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Rating: We like to remember him in the embodiment of his most successful persona, in the most brilliant of his many and creative disguises. At the peak of his artistic and commercial success, Mr. David Robert Jones (aka David Bowie) was Ziggy Stardust, literally "Ziggy Stardust," the protagonist of this album dated 1972.
Before outlining the album in its musical essence, a brief premise is necessary. We are at the beginning of the seventies, a period of ferment and 'cultural' and musical revolutions, the White Duke had just come off the great success of the first of his great albums, that 'Hunky Dory' capable of combining a refined avant-garde pop and a melancholic folk with retro tones, with occasionally surreal lyrics, gifting the audience timeless hits like "Life on Mars" and "Changes," the latter almost anticipating the philosophy of the character.
David Bowie decides to challenge the bigotry of the society of the time, to get serious, and finds his alter ego in Ziggy Stardust, an alien who has come to earth with a fanciful name and awkward, sleek movements, made up and pomaded like a drag queen with carrot-colored hair, able to unite in himself the transvestism and sexual ambiguity typical of the era and to represent a perfect union between art and commerce.
It is an alien whose appearance has a beginning and an end (The rise and fall..), a principle and then a rapid downfall, and is impersonated by Bowie, who enjoys parodying the ephemeral myths created by society and the easy throwaway celebrity typical of Western consumerism; in the figure of Ziggy, there is also a gloomy forecast of a dark and devastated future, of an "alien" and robotic man, seemingly disconnected from his peers, which sounds almost like a funeral prophecy that he will partially revisit in his later albums.
The first side of the album begins with Ziggy's rise, immediately the protagonist of an apocalyptic prophecy. "Five years left to cry in": we have only five years to live and there is nothing left but a "term" existence without escape for mankind.
A percussive drum sets the rhythms, the song starts slowly and then gradually swells into a vortex of pathos with Bowie's liberating scream; the second song is the pleasant "Soul Love," in which there is a sweet background of acoustic guitars and an extremely simple and expressive intonation, immediately after the dramatic rhythm of "Moonage Daydream" bursts in and here the character Ziggy is partially unveiled: "I am space invader, I'll be a rock n rollin beach for you" that is to say an ambiguous, irreverent being and "a whore" of rock n' roll, a symbol of the commodification and commercialization of art. The song takes the form of an electric ride, with guitar distortions galore and a rapid sax solo, in the purest glam-rock style.
Introduced by an acoustic guitar riff, "Starman" (which recalls the character of Ziggy) will remain one of the most famous bowiean melodies, and - how can we not mention it? - the splendid refrain is an example of how our man knew how to write beautiful music that was at the same time easy for the public to memorize.
"It ain't easy" is a short space-country interlude, a bit livelier in the multi-voiced refrain, and almost represents an introduction to "Lady Stardust," another absolute melodic gem exalted by the splendid pianistic figures of Mick Ronson (from the band that accompanies Bowie, the Spiders from Mars) and by the intense interpretation of David's voice.
The character Ziggy has by now become a "Star," a track featuring the gritty guitars of the Spiders from Mars and their rhythm section that propels it at supersonic speeds. The same rhythmic pulse is repeated in the punk rock of "Hang on to yourself," while the famous title track is opened by a guitar riff as famous as it is original and will remain identifiable as an evergreen of the White Duke.
That would already be enough for a beautiful and complete album, but here we want to go further: comes the splendid romp of "Suffragette City," a track with hypersaturated guitars and high speed, with little choirs here and there to enhance its ambiguity; the lyrics are indeed a hymn to prostitutes and the song will remain one of the battle horses of the glam era.
Finally comes perhaps the most exciting moment, the saga of Ziggy Stardust closes with a "Rock n' roll suicide": the acoustic guitar marks the slow initial moment, in which the farewell of the alien is celebrated in the most theatrical way possible, with a cigarette in his mouth (Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth) and reaching up to the final crescendo with strings and brass, in which one last moment of closeness with the audience is celebrated by Bowie's in turn theatrical and neurotic singing (Gimme your hands, cause you're wonderful) accompanied by the sounds of the Spiders from Mars; this too will remain one of the "moments" to remember and that will see the shows with Bowie/Ziggy as a protagonist light up considerably. Maximum scores.
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Moonage Daydream (04:40)
I'm an alligator, I'm a mama-papa comin' for you
I'm the space invader, I'll be a rock 'n' rollin' bitch for you
Keep your mouth shut, you're squawking like a pink monkey bird
And I'm bustin' up my brains for the words
Keep your 'lectric eye on me, babe
Put your ray gun to my head
Press your space face close to mine, love
Freak out in a moonage daydream, oh yeah!
Don't fake it baby, lay the real thing on me
The church of man, love
Is such a holy place to be
Make me baby, make me know you really care
Make me jump into the air
Keep your 'lectric eye on me, babe
Put your ray gun to my head
Press your space face close to mine, love
Freak out in a moonage daydream, oh yeah! (repeat 3x)
Freak out, far out, in out
04 Starman (04:10)
Didn't know what time it was,
the lights were low
I leaned back on my radio
Some cat was layin' down
some rock 'n' roll 'lotta soul, he said
Then the loud sound did seem to fade
Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase
That weren't no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
I had to phone someone so I picked on you
Hey, that's far out so you heard him too!
