In an interview David Bowie spoke about how he always tried to remain grounded and not let celebrity really go to his head as is so often the case with fame. He recounted a story about when filming the video for Ashes to Ashes in which he was dressed as a clown on the beach. There was a member of the public walking a dog and appearing in the background and spoiling the shot. The director or some member of the Bowie production went up to the dog walker to remonstrate with them and angrily demanded of them: "Do you know who that is ? DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS ?!". To which the dog walker replied: "Yeah. Its some wanker dressed as a clown".
It's not just him, he was enough of a pure artist that each "phase" in his career he would seek out the most talented people in the field of whatever he was working on. When he wrote his more blues album, he handpicked some of the best blues performers he could find out of nightclubs sometimes. And for this song there's actually a cool behind the scenes about the guy who was able to create all these effects for the video, it actually was way ahead of it's time video editing wise, & they actually had to basically distort like 2 cameras to even get that look, its really interesting
I remember I was 15-16 watching this video when it first come out with my 80 year old Nan standing beside me, I’ve no idea what she thought, but looking today it must have been more incredible for her than it was for me. She saw Zepplins bombing London in WW1, and David Bowie 70 years later, what experiences she had.
I don't remember how old i was when i first saw this video(just turned 60)but was just mind blown that an artist could be this creative with the art form. I had already admired Bowie and loved his work but this particular video for some reason always stood out for me.... Still don't know why to this day. As a young African American from a poor urban environment, i was often teased for my choices in music....😁 Friends and family thought i was so weird(still do....😁) Ashes to Ashes both the song itself and the video represents for me true artistry.... What we can accomplish when we are completely open and free. Bowie(RIP) to this day remains one of my favorite artists of all time! Hope you still keep your Nan in your thoughts and heart! Be well my friend!!
says a lot about you that u had this deep reflection . I saw this has a child and had to find everything EVERYTHING about him... later, i ran away from orphenage to see him. worth what came after (!)
This song is so intoxicating, mesmerizing and wonderful. Rest in peace, David. You are missed here on earth greatly. I know that concert you hold in heaven is incredible.
Bowie tells that when he filmed this clip, some old guy at the beach wouldn't move out of the way. The crew said to him "don't you know who this is?". The guy replied, "yes, a c*nt in a clown suit". Bowie said his response brought him back to earth: "He was right. I was, in fact, a c*nt in a clown suit".
@@LoredanaLanzo-iq8ux ...un'elegia in prima persona delle conseguenze del pasticcio con la polvere da sparo colombiana ma anche della speranza di ripresa...
The thing I like about Bowie's music is that it's truely timeless. This song could have just as easily been made in 2023 as in 1980. A man truly way ahead of his time.
I saw him live at the Milton Keyned bowl. Worst live performance by any artist apart from Faithless I ever saw. Within an hour I reckon 25% had left. Utter garbage.
I remember the 80s, when I first heard this amazing song, this amazing voice and this legendary performer. RIP David, you are truly one of the best and this is one of the best songs of our youth. Great music is timeless and ageless, and thank you for giving a gift of music master of your art.
I first saw this in 1983 when *Simon and Nick* from Duran Duran showed it during their Guest VJ Hour on MTV. So much time has past. Bowie gone... _"Oh no... don't say it's true."_ 💔
This song is such creative genius on so many levels. No one else was able to add amazing funky bass and drum lines to alternative rock like David Bowie. There's a reason why he appeared on Soul Train--only one of two white artists at the time. But the artistry of the video itself was on another level. David was like the Andy Warhol of music in terms of video art direction and musical creativity. Let's not forget the before-its-time gender non-binary theme of David Bowie either. This song came out just before MTV made its debut of "music videos" and this video was a big hit on MTV.
He got inspiration from earlier periods such as the 1920s and the Renaissance. Every Age thinks its the first when the “latest thing” turns out to be as old as time itself.
Peak Bowie. No-one else on the planet could’ve written these lyrics. Haunting and strange. My mother said, to get things done, you’d better not mess with Major Tom.
I was 21 when this music video came out, was considering over the top and weird but a well loved nursery rime. The 80's music was the very best, uplifting and positive.
