Oddly enough, I'm not usually one to say "Oh, this song is about drugs" (especially considering one of my favorite songs is "Puff the Magic Dragon") but for some reason that was the first interpretation I drew out of this song. I'm not sure why... I'm not sure if it's coincidence or if David Bowie meant for that to be one of the interpretations or what. I don't usually listen to David Bowie's stuff other than what he sang and wrote for the Labyrinth soundtrack, so I don't know if he usually writes drug songs or what.
It took me a while to figure out how it actually links to the movie, but I THINK I've figured it out... If you take it literally with the movie itself, for some reason it makes me think that Jareth might have been a kid that was kidnapped and brought into the labyrinth himself, like Toby. He wasn't scared of the labyrinth, though; rather, he WANTED to go there. He didn't like the real world, so he went to the labyrinth instead where he became king. Once he chose to live there, though, he couldn't get out, which is why he wanted to lure Sarah there, so he wouldn't stay lonely. Something like that...
Going with the theme of the movie, it could be talking about preferring to live in fantasy-land rather than the real world. Life can sometimes be easy, but a lot of times it's not. "Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl, 'cuz it hurts like--" Yeah, fantasy-land isn't real, which really sucks. "It's only forever..." I think maybe it's talking about how when you grow up, you can't go back to being a kid again, and you have to deal with grown-up issues whether you like it or not? I'm not sure... Hard to think clearly at 7:20 in the morning. But I think I got the general idea right...
Only thing is, this song seems to be more about staying in fantasy-land. The theme of the movie was that you CAN'T stay in fantasy-land. You DO have to grow up, though you can still have your imagination. But you can't stay a kid forever. In the original script, this was made pretty clear, as there was a scene where Sarah was in the fake version of her room and looking at herself in the mirror, clutching Lancelot (her teddybear). The trash lady had said something along the lines of "You don't want to go out there! It's much safer in here!" As Sarah looks at herself in the mirror, though, she suddenly sees herself as an old woman hugging Lancelot and saying, "You don't want to go out there! It's much safer in here!" So, yeah... we definitely can't stay kids for forever. We DO have to grow up. Though we don't have to lose our imagination--part of what I love about this movie is that it brings up that! Almost every other story with a moral of growing up says we have to give up every part of being a kid, including our imagination... but not this one. Great movie!
@BabyCharmander In reply to your first paragraph. The answer is yes. Bowie wrote lots of songs about drugs, and on drugs. Hell, he didn't even remember recording most of Station to Station. He kicked most of his habits in the early 80's, but I bet there was a lot of bleeding effect in his later work. He was lucky to make it out of the 70's alive and he knew it, I think that's why he was such a happy and upbeat, live and love life to the fullest kind of guy.
@BabyCharmander In reply to your first paragraph. The answer is yes. Bowie wrote lots of songs about drugs, and on drugs. Hell, he didn't even remember recording most of Station to Station. He kicked most of his habits in the early 80's, but I bet there was a lot of bleeding effect in his later work. He was lucky to make it out of the 70's alive and he knew it, I think that's why he was such a happy and upbeat, live and love life to the fullest kind of guy.
Excellent song! One of my favorites.
Oddly enough, I'm not usually one to say "Oh, this song is about drugs" (especially considering one of my favorite songs is "Puff the Magic Dragon") but for some reason that was the first interpretation I drew out of this song. I'm not sure why... I'm not sure if it's coincidence or if David Bowie meant for that to be one of the interpretations or what. I don't usually listen to David Bowie's stuff other than what he sang and wrote for the Labyrinth soundtrack, so I don't know if he usually writes drug songs or what.
It took me a while to figure out how it actually links to the movie, but I THINK I've figured it out... If you take it literally with the movie itself, for some reason it makes me think that Jareth might have been a kid that was kidnapped and brought into the labyrinth himself, like Toby. He wasn't scared of the labyrinth, though; rather, he WANTED to go there. He didn't like the real world, so he went to the labyrinth instead where he became king. Once he chose to live there, though, he couldn't get out, which is why he wanted to lure Sarah there, so he wouldn't stay lonely. Something like that...
Going with the theme of the movie, it could be talking about preferring to live in fantasy-land rather than the real world. Life can sometimes be easy, but a lot of times it's not. "Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl, 'cuz it hurts like--" Yeah, fantasy-land isn't real, which really sucks. "It's only forever..." I think maybe it's talking about how when you grow up, you can't go back to being a kid again, and you have to deal with grown-up issues whether you like it or not? I'm not sure... Hard to think clearly at 7:20 in the morning. But I think I got the general idea right...
Only thing is, this song seems to be more about staying in fantasy-land. The theme of the movie was that you CAN'T stay in fantasy-land. You DO have to grow up, though you can still have your imagination. But you can't stay a kid forever. In the original script, this was made pretty clear, as there was a scene where Sarah was in the fake version of her room and looking at herself in the mirror, clutching Lancelot (her teddybear). The trash lady had said something along the lines of "You don't want to go out there! It's much safer in here!" As Sarah looks at herself in the mirror, though, she suddenly sees herself as an old woman hugging Lancelot and saying, "You don't want to go out there! It's much safer in here!" So, yeah... we definitely can't stay kids for forever. We DO have to grow up. Though we don't have to lose our imagination--part of what I love about this movie is that it brings up that! Almost every other story with a moral of growing up says we have to give up every part of being a kid, including our imagination... but not this one. Great movie!
@BabyCharmander In reply to your first paragraph. The answer is yes. Bowie wrote lots of songs about drugs, and on drugs. Hell, he didn't even remember recording most of Station to Station. He kicked most of his habits in the early 80's, but I bet there was a lot of bleeding effect in his later work. He was lucky to make it out of the 70's alive and he knew it, I think that's why he was such a happy and upbeat, live and love life to the fullest kind of guy.
@BabyCharmander In reply to your first paragraph. The answer is yes. Bowie wrote lots of songs about drugs, and on drugs. Hell, he didn't even remember recording most of Station to Station. He kicked most of his habits in the early 80's, but I bet there was a lot of bleeding effect in his later work. He was lucky to make it out of the 70's alive and he knew it, I think that's why he was such a happy and upbeat, live and love life to the fullest kind of guy.