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)
Scream Like A Baby
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I wouldn't go to war
And I mixed with other colors
But the nurse doesn't care
And I hide under blankets
Or did I run away?
I really can't remember
Last time I saw the light of day
But I remember Sam 'cause he was like me
Scream like a baby
Sam was a gun
And I never knew his last name
And we never had no fun
Well, they came down hard on the faggots
And they came down hard on the street
They came down harder on Sam
And they all knew he was beat
He was thrown into the wagon
Blindfolded, chains, and they stomped on us
And took away our clothes and things
And pumped us full of strange drugs
And oh, I saw Sam falling
Spitting in their eyes
But now I lay me down to sleep
And now I close my eyes
Now I'm learning to be a part of socie-soc-soci-tsociety
Scream like a baby
Sam was a gun
And I never knew his last name
And we never had no fun
No athletic program, no discipline, no book
He just sat in the backseat swearing he'd seek revenge
But he jumped into the furnace singing old songs we loved
Scream like a baby
Sam was a gun
And I never knew his last name
And we never had no fun
Scream like a baby
Sam was a gun
And I never knew his last name
And we never had no fun
The lyrics to David Bowie's "Scream Like A Baby" are bleak and somewhat cryptic, but they convey a powerful message about the harsh realities of oppression and police brutality. The singer of the song appears to be someone who has been stripped of their identity and freedom - they talk about hiding under blankets or running away, and then being taken into police custody and subjected to various abuses. The repeated refrain of "Scream like a baby" seems to be an invitation or command for the singer (and perhaps the listener) to give voice to their pain and anger, even in the face of overwhelming oppression.
One of the most poignant moments in the song is when the singer recalls a fellow prisoner named Sam, who was like them in some way (it's never specified whether they were both queer or both people of color, for example). Sam is described as a gun, which could mean any number of things - perhaps he was a symbol of resistance, a source of protection, or simply a kindred spirit. Regardless, the fact that the singer never knew Sam's last name and that they "never had no fun" together speaks to the profound isolation and disconnection that can come with living in a hostile society.
The final lines of the song are a bit enigmatic - the singer seems to be describing their own transformation from a victim into a member of society, but it's unclear whether this is a positive or negative change. The stuttered repetition of "society" gives the impression that the word itself is difficult to say or swallow, and the phrase "learning to be a part of" suggests that the process is ongoing and uncertain. Ultimately, "Scream Like A Baby" is a haunting reflection on the ways in which violence and oppression can strip us of our humanity and our sense of belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I wouldn't buy no merchandise
I didn't want to be part of the consumerist culture
And I wouldn't go to war
I didn't want to participate in war or violence
And I mixed with other colors
I didn't see color or race as a barrier to interacting with others
But the nurse doesn't care
The authority figures in my life didn't care about my struggles
And I hide under blankets, Or did I run away?
I'm not sure if I was hiding from my problems or actively trying to escape them
I really can't remember, Last time I saw the light of day
I've been trapped in my own emotions for so long that I can't remember what it feels like to be free
But I remember Sam 'cause he was like me
Sam was someone I related to and identified with
Scream like a baby, Sam was a gun
We were both helpless and at the mercy of a violent system
And I never knew his last name, And we never had no fun
We never got to know each other beyond our shared experience of oppression and violence
Well, they came down hard on the faggots, And they came down hard on the street
The authorities were cruel and violent towards marginalized groups
They came down harder on Sam, And they all knew he was beat
Sam was targeted and abused because he was vulnerable and unable to defend himself
He was thrown into the wagon, Blindfolded, chains, and they stomped on us, And took away our clothes and things, And pumped us full of strange drugs
We were treated like animals and stripped of our dignity and humanity
And oh, I saw Sam falling, Spitting in their eyes
Sam fought back against his oppressors and refused to be silenced
But now I lay me down to sleep, And now I close my eyes, Now I'm learning to be a part of socie-soc-soci-tsociety
I've been broken by the system and forced into submission
No athletic program, no discipline, no book, He just sat in the backseat swearing he'd seek revenge, But he jumped into the furnace singing old songs we loved
Sam didn't have the same opportunities as others, and felt powerless except for his desire for revenge. In the end, he chose to go out on his own terms, with dignity and defiance.
Scream like a baby, Sam was a gun, And I never knew his last name, And we never had no fun
The violence and injustice we faced prevented us from truly living life and enjoying ourselves
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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