Ich hoffe, daß auch ein Beitrag in deutscher Sprache akzeptiert wird. Dieser Song war der absolute Lieblingssong meiner Jugend und David war für mich the most beautiful guy ever. Ruhe er in ewigem Frieden!
Just going through the comment section brings tears of joy to me eyes and warms my heart!! Bowie(RIP) is still loved and admired!! Makes me so happy! It's really easy for people to blow off the music that came before. Songs from the 70's, 80's and 90's are already 3 to 5 decades old..... I hope our younger generation can keep the proper respect for this amazing art that was left behind. If anyone knows of a young current artist similar to a Bowie, please inform.... Would like to watch some of their videos and listen to some of their music.... Time marches on...... RIP King!! Bowie was one of a kind!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I wonder how many people realise that it is a clever homage to life on Mars? And everyone knows it's a huge reference to space oddity. Absolute masterpiece 🥰
The first Bowie music video I ever remember seeing. I was just a little kid when this came out and I was like, "I'm not sure what this music is all about, but this is fascinating!" Its 2024, and the fascination is still with me.
J'adore son œuvre et cette chanson fait partie de mes préférées, ainsi que l'album. Rien est démodé dans ce clip ! De cette génération, seuls les anglais tenaient le haut du pavé en musique ! Je l'ai vu trois fois à Paris. Quelle idée de mourir, il aurait encore pu nous épater !
Not one of my favorite Bowie songs but ad the video & it's one of the best combo's ever. Exactly how I imagined 'The Mule' to be from the Isaac Asimov 'Foundation' trilogy sci-fi novel series.
There is a brilliant story about the making of this video. There was an old man picking sticks on the beach during filming and the director asked him to leave, so they could do the shoot. He refused and the director, pointing at Bowie, said do you know who that is? The old man said "It's some c...t in a clown suit". Bowie later said, It was a huge moment for me, It put me back in my place and remember I'm just some c...t in a clown suit. Brilliant.
+andyjay729 Wikipedia haven't acknowledged that the first music video was actually not produced in 1981 but was ashes to ashes in 1980 and Bowie used the latest video processing.
+garyoptica Music videos existed long before 1980, believe me. We simply didn't have cable channels devoted to music videos before then. The Beatles did at least one, "Hello Goodbye" which ran on the Ed Sullivan show in November of 1967. The program had advertised that the Beatles were appearing on that program, which I made a point of watching. Then Ed read a letter to the TV audience, that was supposedly from the Beatles, explaining that they couldn't make it that night. I was only 10, but recognzied that as pure b.s. and a false advertising of the worst degree. so the Beatles were dressed in their Sgt. Pepper's outfits, miming along to the song, with hula dancers coming on at the end. I'd already heard the song on the radio and found the video only mildly interesting. But, it was a music video and many others followed, assuming some had not preceded it.
Biscuit0100 He's one of the first musicians I really ever loved. Such a charismatic and creative person...Well as I said, I truly feel that there's a part of him still here
I heard a (BBC?) radio interview with producer Tony Visconti a couple of years after Ashes To Ashes came out,and he was saying something along the lines of congratulating Bowie for "finally killing off that Major Tom character (which had garnered a bit of idolatry all of its own)" with this song. He also said something along the lines of record company suits having the mindset of sending "all the weird ones" (Bowie,Bolan,Sparks,etc.) over to him artist-wise,something which Visconti was only too happy with because it gave him better chance for innovation,exploration and boundary-pushing music-wise.
Sugar Dust I'm pretty sure it was part of a series about well-known producers,about half a dozen of them,aired around 1982. I remember hearing the ones about Glyn Johns and Tom Dowd as well.
This was the first Bowie video I saw when I was like 10 (I'm now 18) when VH1 Classics was doing a music video marathon and Bowie was in there and it was this music video. I though it was the best music video I saw ever. Bowie made a large impact on me and will continue forever. We miss you David.
Ga, you're young! I first saw this as a teenager when it just came out. I'm old but at least I got to experience all this first hand. We will miss him greatly.
