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)
Joe the Lion
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Went to the bar
A couple of drinks on the house an' he said
"Tell you who you are if you nail me to my car"
Boy
Thanks for hesitating
This is the kiss off
Thanks for hesitating
You'll never know the real story
Just a couple of dreams
You get up and sleep
You can, by god, it's Monday
Slither down the greasy pipe
So far so good, no one saw you
Hobble over any freeway
You will be like your dreams tonight
You get up and sleep
You get up and sleep
Joe the lion
Made of iron
Joe the lion
Went to the bar
A couple of drinks on the house an' he was
A fortune teller he said
"Nail me to my car and I'll tell you who you are"
Joe the lion, yeah yeah
Went to the bar, yeah yeah
A couple of dreams and he was
A fortune teller
(Nail me to my car tell you who you are) he said
You get up and sleep
The wind blows on your check
The day laughs in your face
Guess you'll buy a gun
You'll buy it secondhand
You'll get up and sleep
Joe the lion made of iron
Joe the lion made of iron
Joe the lion made of iron
Joe the lion made of
In "Joe The Lion," David Bowie tells the story of a charismatic, fearless man who receives a few free drinks in a bar, and challenges someone to nail him to his car and tell him who he is. Joe the Lion may be a charismatic and admirable figure to some, but he is also a bit mysterious and dangerous. Later in the song, Joe tells someone that if they nail him to his car, he will tell them who they are. This passage can be interpreted in different ways: it may suggest that Joe has some sort of special power, or it may be an ironic commentary on the human tendency to seek identity from others. The song's chorus emphasizes the cyclical nature of life--"you get up and sleep"--suggesting that Joe may be trapped in a kind of repetitive, gritty existence.
What makes "Joe The Lion" so powerful is the way in which Bowie uses words and imagery to convey a sense of ambiguity and danger. The repetition of the phrase "you get up and sleep" is a kind of unsettling mantra that emphasizes the sense of repetition and routine that characterizes Joe's life. The final lines of the song--"Joe the lion made of iron"--are almost a kind of refrain, suggesting that Joe is a symbol of strength and resilience even as his life is repetitious and circumscribed.
Line by Line Meaning
Joe the lion
Introducing the character of Joe the lion who is the subject of the song
Went to the bar
Joe the lion goes to a bar in the story
A couple of drinks on the house an' he said
Joe the lion got some free drinks and said something
"Tell you who you are if you nail me to my car"
Joe the lion makes a bold statement, suggesting he knows the real identity of whoever nails him to his car
Boy
Addressing someone as 'boy' or 'man' as a way of getting their attention
Thanks for hesitating
Jokingly thanking someone for not responding immediately to Joe's proposed deal of revealing their true identity
This is the kiss off
A dismissive and snarky way of saying 'goodbye' or 'that's the end of that'
You'll never know the real story
Implying that there is more going on than meets the eye and that the person Joe is speaking to does not have the full picture
Just a couple of dreams
Downplaying the significance of what has just happened as being nothing more than 'a couple of dreams'
You get up and sleep
Emphasizing the cyclic nature of life where one wakes up, goes about their day, and then falls asleep again
You can, by god, it's Monday
Suggesting that the day of the week has a particular significance, perhaps that it is the beginning of the work week
Slither down the greasy pipe
Using a metaphorical image of sliding down 'the greasy pipe', perhaps referring to a descent into a darker place or mental state
So far so good, no one saw you
Feeling relieved that the person has not been caught doing something wrong or suspicious
Hobble over any freeway
Describing a clumsy or uncertain gait, which could be literal or figurative
You will be like your dreams tonight
Conveying a sense of uncertainty and unpredictability by suggesting that the person's dreams may not be pleasant or even coherent
A couple of dreams and he was
Repeating the phrase from earlier to provide symmetry and create a sense of continuity
A fortune teller
Describing what Joe the lion becomes in the context of this particular moment, as he offers to reveal someone's true identity if they nail him to his car
(Nail me to my car tell you who you are) he said
Reiterating the offer that Joe has made and indicating that this is a key part of the song's narrative
The wind blows on your check
Describing a physical sensation of air blowing on one's cheek, which could be pleasant or uncomfortable depending on the temperature and other factors
The day laughs in your face
Using personification to convey a sense of frustration or defeat, as if the world is mocking the person
Guess you'll buy a gun
Suggesting that the person is becoming desperate or is considering drastic action
You'll buy it secondhand
Introducing a specific detail about the gun's purchase that hints at a lack of resources or desperation
Joe the lion made of iron
Repeating the refrain of the song and underscoring the strength and resilience of the character
Lyrics © 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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