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)
Telling Lies
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gorgeous girls are bound to meet
To talk of stars and kings and feet
Through the chromosomes of space and time
Me I'm fast like bad infection
Gasping for my resurrection
Swear to me in times of war and stress
Telling lies
Telling lies
Telling lies
Telling lies
Telling lies
(Ooh ah visionary ooh ah visionary)
Telling lies
(Feels like something's gonna happen this year)
(Oh oh oh oh)
Telling lies
(Ooh ah visionary ooh ah visionary)
Telling lies
(Feels like something's gonna happen this year)
(Oh oh oh oh)
Telling lies
Shadow falls in shrinking smiles
See me poised at the happy games
Standing in the mouth of all that's pure
Come straggling in your tattered remnants
You come to me with tears and blame, I'm your future
Ask tomorrow, I am the end
Telling lies
Telling lies
Telling lies
Telling lies
Telling lies
(Ooh ah visionary ooh ah visionary)
Telling lies
(Feels like something's gonna happen this year)
(Oh oh oh oh)
Telling lies
(Ooh ah visionary ooh ah visionary)
Telling lies
(Feels like something's gonna happen this year)
(Oh oh oh oh)
Telling lies
Telling lies
Ooh ah oh
Ooh ah oh
Ooh ah oh
Feels like something's gonna happen this year
(Oh oh oh oh)
Oh ah
(Telling lies)
Feels like something's gonna happen this year
(Oh oh oh oh)
Oh ah
(Telling lies)
Feels like something's gonna happen this year
(Oh oh oh oh)
Oh ah
(Telling lies)
Oh ah
Oh ah
(Telling lies)
Feels like something's gonna happen this year
Oh ah
(Telling lies)
The song “Telling Lies” by David Bowie is about the deceitful nature of human beings. Bowie uses vivid lyrics to express how people share stories filled with lies, and how these untruths spread like an infectious disease. He refers to this as a “bad infection” that he’s “gasping for [his] resurrection” from. Despite the prevalent dishonesty in the world, he urges people to tell him the truth during “times of war and stress.” He warns that although people may come to him to ease their pain, he is still a figure of the future, and he represents the end. The song has an ominous tone, highlighted by the repeated phrase “telling lies.”
Through the lyrics, Bowie implies that people try to mask their flaws and insecurities with lies. The “gorgeous girls” he describes “talk of stars and kings and feet,” suggesting that these women are preoccupied with superficial things to mask their own self-doubt. Bowie also references “shadows falls in shrinking smiles,” suggesting that people try to hide their pain with a facade of happiness. In a world of dishonesty, he reminds listeners that telling the truth can alleviate stress and provide hope for a better tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Telling lies
The song speaks of lies being told
Gorgeous girls are bound to meet
Attractive women are expected to interact
To talk of stars and kings and feet
Their conversation can range from the cosmic to the mundane
Through the chromosomes of space and time
Their conversation transcends the tangible realm
Me I'm fast like bad infection
The singer is quick to spread his ideas like a disease
Gasping for my resurrection
He desires to bring his ideas to life and have them spread like an epidemic
Swear to me in times of war and stress
He wants his listeners to make a commitment to his ideas even during difficult times
Shadow falls in shrinking smiles
The mood becomes darker and more ominous
See me poised at the happy games
The singer is in control, watching from the sidelines at the frivolous distractions of others
Standing in the mouth of all that's pure
He's at the threshold of something untainted
Come straggling in your tattered remnants
People come to him even when they're worn out and have nothing left
You come to me with tears and blame, I'm your future
People look to him for salvation and to take responsibility for their lives
Ask tomorrow, I am the end
He represents the final outcome of decisions made today
Ooh ah visionary ooh ah visionary
A chant-like repetition that emphasizes his prophetic vision
Feels like something's gonna happen this year
There's a sense of impending change
Telling lies
Reiteration of the theme of the song
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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