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)
Strangers When We Meet
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now seem so thin and frail
Slinky secrets
Hotter than the sun
No peachy frairs
No trendy rechauffe
I'm with you
All my violence raining tears upon the sheets
I'm bewildered, for we're strangers when we meet
Blank screen tv
Preening ourselves in the snow
Forget my name
But I'm over you
Blended sunrise
And it's a dying world
Humming Rheingold
We scavenge up our clothes
All my violence, raging tears upon the sheets
I'm resentful, for we're strangers when we meet
Cold tired fingers
Tapping out your memories
Halfway sadness
Dazzled by the new
Your embrace
It was all that I feared
That whirling room
We trade by vendu
Steely resolve is falling from me
My poor soul, poor bruised passivity
All your regrets ran rough-shod over me
I'm so glad that we're strangers when we meet
I'm so thankful, cause we're strangers when we meet.
I'm in clover, for we're strangers when we meet.
Heel head over, cause we're strangers when we meet.
Strangers when we meet. (x9)
In "Strangers When We Meet," David Bowie poetically captures the complex emotions of a doomed relationship. The opening lines paint a vivid picture of the sheer isolation he feels from seeing his old group of friends now looking frail and thin like strangers. This is contrasted with the slinky secrets and hotter than the sun passion he and his lover once shared. The absence of any peachy frairs or trendy ideas emphasizes his own sense of alienation from the world whilst being with his partner becomes a comforting haven he cannot turn his back upon.
The second verse hints at the passage of time's toll on the relationship with a blank screen TV serving as a metaphor for emptiness and lack of connection, while the memory of his lover's name dissipates, leaving him free from the past. He imagines a blended sunrise as a dying world crumbles around him, and he's scavenging for clothes as they travel an uncertain road. The chorus surfaces again, this time with Bowie summing up his conflicted feelings. He's bewildered by his violent passion, his raging tears dripping "upon the sheets." He's saddened by his resentment as he wallows in self-pity when he thinks about how they have become strangers. This dreary world is his vortex.
In the third verse, Bowie taps out his lover's memories and even acknowledges their halfway sadness as they are both dazzled by the new. There are clues to a love tryst long past gone, replaced by a complicated dance around each other that leads to the predictable unresolved rendezvous. The final lines bring it into focus - his steely resolve is gone. As twisted and emotionally wrought as the relationship is, he still looks back with a sense of longing. And yet, he ultimately concludes, "I'm so glad that we're strangers when we meet." It's a complex and moving tribute to a love that cannot endure and the melancholy beauty of lost opportunities.
Line by Line Meaning
All our friends
Now seem so thin and frail
David Bowie feels disconnected from his old friends and realizes that they have lost their former vibrancy and energy.
Slinky secrets
Hotter than the sun
The secrets that David Bowie shares with the person he is addressing are sensual and exciting. These secrets are so enticing that they are hotter than the sun, implying that they are passionately intense.
No peachy frairs
No trendy rechauffe
David Bowie is making it evident that he does not believe in living his life as per trendy societal norms. He does not see any place for artificial, shallow fashion statements or superficial lifestyle choices.
I'm with you
So I can't go on
David Bowie finds comfort and solace in the person he is addressing. Their presence in his life makes it challenging to keep the facade of disinterest or nonchalance that he has maintained. He cannot move on from them due to the strong connection that they share.
All my violence raining tears upon the sheets
I'm bewildered, for we're strangers when we meet
David Bowie is overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotions that he experiences around the person he is addressing. These emotions often translate into aggressive and energetic outbursts and leave him disoriented. Regardless of the passion they share, he realizes that they are still strangers who haven't known each other for long enough.
Blank screen tv
Preening ourselves in the snow
Forget my name
But I'm over you
David Bowie realizes that the over-stimulation of ever-present technology leads to numbness of real sensations. The white, pure snow could not be more different from the artificiality of a blank screen TV. Despite not receiving the person's full attention, he has found closure after getting over his past association with them. He doesn't want to forget it but moving on from pain is necessary for his soul.
Blended sunrise
And it's a dying world
Humming Rheingold
We scavenge up our clothes
The combination of colours during sunrise is short-lived, and it reminds David Bowie of how temporary life is. They are scavenging their clothes probably after an intimate encounter, and this is metaphorical scavenging of the last remains of happiness from a dying world. Rheingold was Germany's economic support system, and humming it now probably implies a change in economic circumstances.
All my violence, raging tears upon the sheets
I'm resentful, for we're strangers when we meet
David Bowie feels frustration and resentment towards the person he is addressing because of the brief nature of their relationship. He wishes they could know him more intimately despite the moments of passion they shared.
Cold tired fingers
Tapping out your memories
Halfway sadness
Dazzled by the new
David Bowie feels the anguish of remembering someone that he's now distanced from. He experiences a sense of regret and sadness that is not wholly overpowering. His mind is always taunted by this sadness but is also amazed by every new experience he has without them.
Your embrace
It was all that I feared
That whirling room
We trade by vendu
David Bowie was afraid that he would get caught up in the whirlwind of passion if he were to get involved with the person he is addressing. Their connection was more transactional than emotional or physical, and that was worrisome for him, as he possibly saw them more than just this
Steely resolve is falling from me
My poor soul, poor bruised passivity
All your regrets ran rough-shod over me
I'm so glad that we're strangers when we meet
David Bowie's resolve is faltering, and he is conflicted over the association he has had with the person. This relationship has left him vulnerable, traumatized, and emotionally bruised. The person has abandoned him with their regrets, which have impacted his soul, but David is relieved this was merely an all-consuming yet short-lived relationship.
I'm so thankful, cause we're strangers when we meet.
I'm in clover, for we're strangers when we meet.
Heel head over, cause we're strangers when we meet.
Strangers when we meet. (x9)
David Bowie has found peace and satisfaction in the fact that he can still cherish the memories associated with their brief meetings, but he does not have to cope with the complications of a deeper level of bonding. This soothing thought reflects in his lyrics, in which he repeat,s the same phrase several times. It almost suggests that he wants to imprint those words in his mind to come to terms with that fact completely.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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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