David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally… Read Full Bio ↴David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

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)

Queen Bitch
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Doo-pah-tum-ka-kum-bah-pah-ta-da-da

Ah yeah

Oh yeah

I'm up on the eleventh floor
And I'm watching the cruisers below

He's down on the street
And he's trying hard to pull sister Flo

Oh, my heart's in the basement
My weekend's at an alltime low
'Cause she's hoping to score
So I can't see her letting him go

Walk out of her heart
Walk out of her mind
Oh, not her

She's so swishy in her satin and tat
In her frock coat and bipperty-bopperty hat
Oh God, I could do better than that
Oh, yeah

She's an old-time ambassador
Of sweet talking, night walking games
Oh and she's known in the darkest clubs
For pushing ahead of the dames
If she says she can do it
Then she can do it, she don't make false claims
But she's a queen and such a queen
Such a laughter is sucked in their brains

Now she's leading him on
And she'll lay him right down
Yes, she's leading him on
And she'll lay him right down
But it could have been me
Yes, it could have been me
Why didn't I say? Why didn't I say?
No, no, no

She's so swishy in her satin and tat
In her frock coat and bipperty-bopperty hat
Oh God, I could do better than that

So I lay down a while
And I gaze at my hotel wall
Oh, the cot is so cold
It don't feel like no bed at all

Yeah, I lay down a while
And look at my hotel wall
And he's down on the street
So I throw both his bags down the hall
And I'm phoning a cab
'Cause my stomach feels small
There's a taste in my mouth
And it's no taste at all
It could have been me
Oh yeah, it could have been me
Why didn't I say? Why didn't I say?
No, no, no

She's so swishy in her satin and tat
In her frock coat and bipperty-bopperty hat
Oh God, I could do better than that
Oh you betcha
Oh yeah

Uh-huh
Mmm

Overall Meaning

In David Bowie's song Queen Bitch, the singer reveals his internal dialogue as he observes a woman named Sister Flo on the street below him while he's in his hotel room. Sister Flo is trying to seduce a man, and the singer expresses a twisted mix of envy and contempt at her abilities to manipulate and charm. The song has a melancholic undertone as he grapples with his own feelings of inadequacy and regrets for not pursuing her himself. The lyrics are full of sarcastic notes, as he describes Sister Flo as "swishy in her satin and tat," "pushing ahead of the dames," and an "old-time ambassador of sweet-talking, night-walking games." The singer observes with a mix of both admiration and despair at the way she operates in the world and recognizes his own inability to do the same.

Overall, the song is about the singer's struggle with envy and desire, mixed with regret and self-loathing. He's aware of Sister Flo's flaws, but also aware of the seductive power she holds over both men and women. At the same time, he is frustrated with himself for not being able to pursue what he wants with the same level of deftness and skill.

Line by Line Meaning

Doo-pah-tum-ka-kum-bah-pah-ta-da-da
Non-lyrical opening of the song

Ah yeah
Expression of agreement, excitement or anticipation

Oh yeah
Expression of agreement, excitement or anticipation

I'm up on the eleventh floor And I'm watching the cruisers below He's down on the street And he's trying hard to pull sister Flo
Narrator is on the 11th floor and sees a man trying to seduce a woman named Sister Flo

Oh, my heart's in the basement My weekend's at an alltime low 'Cause she's hoping to score So I can't see her letting him go
Narrator's spirits are low as Sister Flo is seeking attention from the man on the street

Walk out of her heart Walk out of her mind Oh, not her She's so swishy in her satin and tat In her frock coat and bipperty-bopperty hat Oh God, I could do better than that Oh, yeah
Narrator imagined himself with Sister Flo, but finds her fashion and style lacking

She's an old-time ambassador Of sweet talking, night walking games Oh and she's known in the darkest clubs For pushing ahead of the dames If she says she can do it Then she can do it, she don't make false claims But she's a queen and such a queen Such a laughter is sucked in their brains
Sister Flo is described as an experienced and confident woman who is a trendsetter and can captivate people

Now she's leading him on And she'll lay him right down Yes, she's leading him on And she'll lay him right down But it could have been me Yes, it could have been me Why didn't I say? Why didn't I say? No, no, no
Sister Flo is seducing the man on the street and the artist regrets not making a move earlier

So I lay down a while And I gaze at my hotel wall Oh, the cot is so cold It don't feel like no bed at all
Narrator is feeling lonely and uncomfortable in his hotel room

Yeah, I lay down a while And look at my hotel wall And he's down on the street So I throw both his bags down the hall And I'm phoning a cab 'Cause my stomach feels small There's a taste in my mouth And it's no taste at all It could have been me Oh yeah, it could have been me Why didn't I say? Why didn't I say? No, no, no
Narrator watches as the man takes Sister Flo back to his hotel and regrets not making a move earlier. He throws the man's bags and decides to leave the hotel, feeling sick and disappointed

She's so swishy in her satin and tat In her frock coat and bipperty-bopperty hat Oh God, I could do better than that
Narrator repeats earlier sentiments about Sister Flo's fashion and style

Oh you betcha Oh yeah Uh-huh Mmm
Closing of the song with various expressions of agreement and affirmation

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Bowie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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