Ricochet

There weren't many comments on this song so I was left alone to figure out an interpretation that suited me.

I think this song is about people who sacrifice tomorrow for today and ultimately waste their lives. People who toil away their lives in thankless mind-numbing jobs just trying to get by. People who recklessly chase impossible dreams. People who drift through life waiting for opportunities to present themselves. People who get addicted to drugs, alcohol, or destructive behaviors. People who stay in abusive relationships. People who make deals with the devil because today's fears outweigh tomorrow's salvation. Every day they work a little, and suffer a little, and hope a little, but nothing every really changes. They eventually find themselves old and worn out and the dreams they once had of a joyful life have evaporated. They reach the end of their lives exhausted, depressed, and full of regret. The worst part is that even if they could do it all over again, they know they would make the exact same choices because even after all this time, they still don't know better. They know this unfulfilling lifestyle is a problem, but they have no solution to speak of.

The last paragraph gets me the most. - An exhausted father comes home to his children after a long day at work. He smiles, hugs them, and is reminded of why he's willing to make such sacrifices. This man doesn't get to see his children often and he promises that he'll make it up to them. Someday he'll find the time to watch a movie with them. Someday soon he'll find the time to play a game with them. One day he'll take them to Disney World. Only someday never comes; and his children grow up at a distance and eventually follow in his footsteps.

I thought this song on Let's Dance was real exciting. It's not the most popular song on there, even though it was the name of Bowie's 1983 Serious Moonlight documentary, about all the places he went and things he saw on his tour. My favorite lyric is 'These are the prisons, these are the crimes.' To me, that is saying, 'You did your best. Sorry. That's the way life works. That's the way it goes.'

I do like it. My 3rd favortite song on Let's Dance, after Without You and China Girl.

This song always makes me think of Loki and the mythology of Ragnarok.

This song is a proclamation of superiority of an independent responsible individual judgement over external dogmatics. "Turn the holy pictures so they face the wall" says it all. The dogmatics here does not have to be religious - could as well be social, cultural, scientific, etc.

I really like this song; it seems very different and almost off-beat. Bowie said he felt the syncopation in this song was pretty bad in hindsight, but oddly enough I think that's why I like song. The spoken "Ricochet-- it's not the end of the world!" doesn't really fit very well but it's there anyway and I love how unique it is.

This song is about the way the world works. As it says ‘Its NOT the end if the world. ‘ pPragmatic hard work and. industry that throught its daily practical hell unravels peoples lifes and Dreams. And how you must crush your ideals to do so (Turn the holy picture) Ricochet. Its like the antithesis to the title track of the album. The dark underside to the romance of Lets Dance . Its an important track.