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)
The Drowned Girl
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the streams to where the great rivers broaden
Oh, the open sky shone most magnificent
As if it was acting as her body's guardian
Wreck and duck weed slowly increased her weight
By clasping her in their slimy grip
Through her limbs, the cold blooded fishes played
Creatures and plant life kept on, thus obstructing her last trip
And the sky that same evening grew dark as smoke
And its stars through the night kept the brightness still soaring
But it quickly grew clear when dawn now broke
To see that she got one further morning
Once her pallid trunk had rotted beyond repair
It happened quite slowly that she gently slipped from God's thoughts
First with her face, then her hands, right at the last with her hair
Leaving those corpse-choked rivers just one more corpse
The Drowned Girl by David Bowie is a moving and thought-provoking song that tells the tragic tale of a young girl who drowned and was left to slowly sink to the bottom of the river. The opening verse sets the scene for the story, as we learn that the girl's body is slowly drifting downstream towards the open sea. The vivid imagery of the open sky shining magnificently above her corpse, as if acting as a guardian to her body, adds a layer of beauty to the sombre mood of the lyrics.
As the song continues, Bowie explores the natural decay and decomposition of the girl's body as it is slowly consumed by the river's creatures and plant life. The wreck and duckweed cling to her body, dragging her lower towards the riverbed, while cold-blooded fishes play among her limbs. The imagery is both haunting and beautiful, as if the natural world is in mourning for the lost life of this young girl.
The final verse of the song brings a sense of closure to the story, as we learn that the girl's body has slowly rotted beyond repair, slipping gently from God's thoughts. The final image of her hair disappearing below the waterline adds a poignant touch to this tragic story, ending with a sense of hopelessness and despair. Bowie's poetic lyrics create a moving tribute to the fragile beauty of life, and the inevitability of death and decay.
Line by Line Meaning
Once she had drowned and started her slow descent
After she drowned, her body began to sink slowly.
Down the streams to where the great rivers broaden
She flowed down narrow streams until reaching the wider rivers.
Oh, the open sky shone most magnificent
The bright sky was beautiful and awe-inspiring.
As if it was acting as her body's guardian
The sky seemed to be watching over her body.
Wreck and duck weed slowly increased her weight
Debris and plants made her body heavier.
By clasping her in their slimy grip
The plants held onto her body tightly.
Through her limbs, the cold blooded fishes played
Fish swam around and through her body.
Creatures and plant life kept on, thus obstructing her last trip
The plants and animals continued to live around and on her body, making it difficult for her to move.
And the sky that same evening grew dark as smoke
Later that day, the sky became dark and smoky.
And its stars through the night kept the brightness still soaring
Despite the darkness, the stars still shone brightly.
But it quickly grew clear when dawn now broke
The next morning, everything became clearer.
To see that she got one further morning
She was given one more day on this Earth.
Once her pallid trunk had rotted beyond repair
After her body had completely decomposed.
It happened quite slowly that she gently slipped from God's thoughts
Over time, she was slowly forgotten.
First with her face, then her hands, right at the last with her hair
Her features were forgotten one by one until there was nothing left in the memory.
Leaving those corpse-choked rivers just one more corpse
Her dead body became another addition to the already dead-filled waters.
Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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
If you like free music and you have google chrome, try this free app .SonicHits .