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)
Maid Of Bond Street
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Powder and paint
Sees the pictures of herself
Every magazine on every shelf
This girl is maid of Bond Street
Hailing cabs, lunches with executives
Gleaming teeth sip aperitifs
This girl is a lonely girl
Takes the train from Paddington to Oxford Circus
Buys the Daily News
But passengers don't smile at her, don't smile at her
This girl is made of loneliness
A broken heart
For the boy that she once knew
Doesn't want to know her any more
And this girl is a lonely girl
Every thing she wants is hers
But she can't make it with the boy she really wants to be with
All the time, to love, all the time
This boy is made of envy
Jealousy
He doesn't have a limousine
Really wants to be a star himself
This girl, her world is made of flashlights and films
Her cares are scraps on the cutting room floor
And maids of Bond Street drive round in chauffered cars
Maids of Bond Street picture clothes, eyes of stars
Maids of Bond Street shouldn't have worldly cares
Maids of Bond Street shouldn't have love affairs
The lyrics to David Bowie's "Maid of Bond Street" tell the story of a young woman who is made up of the glamorous, glossy images she sees in magazines, and who is a maid working on fashionable Bond Street. She spends her days hailing cabs and having lunches with executives, and her nights taking the train from Paddington to Oxford Circus, buying the Daily News, but never receiving a smile from her fellow commuters. The girl is made of loneliness, heartbreak, and a desperate longing for the boy she once knew, who no longer wants to be with her.
Bowie's lyrics paint a vivid picture of a young woman lost in a world of superficiality and materialism. The girl's broken heart is palpable, as she is unable to make a connection with the one she truly loves. The lyrics suggest that the girl is trapped, unable to find satisfaction in her success or in the trappings of her glamorous life. Bowie brilliantly encapsulates the sense of isolation and loneliness that can accompany life in a glittering metropolis, where success and abundance can mask feelings of emptiness and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
This girl is made of lipstick
She presents herself with superficial beauty - the dark red shade of her lipstick making her attractive to her audience.
Powder and paint
She's caked with embellishments of makeup and photo-shop editors to appear perfect always.
Sees the pictures of herself
She's always in demand, whereby her pictures are taken frequently and visible in the most social places.
Every magazine on every shelf
Every top-tier magazine has her collection, and her photo is minted and displayed at the top floors of libraries.
This girl is maid of Bond Street
She's a business middleman who knows how to hail cabs to commute to job interviews with executives around Bond Street.
Hailing cabs, lunches with executives
She's enjoying luxury lunches with executives after getting the job on Bond Street, and she knows how to charismatically hail cabs around Bond Street.
Gleaming teeth sip aperitifs
She's always sought-after, and others see that her teeth are perfect with a radiant smile while she chews on an aperitif.
This girl is a lonely girl
She's unenthused and discouraged with her personal life as she's isolated from her community.
Takes the train from Paddington to Oxford Circus
She takes the train and hopes to switch fate and move to another locale to start over.
Buys the Daily News
She's searching for some silver lining or optimism in the world through the daily news.
But passengers don't smile at her, don't smile at her
People ignore and avert their gaze, lacking friendly greetings or smiles.
This girl is made of loneliness
Despite her achievements in the professional work environment, she's continually lonely with nobody to turn towards.
A broken heart
Her heart is shattered after a previous breakup she had with someone she had connected with.
For the boy that she once knew
It hurts even more because it was with someone from the past who she shared intimate experiences with and formed an intense bond.
Doesn't want to know her any more
The person has moved on and has no intentions of catching up, unlike her.
And this girl is a lonely girl
She's plagued with loneliness even though she seemingly has everything she desires.
Every thing she wants is hers
She's prosperous, with no unfulfilled desires, be it a material or social one.
But she can't make it with the boy she really wants to be with
The one thing she fails to achieve despite all of her accomplishments is that she doesn't have a relationship with the guy she desires and is compatible with.
All the time, to love, all the time
All the time, she's thinking of finding genuine love.
This boy is made of envy
The boy is envious of the girl's success and status in society.
Jealousy
Along with envy, he's insecure with his own progress and success and envies the girl's achievements.
He doesn't have a limousine
He can't afford luxurious vehicles to flaunt his success like the girl.
Really wants to be a star himself
He dreams of achieving meteoric success like the girl to fulfill his desires and gain a bigger status.
This girl, her world is made of flashlights and films
Her world is surrounded by paparazzi with camera flashlights that document her life and a plethora of films reflecting her work and success.
Her cares are scraps on the cutting room floor
Her worries are minor and insignificant to the real problems of the world, similar to how scraps and cuts are almost negligible in a cutting room.
And maids of Bond Street drive round in chauffered cars
Maids of Bond Street are people who don't have to worry about and already enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, and they have chauffeured cars to help them ride around places.
Maids of Bond Street picture clothes, eyes of stars
Maids of Bond Street are involved in haute couture, allowing them to style themselves like stars and be recognized as such.
Maids of Bond Street shouldn't have worldly cares
Maids of Bond Street should follow a philosophy where they have no worries about the world's problems and concerns but enjoy their fortune without qualms.
Maids of Bond Street shouldn't have love affairs
As they don't fret about world concerns, love affairs are just another kind they shouldn't care about but instead embrace what comes their way.
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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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