My Life In Music 2: Bowie

To be honest, I didn't plan on doing one of these so soon. However, given the circumstances, I feel it is an appropriate time to put it out there. I woke up this morning to a text from a friend telling me that David Bowie had passed away. He was such a big part of my life, so much so that my friend knew that I should hear it from someone else besides random facebook posts. That certainly means something.

Like most people born in the early 80's (and afterward), my first glimpse of this wonderful man was as the Goblin King, Jareth, in the movie Labyrinth. I was immediately entranced with this man. His look, with the crazy makeup and huge hair, made him stand out. More than anything, his mesmerizing mismatched eyes and that incredible deep, intriguing voice caught ahold of me and never let me go.

As I grew older, I came to hear his voice in some of the most iconic songs from growing. China Girl, Let's Dance, Changes, Fame; all of these are songs that everyone knows but they never go back to associate them with David Bowie. I consider myself lucky enough to recognize his genius and go back to learn about his songs. They have been covered by nearly everyone from Nirvana: 

The Man Who Sold the World

to Adam Sandler:

Space Oddity

Throughout time, Bowie had changed his look, name, style, and attitude, always adapting to new things and keeping up in the world around him. When he first started, he was a weird little gender bending, crazy -eyed, gay boy who liked to wear makeup, dresses, and sing songs. He has always bent the rules and chosen to live outside the norms. When he died, he did so as a super-successful rock star, having had a 40-year long career of amazing hits, he was married to a beautiful supermodel, Iman, and he had achieved legend status in the world of music. 

David Bowie's influence can be found just about anywhere. There are tv shows, like Life on Mars, that are named after his songs. They pop up in Shrek, Moulin Rouge, and Se7en. In fact, this song he did with Trent Reznor is one of my all time favorites.

The Heart's Filthy Lesson

Throughout his life and career, this man pushed boundaries and opened up the world for nearly everyone. There was no one who had to suffer through being 'weird' because there was always Bowie to look up to. His psychedelic, glam rock age and his Ziggy Stardust days were some his best. David Bowie had a way to take our wildest imaginations and put them into song, adding just enough to them to make us really stand up and listen. 

David Bowie also had a huge career in doing collaborations with other artists. He worked with the best of the best to create some of the greatest songs in the world. Here are a few of my favorites:

A Christmas Favorite with Bing Crosby

Dancing in the Street with Mick Jagger

Under Pressure with Queen

Under Pressure with Queen is by and far one of the best songs ever. Choosing David Bowie songs to put in this blog has been hard because there is no way I can even come close to the majesty this man put into everything he did. David Bowie, from his early days to the album, Blackstar, released just days ago, has always captivated me with his music and his life. Please, go out and listen to his music. Aladdin Sane is amazing. Suffragette City is an awesome album. The beauty of Bowie is that he adapted so much that there is literally something out there for everyone. Find your Bowie. Each time he put out something new, it was better than the last. I'm sad that now I won't be able to see where he takes us in the rest of this wild ride called life. He was able to leave us with this final goodbye, at least. 

Lazarus

Goodbye, David Bowie. You moved the stars for us, despite your profession of the contrary. Remember, it's only forever, not long at all.