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Rating: There is a phrase that I read some time ago about human suffering.
I don't remember who this quote belonged to, but it stuck with me:
Nothing is more dangerous than a man at bay.
Nothing is more true. The human reaction to daily abuses is irrational, inexplicable. You don't know what to expect from yourself when you're cornered, let alone from others. Desperation follows no logic or mechanisms.
The vast yet dangerously important territory I am venturing into is that of David Bowie's discography. Indeed, one of my all-time favorite songs is a gem known within the immortal Space Oddity.
The young Bowie had nothing but his guitar and a decent following of young people interested in his musical development when he met the dancer Hermione Farthingale at the BBC studios, through their mutual friend and choreographer Lindsay Kemp.
The two dated, decided to move to London and form a band. Improvised performances, songwriting, poetry, and mimes: a real circus-style caravan through the English streets of '68.
The breaking point occurs when Farthingale decides to go to Norway to take part in the filming of Song Of Norway.
The break (both emotional and artistic) triggered the genesis of many lyrics in the album, including, of course, this open letter in tribute to the story that had come to an end.
Now, the main reason this piece is rightfully among my all-time favorites is the empathy with which the approach to it comes to life. The songwriter's perspective is a common feeling for all of us who, at least once in our lives, have wished to write nothing but the purity—never trivial—of our thoughts to those we consider worthy of knowing.
The chords that follow outline the impulse and restlessness of someone who doesn't sleep and is there writing and reflecting. Accompanying the verses is a splendid, very imaginative roundup of blue notes.
Blue like David's veins, who in the chameleonic splendor of his style, unashamedly inserts a substantial piece of himself.
Because if truly nothing is more dangerous than a man at bay, Bowie could have expressed pain in two ways: Frustration or Philosophy.
Although he admits to crying in the dark: You cry a little in the dark, so do I
he highlights the desire to try again by asking: But did you ever call my name, just by mistake?
Intentions may not be clear as they are irrational in context, yet the magic concealed by the piece lies precisely in the confusion of the one writing the letter. In the corner, he awaits a reaction from himself.
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