Switch on the TV we may pick him up on channel two
Look out your window I can see his light
If we can sparkle he may land tonight
Don't tell your poppa or he'll get us locked up
in fright
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
05 It Ain't Easy (02:58)
When you climb to the top of the mountain
Look out over the sea
Think about the places perhaps, where a young man could be
Then you jump back down to the rooftops
Look out over the town
Think about all of the strange things circulating round
CHORUS
It ain't easy, it ain't easy
It ain't easy to get to heaven when you're going down
Well all the people have got their problems
That ain't nothing new
With the help of the good Lord
We can all pull on through
We can all pull on through
Get there in the end
Sometimes it'll take you right up and sometimes down again
CHORUS
Satisfaction, satisfaction
Keep me satisfied
I've got the love of a Hoochie Koochie woman
She calling from inside
She's a-calling from inside
Trying to get to you
All the woman really wants you can give her something too
CHORUS (x2)
07 Star (02:47)
Tony went to fight in Belfast
Rudi stayed at home to starve
I could make it all worthwhile as a rock 'n' roll star
Bevan tried to change the nation
Sonny wants to turn the world, welll he can tell you that he tried
CHORUS (x2)
I could make a transformation as a rock 'n' roll star
So inviting - so enticing to play the part
I could play the wild mutation as a rock 'n' roll star
(second time: Get it all, yeah!)
I could do with the money
I'm so wiped out with things as they are
I'd send my photograph to my honey - and I'd c'mon like a regular superstar
I could fall asleep at night as a rock 'n' roll star
I could fall in love all right as a rock 'n' roll star
08 Hang On To Yourself (02:40)
She's a tongue twisting storm, she will come to the show tonight
Praying to the light machine
She wants my honey not my money she's a funky-thigh collector
Layin on 'letric dreams
Chorus:
So come on, come on, we've really got a good thing going
Come on, come on, if you think we're gonna make it
You better hang on to yourself
We can't dance, we don't talk much, just ball and play
But then we move around like tigers on vaseline
The bitter comes out better on a stolen guitar
You're the blessed, we're the spiders from Mars
Repeat Chorus
09 Ziggy Stardust (03:13)
Ziggy played guitar,
jamming good with Weird and Gilly
And the spiders from Mars.
He played it left hand,
But made it too far,
Became the special man,
then we were Ziggy's band.
Ziggy really sang,
screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo
Like some cat from Japan,
he could lick 'em by smiling
He could leave 'em to hang
They came on so loaded man,
well hung and snow white tan.
So where were the spiders
while the fly tried to break our bones
Just the beer light to guide us,
So we bitched about his fans and
should we crush his sweet hands?
Ziggy played for time,
Jiving us that we were voodoo
The kids were just crass,
he was the nazz
With God given ass
He took it all too far
But boy could he play guitar.
Making love with his ego
Ziggy sucked up into his mind
Like a leper messiah
When the kids had killed the man
I had to break up the band.
Ziggy played gui...tar
10 Suffragette City (03:25)
Hey man, oh leave me alone you know
Hey man, oh Henry, get off the phone, I gotta
Hey man, I gotta straighten my face
This mellow thighed chick just put my spine outta place
Hey man, my schoolday's insane
Hey man, my work's down the drain
Hey man, well she's a total blam-blam
She said she had to squeeze it but she... then she...
(CHORUS)
Oh don't lean on me man
Cause you can't afford the ticket
I'm back on Suffragette City
Oh don't lean on me man
Cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Is outta sight...she's all right
Hey man, oh Henry, don't be unkind, go away
Hey man, I can't take you this time, no way
Hey man, droogie don't crash here
There's only room for one and here she comes, here she comes
CHORUS
Oh hit me!
CHORUS x2
A Suffragette City, a Suffragette City
I'm back on Suffragette City, I'm back on Suffragette City
Ooo, Suffragete city, ooo, Suffragette City
Oooh-how, Sufragette City, oooh-how, Sufragette-
Ohhh, Wham! Bam! Thank You, Ma'am!
A Suffragette City, a Suffragette City
Quite all right
A Suffragette City
Too fine
A Suffragette City, ooh, a Sufragette City
Oh, my Sufragette City, oh my Suffragette City
Oh, Suffragette
Suffragette!
11 Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (02:58)
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then your cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Ohhh how how how, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clocks waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow
Don't let the milk float ride your mind
You're so natural - religiously unkind
Oh no love! you're not alone
You're watching yourself but you're too unfair
You got your head all tangled up but if I could only
make you care
Oh no love! you're not alone
No matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone
Just turn on with me and you're not alone
Let's turn on with me and you're not alone (wonderful)
Let's turn on and be not alone (wonderful)
Gimme your hands cause you're wonderful (wonderful)
Gimme your hands cause you're wonderful (wonderful)
Oh gimme your hands.
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