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 Width Of A Circle
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would sit and blame the master first and last
All the roads were straight and narrow
And the prayers were small and yellow
And the rumour spread that I was aging fast
Then I ran across a monster who was sleeping
By a tree
And I looked and frowned and the monster was me
Well, I said hello and I said hello
And I asked, why not, and I replied, I don't know
So we asked a simple black bird, who was happy as can be
And he laughed insane and quipped Kahlil Gibran
And I cried for all the others till the day was nearly through
For I realized that God's a young man too
Ho
Oh I said so long and I waved bye-bye
And I smashed my soul and traded my mind
Got laid by a young bordello
Who was vaguely half asleep
For which my reputation swept back home in drag
And the moral of this magic spell
Negotiates my hide
When God did take my logic for a ride
(Riding along)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
He swallowed his pride and puckered his lips
And showed me the leather belt round his hips
My knees were shaking my cheeks aflame
He said you'll never go down to the Gods again
(Turn around, go back)
He struck the ground a cavern appeared
And I smelt the burning pit of fear
We crashed a thousand yards below
I said do it again, do it again
(Turn around, go back)
His nebulous body swayed above
His tongue swollen with devil's love
The snake and I, a venom high
I said do it again, do it again
(Turn around, go back)
Breathe, breathe, breathe deeply
And I was seething, breathing deeply
Spitting sentry, horned and tailed
Waiting for you, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
The Width Of A Circle by David Bowie is a song about a man's self-discovery journey. In the beginning, the singer is blaming the master (whomever he perceives to be in charge of his life) for everything that is happening to him. He feels like all roads are straight and narrow, and his prayers are going nowhere. He thinks he is aging fast, but then he meets a sleeping monster who he realizes is himself. He then has a conversation with a black bird, who tells him to read Kahlil Gibran, and he spends the rest of the day crying for all the others, realizing that God is young as well.
The song then takes a dark turn and talks about him trading his mind and smashing his soul, getting laid by a young bordello, and his reputation being ruined. He then sees what looks like the devil, and he strikes the ground, creating a cavern that they fall into. The singer asks him to do it again, showing that he is not afraid of this darkness. The song ends with the singer breathing deeply, almost as if he has just come out of a trance.
Line by Line Meaning
In the corner of the morning in the past
Remembering the past, the singer found themselves in a corner.
I would sit and blame the master first and last
In this corner, the singer used to blame their fate.
All the roads were straight and narrow
Life seemed simple and pre-planned.
And the prayers were small and yellow
The artist's prayers held little significance.
And the rumour spread that I was aging fast
The artist had begun to feel old.
Then I ran across a monster who was sleeping / By a tree
The singer realized they had some darkness within themselves.
And I looked and frowned and the monster was me
The singer saw their own reflection and found themselves to be the monster.
Well, I said hello and I said hello / And I asked, why not, and I replied, I don't know
The artist began to converse with their inner monster, wondering why they had not met sooner.
So we asked a simple black bird, who was happy as can be / And he laughed insane and quipped Kahlil Gibran
Next, the artist and their monster asked a simple bird about life, but the answer was cryptic.
And I cried for all the others till the day was nearly through / For I realized that God's a young man too
The artist wept for the world and realized no one truly knows what they're doing in life.
Ho
An expression of excitement or exclamation.
Oh I said so long and I waved bye-bye / And I smashed my soul and traded my mind
The artist said goodbye to their old self, ready for rebirth.
Got laid by a young bordello / Who was vaguely half asleep / For which my reputation swept back home in drag
The singer indulged in pleasure, causing scandal in their community.
And the moral of this magic spell / Negotiates my hide / When God did take my logic for a ride (Riding along)
The singer learned a lesson from this experience, realizing that God takes us on a journey we can't control.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh / Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
A repeating chorus, perhaps representing a shift or climax in the singer's journey.
He swallowed his pride and puckered his lips / And showed me the leather belt round his hips
The artist encountered someone powerful, proud, and potentially dangerous.
My knees were shaking my cheeks aflame / He said you'll never go down to the Gods again (Turn around, go back)
The artist felt a mixture of fear and desire to reach the divine, but was stopped by this figure.
He struck the ground a cavern appeared / And I smelt the burning pit of fear / We crashed a thousand yards below / I said do it again, do it again (Turn around, go back)
The figure struck the ground and the singer was thrown into a dangerous pit, but still had the desire for more.
His nebulous body swayed above / His tongue swollen with devil's love / The snake and I, a venom high / I said do it again, do it again (Turn around, go back)
The singer saw the lust for power and danger in the figure's body, and wanted more of this poison.
Breathe, breathe, breathe deeply / And I was seething, breathing deeply / Spitting sentry, horned and tailed / Waiting for you, oh
Finally, the artist is left with their inner monster, in all its wildness and darkness, waiting for more life and experience.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh / Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
The chorus repeats and fades out, perhaps representing an ending or acceptance of the journey.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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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