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)
Little Bombadier
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little Frankie Mear
Peace left him a loser
The little bombardier
Lines of worry appeared with age
Unskilled hands that knew no trade
Spent his time in the picture house
Frankie drank his money
The little that he made
Told his woes to no man
Friendless, lonely days
Then one day, in the ABC
Four bright eyes gazed longinly
At the ice-cream in the hand of
The little bombardier
Sunshine entered our Frankie's days
Gone his worries, his hopeless maze
His life was fun and his life was full of joy
Two young children had changed his aims
He gave them toffees and played their games
He brought them presents with every coins he made
Then two gentlemen called him
Asked him for his name
Why was he friends with the children
Were they just a game?
Leave them alone or we'll get sore
We've had blokes like you in the station before
The hand of authority said "no more" to
The little bombardier
Packed his bags, his heart in pain
Wiped a tear, caught a train
Not to be seen in the town again
The lyrics of David Bowie's song Little Bombardier tell the story of a young man named Frankie Mear who was drafted to fight in a war, but after it ended, he became a civilian without any useful skills. Struggling to make ends meet, Frankie spent his days in a cinema and his small earnings on alcohol. He had no friends until he met two young children who brought joy into his life. They played games together and Frankie gave them presents from time to time, using whatever money he could spare. However, Frankie's friendship with the children caught the attention of two men who accused him of wrongdoing. Despite his innocence, Frankie was forced to leave the town and never return.
The song's subject highlights the difficulties that many returned soldiers faced when trying to reintegrate into civilian life. Frankie is depicted as a man who is trying to survive but is hindered by a lack of opportunity and skills. He finds solace in escapism and alcohol but ultimately finds purpose in his relationship with the children. The accusation and the subsequent exile show how Frankie's innocent and endearing rapport with kids is misinterpreted and ultimately used against him.
Several interpretations have been posited on this song, but the most common is the social commentary and critique of the post-war British society, focused on the pitiable state of veterans, the difficulties of reintegration, and the scrutiny of sexual practices perceived to be controversial in the Victorian Era.
Line by Line Meaning
War made him a soldier
Frankie Mear became a soldier because of war
Little Frankie Mear
The singer's name is Frankie Mear and he is small in stature
Peace left him a loser
After the war ended, Frankie lost his purpose in life
The little bombardier
Frankie was a young soldier who operated bombs on planes
Lines of worry appeared with age
As Frankie grew older, he became more anxious
Unskilled hands that knew no trade
Frankie lacked the skills to do any other job aside from being a soldier
Spent his time in the picture house
Frankie enjoyed going to the movies
Frankie drank his money
Frankie spent his money on alcohol
The little that he made
Frankie did not earn much money
Told his woes to no man
Frankie kept his problems to himself
Friendless, lonely days
Frankie had no friends and was always alone
Then one day, in the ABC
One day while at the cinema, something happened
Four bright eyes gazed longinly
Two children stared at him hungrily
At the ice-cream in the hand of
The children wanted the ice cream in Frankie's hand
Sunshine entered our Frankie's days
Frankie's life improved significantly
Gone his worries, his hopeless maze
Frankie's problems vanished
His life was fun and his life was full of joy
Frankie started to enjoy life
Two young children had changed his aims
Frankie's priorities shifted to taking care of the children
He gave them toffees and played their games
Frankie spent time with the children and shared his treats
He brought them presents with every coins he made
Frankie used his earnings to buy gifts for the children
Then two gentlemen called him
Two men approached Frankie
Asked him for his name
The men wanted to know his identity
Why was he friends with the children
The men were suspicious of Frankie's relationship with the children
Were they just a game?
The men were questioning Frankie's intentions towards the children
Leave them alone or we'll get sore
The men threatened Frankie to stay away from the children
We've had blokes like you in the station before
The men have seen similar cases in the past
The hand of authority said "no more" to
Frankie was forbidden from interacting with the children
The little bombardier
Frankie was once a soldier who operated bombs on planes
Packed his bags, his heart in pain
Frankie left town with a heavy heart
Wiped a tear, caught a train
Frankie was crying as he boarded a train
Not to be seen in the town again
Frankie left town and did not return
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@noramehzad7008
War made him a soldier
Little Frankie Mear
Peace left him a loser
The little bombardier
Lines of worry appeared with age
Unskilled hands that knew no trade
Spent his time in the picture house
The little bombardier
Frankie drank his money
The little that he made
Told his woes to no man
Friendless, lonely days
Then one day, in the ABC
Four bright eyes gazed longinly
At the ice-cream in the hand of
The little bombardier
Sunshine entered our Frankie's days
Gone his worries, his hopeless maze
His life was fun and his life was full of joy
Two young children had changed his aims
He gave them toffees and played their games
He brought them presents with every coins he made
Then two gentlemen called him
Asked him for his name
Why was he friends with the children
Were they just a game?
Leave them alone or we'll get sore
We've had blokes like you in the station before
The hand of authority said "no more" to
The little bombardier
Packed his bags, his heart in pain
Wiped a tear, caught a train
Not to be seen in the town again
@artemisvega8940
a 19 year old singing like an old man...in 1967...sounding like it's 40 years earlier. Bowie is truly out of time.
@billygillespie8233
Love this Bowie period, each song tells it's own little story.
@gillmcgann179
My hero whose songs got me through teenage years and stay with me still ..
@markkumanninen6524
I got DB's first albums back in the late 70s. Never listened to them since those days. Time to delve into them again. Like it was remarked here already, his voice was already ready here – a fine voice.
@reaganwiles_art
Unaccountable, that the people who first heard this did not recognize the genius of that voice; it is there already fully formed!
@kronsteen9093
I can only assume that at the time (ie the mid to late 60s) the mainstream current vogue was more for psychedelic music - whereas Bowie's early music like this song (as beautifully crafted as his songs were) were essentially pastiches of the music hall tradition - and were not therefore commercially viable at the time.
@estebanposadaduque6415
... also happened to Genesis debut album .... but time has prove them wrong ....
@MrWolfSnack
@@kronsteen9093 He was only 18/19 when this album was done. It was essentially a novelty record and just like high school band class. If it came out 10 years sooner it would have been a perfect fit to that era.
@nadatragh5755
This song literally makes me cry everytime
@johannesdevreeze1367
What a beautiful pathetic song.
So beautifully equipped with a beautiful three-quarter size.
And a nice trombone and a violin.