The Words and Music of David Bowie

Born David Jones in a London suburb in 1947, David Bowie changed his name in the late 60s to avoid confusion with the singer David Jones of The Monkees. This name change, however, would turn out to be a highly prescient act: in incorporating an exceptionally wide variety of styles, Bowie would becom [...]
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Born David Jones in a London suburb in 1947, David Bowie changed his name in the late 60s to avoid confusion with the singer David Jones of The Monkees. This name change, however, would turn out to be a highly prescient act: in incorporating an exceptionally wide variety of styles, Bowie would become the most notorious chameleon of the rock era. Due in large part to his early success in the glam rock subgenre and his claims of homosexuality (dismissed by many writers as a ploy to generate public interest and record sales), Bowie further raised serious issues about sexual orientation in rock music, regardless of whether his claimed homosexuality was genuine or part of his on-stage character. His regular use of theatrical personae also raises interesting issues concerning authenticity and the perception of authenticity in rock music. David Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Although David Bowie has been primarily an album artist, his recordings of "Fame," "Golden Years," "Let's Dance," "China Girl," "Blue Jean," and "Dancing in the Streets," all made it as top 10 singles charts. Of these, all but one was written or co-written by Bowie.Even more notable are the songs he wrote and recorded that have made an impact far in excess of their chart standing. These include "Space Oddity," "Rebel, Rebel," "Changes," "Modern Love," and "Young Americans." From his early 1970s albums like Hunky Dory and The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - in both of which he assumed the character of the fictional, androgynous Ziggy Stardust - to Diamond Dogs, Heroes, Tin Machine, and Black The White Noise, Bowie's albums generated both significant word-of-mouth interest and some of the most contentious critical reactions to any artist of the rock era.