David Bowie connects us with our own dreams. When we're young, he makes us feel so pulled to our own hearts. To realize our most important, most dignified, true selves. To want to be a hero in whatever way we can. He makes us feel the pain of dreams we haven't made come true. He took the risks we wish we all could take.
+Sofia Piel I definitely agree with this. Any time I listen to his music, it takes me back to my happiest visions. It's kind of spooky, but awesome nonetheless.
Music can do this strange and beautiful thing sometimes. It makes you feel nostalgic for places we have never been, people we have never met, things we have never known.
James Bloomfield me too.that keyboard sound is so atmospheric and eerie.I have loved it since it was first released when I was 11. It kind of spooked me at that age the same way the cure a forest did.timeless and perfect.
As a musician, huge fan, (he's my most significant influence), being born on the same day as Mr. David Robert Jones, back in the beginning of the decade when he first became a household name, (Jan. 8th 1971) I felt compelled to come back to reminisce about my childhood and about how happy i was during the era that this track was released..The artist, the legend, the man, will ALL truly be missed.. Thank God for us, his long time and newer fans, he left us all a wonderful parting gift.. His latest and final album, "Black Star". As i stated in another one of his videos for his new album, The Thin White Duke was always light years ahead of everybody who dare call themselves a musician or musical artist.. R.I.P Mr. Jones.. You gave us songs like "Heroes", but you sir, are mine..
Rhythmista You bet. It moved me man. I had heard his songs before this one came out, and Fame was probably my favorite, but this one ...? This one has just always stuck with me more than any other for some reason.
![คณะขวัญใจ - นางสาวขวัญใจ [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a8zn5pGlRUY/mqdefault.jpg)
In an interview David Bowie spoke about how he always tried to remain grounded and not let celebrity really go to his head as is so often the case with fame.
He recounted a story about when filming the video for Ashes to Ashes in which he was dressed as a clown on the beach. There was a member of the public walking a dog and appearing in the background and spoiling the shot.
The director or some member of the Bowie production went up to the dog walker to remonstrate with them and angrily demanded of them:
"Do you know who that is ? DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS ?!".
To which the dog walker replied:
"Yeah. Its some wanker dressed as a clown".
That's classic!
I needed that laugh!
digglyda 😂😂😂
😂😂😂
digglyda YES! I think of that every time I watch this!
This is art. David Bowie was a genius.
Agreed
Agreed 2 / Love your handle!
thanks!
People do not overstand he was so innovative he started new wave movement
It's not just him, he was enough of a pure artist that each "phase" in his career he would seek out the most talented people in the field of whatever he was working on. When he wrote his more blues album, he handpicked some of the best blues performers he could find out of nightclubs sometimes. And for this song there's actually a cool behind the scenes about the guy who was able to create all these effects for the video, it actually was way ahead of it's time video editing wise, & they actually had to basically distort like 2 cameras to even get that look, its really interesting
I remember I was 15-16 watching this video when it first come out with my 80 year old Nan standing beside me, I’ve no idea what she thought, but looking today it must have been more incredible for her than it was for me. She saw Zepplins bombing London in WW1, and David Bowie 70 years later, what experiences she had.
I don't remember how old i was when i first saw this video(just turned 60)but was just mind blown that an artist could be this creative with the art form.
I had already admired Bowie and loved his work but this particular video for some reason always stood out for me....
Still don't know why to this day.
As a young African American from a poor urban environment, i was often teased for my choices in music....😁
Friends and family thought i was so weird(still do....😁)
Ashes to Ashes both the song itself and the video represents for me true artistry....
What we can accomplish when we are completely open and free.
Bowie(RIP) to this day remains one of my favorite artists of all time!
Hope you still keep your Nan in your thoughts and heart!
Be well my friend!!
says a lot about you that u had this deep reflection . I saw this has a child and had to find everything EVERYTHING about him... later, i ran away from orphenage to see him. worth what came after (!)
top 5 musicians in history
David Bowie is irreplaceable.
Still have the album, i think I was 14 when I was bought it and was called "gay" at school for it..........
One of the most original songs in the history of pop music. That's why Bowie is untouchable.
agreed you cant do anything but praise the man
Agreed, but Once In a Lifetime by Talking Heads is a close runner up.
