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)
Slow Burn
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the price for our minds
shall squeeze them tight like a fist
And the walls shall have eyes
And the doors shall have ears
But we'll dance in their dark
And they'll play with our lives
Leading us on and on and on
Like a Slow Burn
Turning us round and round and round Hark who are we
So small in times such as these
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Oh, these are the days
These are the strangest of all
These are the nights
These are the darkest to fall
But who knows?
Echoes in tenement halls
Who knows?
Though the years spare them all
Like a Slow Burn
Leading us on and on and on
Like a Slow Burn
Twirling us round and round
and upside down
There's fear overhead
There's fear overground
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Like a Slow Burn
Leading us on and on and on
Like a Slow Burn
Turning us round and round and
'Round And here are we
At the center of it all
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
David Bowie's Slow Burn is a melancholic and eerie song from his 2002 album Heathen. The lyrics depict a place where people live in fear, where walls have eyes, doors have ears, and the price for one's mind is too high. Despite the bleak situation, people in this place still find the courage to dance in the dark and live their lives, but they're always at the mercy of the slow burn, a feeling of being led on and turned round and round like a carousel. It's a metaphor for the never-ending cycles of pain and fear that grip us in moments of chaos and uncertainty.
The song symbolizes a world that's full of fear, and Bowie describes it as the "terrible town." Yet, even in a world like this, there is still something that keeps us going. Bowie sings, "Echoes in tenement halls, who knows? Though the years spare them all," suggesting that the memories of people who have lived in such places before us still linger, even long after they are gone. The fear in the song manifests in different ways, from the walls and doors keeping watch to the fear that hovers overhead and underground. However, despite this, the people living in this world still find the strength to persevere and hope for a brighter future beyond the slow burn.
In summary, Slow Burn is a haunting song that speaks to Bowie's insights into the human psyche. It's a sober reminder of how fear can slowly consume us, but also how we can still find hope in the most terrible of living situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Here shall we live in this terrible town
We are stuck in a terrible place where our minds will be suffocated and the streets have eyes and ears to watch our every move.
Where the price for our minds shall squeeze them tight like a fist
The oppressive environment will suffocate our minds and make it hard to think clearly.
And the walls shall have eyes
The walls can spy on us and invade our privacy.
And the doors shall have ears
Not even the doors are safe from listening in on our conversations.
But we'll dance in their dark
Despite the oppressive environment, we will find ways to thrive and be happy in our own way.
And they'll play with our lives
We are not in control of our own lives and are at the mercy of those in power.
Like a Slow Burn Leading us on and on and on
The oppressive atmosphere is a slow burn that we cannot escape from.
Turning us round and round and round
The oppressive forces keep us trapped in a never-ending cycle of fear and uncertainty.
Hark who are we So small in times such as these
We are powerless in the grand scheme of things and are at the mercy of those in power.
Oh, these are the days These are the strangest of all These are the nights These are the darkest to fall
These are times of great uncertainty and fear, where darkness pervades every aspect of our lives.
But who knows? Echoes in tenement halls Who knows? Though the years spare them all
We are all doomed to suffer in this oppressive atmosphere, but even in the darkest of places, there may be glimmers of hope.
There's fear overhead There's fear overground
Fear is ever-present and inescapable in this oppressive environment.
And here are we At the center of it all
We are trapped in the midst of the oppressive forces and unable to escape its grasp.
Slow Burn Slow Burn Slow Burn
The oppressive atmosphere is a slow burn that will never fully end or go away.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID BOWIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Torson Falcradine
Here shall we live
In this terrible town
Where the price for our eyes
Shall squeeze them tight like a fist
And the walls shall have eyes
And the doors shall have ears
But we'll dance in the dark
And they'll play with our lives
Like a slow burn
Leading us on and on
(On and on, on and on)
Like a slow burn
Turning us round, and round, and round
(Round and round, round and round)
But who are we
So small in times such as these?
Slow burn
Slow burn
These are the days
These are the strangest of all
These are the nights
These are the darkest to fall
But who knows?
Echoes in tenement halls
Who knows?
Though the years snare them all
Like a slow burn
Leading us on, and on, and on
(On and on, on and on)
Like a slow burn
Turning us round, and round, and upside down
(Round and round, round and round)
There's fear overhead
There's fear all around
Slow burn
Slow burn
Like a slow burn
Leading us on, and on, and on
(On and on, on and on)
Like a slow burn
Turning us round, and round, and round
(Round and round, round and round)
And here are we
At the center of it all
Slow burn
Slow burn
Slow burn
JohnnyGerms
re shall we live in this terrible town
Where the price for our minds
shall squeeze them tight like a fist
And the walls shall have eyes
And the doors shall have ears
But we'll dance in their dark
And they'll play with our lives
Like a Slow Burn
Leading us on and on and on
Like a Slow Burn
Turning us round and round and round Hark who are we
So small in times such as these
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Oh, these are the days
These are the strangest of all
These are the nights
These are the darkest to fall
But who knows?
Echoes in tenement halls
Who knows?
Though the years spare them all
Like a Slow Burn
Leading us on and on and on
Like a Slow Burn
Twirling us round and round
and upside down
There's fear overhead
There's fear overground
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Like a Slow Burn
Leading us on and on and on
Like a Slow Burn
Turning us round and round and
'Round And here are we
At the center of it all
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Slow Burn
Torson Falcradine
Here shall we live
In this terrible town
Where the price for our eyes
Shall squeeze them tight like a fist
And the walls shall have eyes
And the doors shall have ears
But we'll dance in the dark
And they'll play with our lives
Like a slow burn
Leading us on and on
(On and on, on and on)
Like a slow burn
Turning us round, and round, and round
(Round and round, round and round)
But who are we
So small in times such as these?
Slow burn
Slow burn
These are the days
These are the strangest of all
These are the nights
These are the darkest to fall
But who knows?
Echoes in tenement halls
Who knows?
Though the years snare them all
Like a slow burn
Leading us on, and on, and on
(On and on, on and on)
Like a slow burn
Turning us round, and round, and upside down
(Round and round, round and round)
There's fear overhead
There's fear all around
Slow burn
Slow burn
Like a slow burn
Leading us on, and on, and on
(On and on, on and on)
Like a slow burn
Turning us round, and round, and round
(Round and round, round and round)
And here are we
At the center of it all
Slow burn
Slow burn
Slow burn
mykten187
Been getting into Bowie for about a year now. Randomly picking songs and never being disappointed. Musical genius. Up there with pinky.
Elizanne
Better late than never, enjoy the master.
Geir Paulsen
Better late than never =)
Lindsey Stephen
It's never too late to appreciate DB. I listen to him every day. Xx Never fails to make me smile, cry or dance around the room like a dafty Xx
Vegan Nando
Incredible how it fits in our current times. Always amazing Bowie!
ALPHA
I’m all typing and retyping the correct title just to find the song and version I was looking for in vain. That’s how elusive he is sometimes😂
Mal Halsey
Heathen is such a wonderful album. This and Slip Away are my favorite tracks.
Suburban Foxes
Can hear echoes of slip away in Black Star, particularly Lazarus' chorus.
YoshiEaterX
I'm in love with this song. It plays in my head. I might be going crazy, or slowly burning.