Starman (song)

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"Starman"
Cover of the 1972 UK single
Single by David Bowie
from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
B-side"Suffragette City"
Released28 April 1972
Recorded4 February 1972
StudioTrident, London
Genre
Length4:16
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)David Bowie
Producer(s)
David Bowie singles chronology
"Changes"
(1971) 		"Starman"
(1972) 		"Hang On to Yourself (Arnold Corns)"
(1972)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars track listing
Template:The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars tracks

"Starman" is a song by David Bowie, recorded on 4 February 1972[2] and released as a single in April. The song was a late addition to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, included at the insistence of RCA’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single.[3] It replaced the Chuck Berry cover "Round and Round" on the album.[4]

Music and lyrics

The lyrics describe Ziggy Stardust bringing a message of hope to Earth's youth through the radio, salvation by an alien 'Starman'. The story is told from the point of view of one of the youths who hears Ziggy. According to Bowie himself, speaking to William S. Burroughs for Rolling Stone magazine in 1973, Ziggy Stardust is not the Starman but merely his earthly messenger – contrary to received opinion which often paints Ziggy as an extraterrestrial.[4] The song has inspired interpretations ranging from an allusion to the Second Coming of Christ,[5] to an accurate prediction of the plot for the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).[6]

The music is in a gentle pop rock vein, featuring prominent acoustic guitar and a string arrangement by Mick Ronson, not dissimilar to the style of Bowie's previous album Hunky Dory (1971). The chorus is loosely based on Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow" from the film The Wizard of Oz, alluding to the "Starman"'s extraterrestrial origins (over the rainbow) (the octave leap on the word "Starman" is identical to that on the word "Somewhere" in "Over the Rainbow").[7] Other influences cited for the track are the T. Rex songs "Telegram Sam" and "Hot Love" (the "boogie" references and "la la la" chorus) and Holland–Dozier–Holland's "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (the morse code-esque guitar and piano breaks).[3]

Release and critical reception

From a commercial point of view, "Starman" was a milestone in Bowie’s career, his first hit since 1969's "Space Oddity" three years before. NME critics Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray reported that "many thought it was his first record since 'Space Oddity'", and assumed that it was a sequel to the earlier single.[8]

According to Acclaimed Music, it is the 360th most celebrated song in popular music history, and the 11th most from 1972.[9]

The single initially sold steadily rather than spectacularly but earned many positive reviews, John Peel for example calling it "a classic, a gem".[10] Its turning point came when Bowie scored a place on Top of the Pops in July 1972 and sang "Starman". Bowie's television performance with the Spiders became famous; according to author David Buckley, "Many fans date their conversion to all things Bowie to this Top of the Pops appearance".[5] It embedded Ziggy Stardust in the nation’s consciousness, helping push "Starman" to No. 10 and the album, released the previous month, to No. 5. Although this performance, recorded on 5 July 1972 and broadcast on 6 July, is often cited as being the first UK TV performance of the song, it had in fact been performed on ITV's Lift Off with Ayshea three weeks earlier.[11]

The "Starman" single remained in the UK charts for 11 weeks. In the United States, the single peaked at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1972.[12]

The Top of the Pops performance was included on the DVD version of Best of Bowie in 2002. In addition to the TV performances, Bowie played the song for radio listeners on the BBC's Johnny Walker Lunchtime Show on 22 May 1972. This performance was broadcast in early June 1972 and eventually released on Bowie at the Beeb in 2000.

In February 1999, Q magazine listed the single as one of the 100 greatest singles of all time, as voted by readers.[citation needed]

A limited edition 7" picture disc of the single was released on 21 April 2012, coinciding with 2012's Record Store Day.[13]

The "Starman" single originally featured a "loud mix" of the "morse code" section between the verse and the chorus.[14] This single mix appeared on the original UK album, but not on other vinyl editions of the album internationally (which had a more subdued mix of this section), and it did not appear on CD until the song was included on the compilation album Nothing Has Changed in 2014.

Track listing

All tracks written by David Bowie.

  1. "Starman" – 4:16
  2. "Suffragette City" – 3:25

Charts and certifications

Production credits

Other releases

Notable cover versions

Popular culture

Commercial usage

In 2016, the song was featured in an Audi Super Bowl commercial.[37]

Bowie's version appears in a 2018 TV commercial for Bleu de Chanel.[38]

Notes

  1. ^ Molon, Dominic; Diederichsen, Diederich; Elms, Antony; Hell, Richard; Graham, Dan; Higgs, Matthew; Koether, Jutta; Nickas, Bob; Kelley, Mike; Tumlir, Jan (2007). Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll since 1967 (Illustrated ed.). Yale University Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-30013-426-1.
  2. ^ Kevin Cann (2010). Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974: p.242
  3. ^ a b Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: p.203
  4. ^ a b Nicholas Pegg (2000). Ibid: pp.276–277
  5. ^ a b David Buckley (1999) Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story: pp.148–151
  6. ^ Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.44
  7. ^ Trynka, Paul (2011). Starman: David Bowie – The Definitive Biography. London: Sphere. ISBN 978-0751542936.
  8. ^ Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Ibid: p.8
  9. ^ "Starman ranked 360th most celebrated song". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  10. ^ Michael Harvey. "The Ziggy Stardust Companion - The Release". 5years.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  11. ^ "The Ziggy Stardust Companion: Lift off with Ayshea - 15 June 1972". 5years.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  12. ^ "David Bowie - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  13. ^ "McCartney, Bowie, Phish drop rare vinyl for Record Store Day", MSNBC, msnbc.com, archived from the original on 22 April 2012, retrieved 21 April 2012
  14. ^ "Starman – David Bowie. Original UK LP and 45 mix is AWOL!!". Retrieved 23 March 2008.
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "David Bowie – Starman" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7665." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  18. ^ "David Bowie Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  19. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava.
  20. ^ "David Bowie – Starman" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Starman". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Media Forest weekly chart (year 2016 week 02)". Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  23. ^ "David Bowie – Starman". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  24. ^ "David Bowie Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  26. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  27. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  28. ^ "David Bowie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  29. ^ "British single certifications – David Bowie – Starman". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 December 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Starman in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  30. ^ "Boy George's David Bowie tribute moved fans to tears as he is urged to release Starman cover as charity Christmas single". Channel 4. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  31. ^ Starman (Vol. 2), #28
  32. ^ Newman, Melinda (2 October 2015). "Will the '70s Disco Soundtrack of 'The Martian' Be the Next 'Guardians of the Galaxy'?". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  33. ^ a b Robinson, Will (4 February 2016). "See Audi's Super Bowl commercial featuring David Bowie's 'Starman'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  34. ^ "STARMAN - Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story David Bowie". YouTube. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  35. ^ Emre Kelly, James Dean (7 February 2018). "Floating through space, SpaceX's 'Starman' mesmerizes the world". floridatoday.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  36. ^ Thorne, Will (17 November 2019). "'The Crown': Josh O'Connor, Erin Doherty on Charles and Anne 'Breaking the Mold'". Variety. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  37. ^ "David Bowie's 'Starman' Appears in Audi's Super Bowl 50 Ad".
  38. ^ "Bleu de Chanel TV Commercial, 'Starman' Song by David Bowie". ispot.tv. Retrieved 1 December 2018.

References

Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Starman_(song)&oldid=936747799"