire to escape reality and avoid the horrors of war. The third verse speaks to the vulnerability of youth and the fear of losing one's beauty or status. The singer would rather engage in superficial behaviors like smoking and calling an ex for sex than confront the realities of war.
Overall, the song highlights the senselessness of war and the desire for escape from its violence and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Nabokov is sun-licked now
Nabokov is basking in the bright sunshine now
Upon the beach at Gruenwald
He is on Gruenwald beach
Brilliant and naked just
He's like how authors are - raw and honest
The way that authors looks
This is how authors are often seen - genuine and revealing
Clare and Lady Manners drink
Clare and Lady Manners are drinking together
Until the other cows go home
They drink till everyone else leaves
Gossip 'til their lips are bleeding
They gossip to the point of exhaustion
Politics and all
They talk about everything from politics to everyday things
I'd rather be high (I'd rather be high)
I'd rather be stoned (I'd rather be stoned)
I'd rather be flying (I'd rather be flying)
I'd rather be soaring through the air (I'd rather be soaring through the air)
I'd rather be dead or out of my head
I'd rather be dead, or at least not fully coherent
Than training these guns on those men in the sand
Than being in a warzone and having to train my gun on fellow soldiers
The Thames was black, the tower dark
On my trip to Cairo, the Thames river looked black and the tower appeared dark
I flew to Cairo, find my regiment
I went to Cairo to find my battalion
City's full of generals
The city is full of army generals
And generals full of shit
And most of these generals just talk nonsense
I stumble to the graveyard and I
I stumble towards the cemetery
Lay down by my parents, whisper
I lay near my parents' grave and whispered
Just remember duckies
Remember this, little ones
Everybody gets got
Everyone will die someday
I'm seventeen and my looks can prove it
I'm just seventeen and it shows in my looks
I'm so afraid that I will lose it
I'm scared that I'll lose my looks
I'd rather smoke and phone my ex
I'd rather smoke a joint and call my ex
Be pleading for some teenage sex, yeah
And beg for some teenage sex with them
I'd rather be flying, I'd rather be flying
I'd rather be soaring through the air, I'd rather be soaring through the air
I'd rather be high
I'd rather be stoned
I'd rather be flying
I'd rather be soaring through the air
I'd rather be flying
I'd rather be soaring through the air
I'd rather be high
I'd rather be stoned
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Bowie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Root
The song is from the point of view of a young soldier, who would much rather be high and carefree than at the frontlines of a war. Bowie isn't glorifying drug culture or anything like that, he's talking about the horrors of war and sending young people to their possible deaths, who instead should be relatively carefree and living out life while they are young
Johnrhett Barrett
Layers
Shuffle Them Truffles Babey
I mean I can’t lie, I think Bowie also liked drugs a little 😂
Bean
I agree, it’s terrible that they sent people to kill each other. Even forced them to at one point (the draft). All those people dead or with horrific PTSD and for what reason?
Reaper Glasgow
Glorifying drugs > Glorifying war any day.
Leander X
This needs more views and plays. His later stuff deserves radio time. I called s local radio station and I asked them to play Valentine's Day by Bowie. They said he was too
old. Yet they play the hell out of Madonna and Ozzy. 2 weeks later Bowie died. They should be playing more on the radio of all artists and just the hits. Sometimes the hits get old cause they get gold.
Primepap
Completely agree
bitbeak
this didn't happen lmao
Hatshepsut
This is one of my favorite Bowie songs of all time. What's wrong with the world that this is not a huge hit? I love the harpsichord and the Beatle esque drums and guitar and Bowie and Gail Ann's amazing vocals
SeaBassVamp
I loved all the tracks on The Next Day. RIP Bowie. Meaningful lyrics.