Sweet Thing

I very much agree with your posts. Mr. bOWIE was simply in a genius moment when he created the Diamond Dogs album. It's almost as if, in response to the disallowing of his Orwellian adaptation, he took it upon himself, in the paranoid and barren state that he was in, to compose an epic work that makes it's own mark in the expression of our most dark and apocolyptic thoughts. Bowie is again singing from the perspective of a young male hustler being preyed upon by the seedy city and at the same time using his sexual prowess (and in the process selling his soul) to help himself feel better about his lot in life. The overall suite of Sweet Thing and Candidate seems to be about how far people will go when they are at their darkest hour, approaching animalism in a tortured city landscape.

Sounds kind of like meeting with a prostitute and then falling in love with her...

"It's safe in the city to love in a doorway" would describe their intial meeting. They're making love in the doorway of some old building, feeling safe because no one is around. The line "And isn't it me putting pain in a stranger" is very evocative- finding comfort and release through the act of sex with a stranger. I also love "Like a portrait in flesh that trails on a leash," as if through sharing his emotions, "putting pain" into her, he has turned her into a living work of art (as art is born from the artist's emotions). "Trails on a leash" could mean that she is expected to be obediant to him.

My favorite delivery in this song is "Will you see that I'm scared and I'm lonely?" Amazing. The character is giving his reason for sleeping with the girl- he just doesn't want to be alone. "So I break up the room and yawn and run to the center of things" sounds vague, but makes me think of someone desperately trying to get rid of boredom and rushing out to find action somewhere- maybe another reason for visiting the prostitute, but it seems to relate to a different aspect of the character's life... The chorus is most likely what the women are telling the men to entice them. "Boys, it's a sweet thing... if you want it, get it here..." and I think "hope is a cheap thing" means that it's not hard for the women to make their customers feel hopeful, or it could be that no one is hopeful anyway so why not throw your life away with meaningless sexual encounters?

After that, the narrator seems to be talking to a lover, maybe having fallen in love with the prostitute after seeing her more than once. I thought the line "I'm glad that you're older than me, makes me feel important and free" was ironic, but I realize that a younger person can feel important because the older person is in charge of taking care of him. He must have said this to the woman he's meeting with, because she reacts- "Does that make you smile? Isn't that me?" The most romantic line in the song follows- "I'm in your way and I'll steal every moment." He is really in deep with her, wanting to spend every moment in time with her. "If this trade is a curse, then I'll bless you..." refers to the woman's work as a prostitute, and how the narrator loves her anyway. The last line in the song is his mind wandering, as Candidate begins and he abadons his love momentarily for the promises that the candidate makes.

This whole trio on Diamond Dogs is incredible. My favorite part of the album.

I think this song is simply about the hollowness of casual sex. Prostitution definitely plays into that, but I think it's simply meeting someone in a night and running to the closest doorway to release their loneliness. After years of that, especially in the lonely life of a rock star who never gets to be at home with his or her family, constantly on the move, surrounded by strangers, or even just a drifter or bachellor/ette for too long, growing old while seeing their peers falling in love, having new lives and families... It's devastating and crippling of the soul and mentality of the person who's never had a closer, more intimate connection. A very sad song, a very sad, bittersweet album.

So basically I think all 3 songs in the suite are loosely connected in terms of telling a basic story, just with a crap load of imagery. I don't think they're quite as political as people think. They're ultimately a cautionary tale of human interaction in the presumable post-apocalyptic world.

In "Sweet Thing", a lonely man has a sexual encounter with a prostitute, and begins to love her. He fantasizes many things as a result of this love, like her seeing his love as a sweet, pure thing, starkly contrasting the apocalyptic environment they live in.

In "Candidate", the two lovers, or candidates, spend time together, and eventually vow to live their lives to the fullest (drugs, concerts, etc.), and ultimately commit suicide as an act of rebellion against the government.

In "Sweet Thing (Reprise)", drugs like cocaine have twisted the minds of the two candidates rather than helped them. They now apply the term "sweet thing" to the drugs they take, and their new lifestyle, rather than their initial love for each other. The crazy guitar thing at the end likely represents the crazy effects of the drugs on both of them.

Wonderful suite by Bowie. About on the level of Cygnet Committee in terms of epicness.

I love this song. I love the chorus, especially the last line, and the imagery of the first verse. It goes with the whole post apocolyptic image of "Diamond Dogs." I honestly think it's one of his more successful songs, in terms of pacing and style.

Er, as to what it means, I have no idea. Something grungy and weird and feral in a city somewhere. But I love it!

Mostly because it's absolutely AMAZING live.

I just re-visited Diamond Dogs on a cassette in the car on a ride where I got to hear it end to end. When I first listened to it Sweet Thing was just a bridge from Diamond Dogs to Rebel...but now that is - together with Candidate and the Sweet Thing Reprise - the best part of the album to me. LM said something about the pacing and style, and I could not agree more.

I tried to imagine creating/executing a song like it and it just would never occur to me. The sax is his best I think. Very soulful, emotive song. And the end of Sweet Thing Reprise is a wonderful chaotic noisy intro to Rebel Rebel. It fucking rocks!

I LOVE THIS SONG.

The organ stutter is my favorite part.

I'm listening right now and to interpret Bowie into words doesn't really work you have to experience it yourself by pouring it into a bath and soak in it. It's a bit like trying to explain and orgasm. You have to allow yourself to become a part of the experience. He paints such a beautiful picture well if a streetscape of an apocalyptic city is beautiful, yet you are there on this street with a bar at the end...

You cannot listen to Sweet thing by itself as it flows into the candidate then "...jump in a river holding hands..." and then back to Sweet Thing reprise. There are other tracks that are worthy of praise "We Are The Dead", "Rock And Roll with me", "1984" and "Big Brother". One of his best.

I always got the impression that this was about picking up a hooker. But I've been wrong before.

I thought it was about a hooker too. the chorus is the hooker speaking, the verses are the john's thoughts. I like all these songs together.