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)

Seven
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I forgot what my father said
I forgot what he said
I forgot what my mother said
As we lay upon your bed

A city full of flowers
A city full of rain
I got seven days to live my life

Or seven ways to die

I forgot what my brother said
I forgot what he said
I don't regret anything at all
I remember how we wept

On a bridge of violent people
I was small enough to cry
I got seven days to live my life
Or seven ways to die

Hold my face before you
Still my trembling heart
Seven days to live my life
Or seven ways to die

The Gods forgot they made me
So I forgot them too
I listen to the shadows
I play among their graves

My heart was never broken
My patience never tried

I got seven days to live my life
Or seven ways to die
Seven days to live my life
Or seven ways to die

Seven
Seven
Seven
Seven
Seven
Seven
Seven

Seven
Seven

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to David Bowie's Seven are somewhat cryptic but are rich in symbolism and metaphors. The song appears to be about mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The title "Seven" could be interpreted as the seven days it took for creation to be completed, underscoring the idea that life is brief.

The first verse appears to be referencing the confusion and despair that often accompany deathbed scenes, with the singer forgetting the words of loved ones. The lines "A city full of flowers, a city full of rain" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the vibrancy of life and the cyclical nature of change.

The second verse is much darker, with a reference to a "bridge of violent people." The singer appears to be facing mortality as a young person, perhaps suggesting illness or tragic circumstances. The lines "Hold my face before you/Still my trembling heart" could be interpreted as a plea for comfort and solace in the face of death.

The final verse is the most enigmatic, with the singer seeming to reject traditional religion in favor of communing with shadows and playing among graves. The line "My heart was never broken/My patience never tried" could be interpreted as a reference to the fact that the singer has accepted his or her own death and is at peace.

Overall, Seven is a powerful meditation on the nature of life and death, seen through the eyes of a protagonist facing the end. Its use of striking metaphors and imagery make it one of Bowie's most lyrically compelling works.

Line by Line Meaning

I forgot what my father said
I don't remember the advice my father gave me

I forgot what he said
I don't remember what he said

I forgot what my mother said
I don't remember the words my mother spoke

As we lay upon your bed
When we were together

A city full of flowers
A place of great beauty

A city full of rain
A place of sadness

I got seven days to live my life
I have a limited time to experience life

Or seven ways to die
Or I can cause my own demise

I forgot what my brother said
I don't remember the words my brother spoke

I don't regret anything at all
I don't have any regrets

I remember how we wept
I remember the pain we felt