| David Bowie – Life on Mars? Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Yes indeed interesting view points, well thought out and researched and all of a similar thread which in summary I haven’t read anything amongst them to disagree with other than the actual identity of ‘the girl with the mousey hair’ (refer back to the Space Oddity album and the self inflicted heartbreak he went through after his girlfriend broke up with him plus the ‘indignity’ of having to move out of her South Kensington apartment (which geographically was a short tube ride from the BBC studios in White City and an even shorter journey to Soho and the West End and move back to his parents house in Beckenham deepest South London where the nearest train station Clockhouse or better still a 15 walk to Beckenham Junction where trains to London were more frequent but travelling up to the bright lights of Piccadilly for gigs,clubs and party’s that a few years earlier he’d frequent with other ‘London Boys’ was one thing , getting home wasn’t as easy - the last train from London Victoria would’ve departed around 11.30/45pm , there wasn’t any night buses back in those days so it would’ve meant a 90 minute long walk home ,an expensive 45 minute taxi ride or crashing at someone’s pad, oh the bitter inconvenience of it all a far cry from a 12/15 minute taxi to South Kensington but that aside he was deeply in love with her despite his regular philandering that led to her ending the relationship) and although the ‘mousey haired girl’s’ identity has been well documented these last few years the yearning rendering respectful emotional outpouring is evident in what undoubtedly must’ve been so heartbreakingly difficult to write and record, a personal ode of what he once had whilst reflecting on the love he lost - ‘Letter to Hermione’ . A footnote on the ‘Life on Mars’ composition is the song ‘Comme d’habitude’ by Claude François released in France in 1968 to national acclaim and within weeks became a smash hit. Ken Pitt Bowie’s manager secured permission for Bowie to record a version in English not a translation but a version in English. Bowie was struggling recording artist and broke but saw this as a much needed ‘earning’ opportunity’ and with great anticipation and excitement he set about the task and within a week or so he’d penned a touching story of a fun guy seeking a meaningful relationship in which the subject matter in my opinion bears strong similarities to Smokey Robinson’s ‘Tracks of my Tears’ however for whatever reason he didn’t record it but handed in a demo to the publishers for consideration . The tape was merely Bowie singing his lyrics over the original record and to his dismay and annoyance was rejected and that was that or was it ? I cannot help wondering how things might’ have panned out had he recorded his version in a studio backed by studio musicians and orchestration would the publishers have accepted the demo ? It’s my belief that there’s a reasonable possibility they may have simply because it would’ve been far professional backed by studio musicians as opposed to a tape of him singing into a mic with the record playing on a phonogram in the background any right minded publisher in the same situation would regard it as shoddy and amateurish concluding that Bowie wasn’t that bothered although they wouldn’t have known that he was broke at the time and couldn’t afford to pay studio time and musicians. He titled the song ‘Even a fool learns to love’ and had it been accepted it would’ve changed the course of musical history, he might have recorded it again in fuller effect after his lyrics were accepted but it’s more likely he would have sold his rights to the English lyrics to one of the respective managers of British singers who were big at the time such as Tom Jones Matt Munro Englebert Humperdinck and it would’ve charted. The aforementioned is speculation if Bowie’s demo had been accepted but it wasn’t and he trundled on . Several months later Paul Anka heard the song being performed on a French tv show and wrote English lyrics then sent a demo with him singing and piano accompaniment and it was approved by the publishers. Anka then offered to to Frank Sinatra and ‘My Way’ began its journey. The whole saga and outcome was used later as a return volley one might say in the melody of ‘Life On Mars’ which Bowie went on to say was his ‘My Way’ |
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| Roxy Music – A Song for Europe Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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This thread has some thought provoking comments from contributors who in my opinion have over analysed Ferry’s lyrics concluding the song was a lament to ‘the destruction of the Europe he once knew’ , an interesting interpretation but in actuality somewhat misguided. He wrote it as a ‘final closure’ outlet in coming to terms with European glamour model Amanda Lear ‘breaking up’ with him. She was an elite model back in 1973 at arguably her peak and whether there was anyone else involved or whether she wouldn’t commit to a serious long term relationship I do not know but those were halcyon days in the music and fashion industry where the Rock ‘n Roll fashionista’s indulged in the glamour of the endless de riguer drug fuelled party circuit , many crashed and burned, others split completely but some came through it such as a certain David Bowie. I mention him in this thread as it occurred to me whilst writing this that he requested Amanda Lear for the femme fatale role in his ill fated ‘1984 Floor Show Review’ and when viewing the archive footage on You Tube one senses a certain sexual chemistry. However be that as it may returning to ‘Song For Europe’ Ferry refers to the romantic memories of Paris and Venice when they were an item “all those moments lost in wonder that we’ll never find again”. He was hardly going to title the recording “Ode To Amanda” or “Song For Amanda” as Bowie did in 1969 equally heartbroken by his then true love (who called time on their relationship because of his other dalliances) and wrote his lament ‘Letter to Hermione” |
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