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'm Afraid of Americans & Tren
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Johnny's in America
Low techs at the wheel
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
Johnny's in America
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny wants a brain
Johnny wants to suck on a Coke
Johnny wants a woman
Johnny wants to think of a joke
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
I'm afraid of Americans
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America
Johnny looks up at the stars
Johnny combs his hair
And Johnny wants pussy in cars
Johnny's in America, uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America, uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
I'm afraid of Americans
God is an American
God is an American
[Chorus:Repeat x2]CHORUS (x2)
Yeah, I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the words
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
Johnny's an American
Johnny's an American
Johnny's an American, uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
The song "I'm Afraid of Americans" is a collaboration between David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. The song is both a commentary on American consumerism and a critique of America's role in the global political landscape. The lyrics depict an image of Johnny, a representation of the average American, driving a low-tech car and recklessly pursuing pleasure, without any regard for the world around him. Bowie's fear of Americans stems from his belief that they are a powerful, destructive force in the world that uses their strength to fulfill their own selfish desires without concern for the consequences.
Reznor's heavy electronic beats and Bowie's distinctive vocals create a gritty, paranoid mood that adds to the song's sense of unease. The song's chorus, with Bowie repeating "I'm afraid of Americans," speaks to the feelings of many people around the world who are fearful of American power and influence.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny's in America
America is filled with people like Johnny, who are consumed by consumer culture, superficiality, and distraction.
Low techs at the wheel
Society is being controlled and led by incompetent and unskilled individuals.
Nobody needs anyone, they don't even just pretend
People are isolated and self-centered, lacking genuine connections with others, and unwilling to pretend otherwise.
Johnny wants a brain, Johnny wants to suck on a Coke, Johnny wants a woman, Johnny wants to think of a joke
Johnny is driven by shallow desires driven by consumer culture, ultimately lacking true substance, intellect, and purpose.
Johnny looks up at the stars, Johnny combs his hair, and Johnny wants pussy in cars
Johnny's pursuits are ultimately meaningless and involve superficial things like vanity and lust, rather than seeking something meaningful and valuable.
God is an American
The illusion of American exceptionalism and superiority pervades society, even extending to ideas of deity and cosmic power.
I'm afraid of Americans, I'm afraid of the world, I'm afraid I can't help it, I'm afraid I can't
The singer is expressing a sense of fear and dread at the state of America and the world, recognizing their own limited ability to change it.
Johnny's an American
Johnny represents the prevailing culture in America; shallow, consumerist, and lacking in substance or depth.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BOWIE, DAVID / ENO, BRIAN PETER GEORGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ericlindsey3069
I became a Bowie fan during the Young American's album.
I was a Beatles/Lennon fan at the time. I was still a kid.
Lennon did a song called FAME with Bowie. I bought the album.
Liked it. Bought Station To Station, enjoyed it a lot.
During the period I was in a records store and heard the tail end of an exotic sounding song. ...Eno. bought the ENO LP.
Little did I know they'd soon make some albums in Berlin. Low and Heroes.
Lodger lost me.
Let's Dance was fun mass popular pop-rock. But...uneven.
Bowie was an eclectic genius for sure... Sadly his oeuvre was just so uneven.
He talks about why in some of the quotes in "David Bowie: A Life."
I once posted that David Bowie had a poor quality control record in his recording career on a noted music forum. Got threatened by one of the moderators there, lol.
Can't have any critical discourse there, I suppose. How literally, lame. Especially when the man himself is on record talking a lot about the periods he lost himself and was trying to make records he thought people would like.
He's had that conscious goal with the Let's Dance album...and gone from averaging 2-3 million in sales per album, to selling 6-7m copies of Let's Dance...
He just learned that he couldn't be commercial on demand...such as when record companies demanded he get a new record out.
He said that that used to be the only way he got pain, that there wasn't money in touring yet for him...so he recorded a lot in the 70s.
I long missed and longed for the Bowie of more quality songs like Station to Station, Young American's, Low, Heroes, LEt's Dance...but to be honest he usually only had about 3 good songs per album...and had entire albums where nothing much was interesting.
27 studio albums.
In the end, the end, in the end...he gave us one last great album.
Thank you, David.
I enjoyed him more as a pop singer, a pop artist than anything else.
If the music wasn't strong, then the design and costume didn't mean anything to me.
I am glad he helped pave the way for acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Even though he later said claiming he was "gay" was the biggest mistake he ever made. He should have just left the mystery open and allowed people to believe what they wanted to believe...
One thing for certain...whenever Bowie had a new album etc. drop...you just knew you had to check it out and see if he'd done something fresh, groundbreaking, amazing.
This song is...of course...Amazing.
It's the feeling of the sadness we'd all find when we learned that David had died.
Lastly, I want to say, having just read her book, I believe Angela Bowie had a huge influence on his early evolution and career. He was pretty shy off stage, and she was a total social and art world catalyst.
It's a pity he was never able to circle back and be the great guy he became to her...throwing a little appreciation and credit her way...
There's just too many connections in her book to deny she was a prime catalyst in his life and evolution for ten years.
He even admitted in one interview that he had read her book. He did not deny anything.
Quite a dichotomy in him...known for being friends forever with people, a real gentleman, and also being done with people and dropping them like a hot rock. Not because they'd done anything wrong - just because he seems to have gotten from them all he wanted and he found them no longer interesting...kind of cold.
I guess we're all flawed.
@jacksutherland1
It made me cry back then. It still makes me cry today. An underrated masterpiece that reminds us of our own mortality. And the mortality of all the ones we love and all we hold dear! <3
@ahlamahlam8513
One Allah
@rickacton7540
you meant overrated
@vornamenachname9905
It's my favorite Bowie track! <3
@fit4life939
Exactly.very moving
@LeonardoSilva-ih9ld
I consider The Next Day the best album of the last decade. And at the same time songs like these helped me through one of the worst times in my life. It´s a mixed emotions thing for me.
@wildbill5670
I'm in my late 60's and have been listening to David Bowie for nearly 50 years. I truly loved him and he made a huge impact on my life. I will always miss him.
@davidkeith9015
Bill everyday I miss him
@wildbill5670
@David Keith Back again David. Reminiscing as always. Hope all is well in your life. I'll be 70 next month. If I died tomorrow, I would feel like I had a short life and David died the age I am now. God Bless and take care.
@Marie579
Same here, a lovely tribute.