@@allanalogmusicat78rpm yeah David Byrne has a place on that mantle, as well.
They both have the initials DB 🙀
@@Rob-zv1oz you are dangerous Rob
My favourite Bowie Song ever. Mesmerizing, even 43 years later...
There’s Quicksand Heroes and a couple of others which just are so amazing and no other artist could have written them.
Haunting,* if one is an X gen like myself
The best!
I was 20 in the new romantic era and Ashes to Ashes was one of my favourite tracks 😎
Meiner auch.
This song is so intoxicating, mesmerizing and wonderful. Rest in peace, David. You are missed here on earth greatly. I know that concert you hold in heaven is incredible.
Who's listening in 2024?
Never stop listening to Bowie!!! 😊
Io😊😊😊😊😊 Cagliari
@@zisikaragiannis2390😊😊😊mai😊
Me!
U know it lol. He’s so missed
There arent many musical genius' but bowie was defo one.
The last 30 seconds of this track is incredible... gorgeous sounds and synthwork, makes me quite emotional...
Yes, you know it! Dark and experimental for it’s time. Just a absolutely brilliant song!
@@djpeekay25 It is superb, you are right. n
that synth still
sends a shiver down the spine even 40+ years later
@@jokarogames3504 Incfredible isn't it...
yup, so addictive!
Number one from 1980 and say no more there too. Thank you.
Bowie tells that when he filmed this clip, some old guy at the beach wouldn't move out of the way. The crew said to him "don't you know who this is?". The guy replied, "yes, a c*nt in a clown suit". Bowie said his response brought him back to earth: "He was right. I was, in fact, a c*nt in a clown suit".
Thank you for this ❤
...takes one to know one...
...RIP David Bowie - definitive R&R poet laureate...
L'umiltà e l'ironia di un artista immenso e straordinario ❤
@@LoredanaLanzo-iq8ux ...un'elegia in prima persona delle conseguenze del pasticcio con la polvere da sparo colombiana ma anche della speranza di ripresa...
Strung out in heavens high hitting an all time low... Addiction in one !ine, genius writing
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like listening to Bowie
"I'll stay clean tonight"
Genius writing? Maybe JD Souther was involved.
@@LoneLee2022Ha!
The thing I like about Bowie's music is that it's truely timeless. This song could have just as easily been made in 2023 as in 1980. A man truly way ahead of his time.
RIP.....❤️
Everything you said......perfection!!
So true.
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like David Bowie
@@funlittlefish - Not even close.
True, but I think this was his last great album though.
Davids songs were the very very first I was aware of in my childhood. Thanks David, for shaping me! Love your songs. Always. RIP
David Bowie-timeless music and there will never be another artist like the Starman!
Every Bowie song unique, every Bowie album a masterpiece. We could never nail down who Bowie was. This man was a genius
Awesome assessment of David Bowie
The true King of Pop. David Bowie.
Amazing creativity. I grew up listening to Bowie, his music still sounds fresh and modern to me.
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like David Bowie
Psychedelic🎉..RIP David Bowie..you were a legend..loved all your music..your creativity
Hey you should look up The Doublejumps if you like listening to Bowie
Amazing artist sorely missed just loved him ❤
th-cam.com/video/CMThz7eQ6K0/w-d-xo.html&start_radio=1
Bowie was such a genius.. I remember being excited watching this climb the charts at the time, and rightfully so. What an awesome song and video!
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like listening to Bowie
This is an amazing song David had so much talent I miss him. 👍🏼
I do too he was very very talented ......he had a big impact on the music industry.....truly miss him. RIP Mr Bowie
Is there a word beyond legendary? Then this music is it!!!!
Ultra- legendary, perhaps...
I was fortunate to see him in concert back in 1983. He was fantastic!!!🥰💯
Great football player too...
Hey you should look up The Doublejumps if you like listening to Bowie
I saw him live at the Milton Keyned bowl. Worst live performance by any artist apart from Faithless I ever saw. Within an hour I reckon 25% had left. Utter garbage.
I saw him also in 1983 for the first time , in Paris , great memories
The Serious Moonlight Tour! Yes!! Awesome!!!
This is how I like my pop music, weird, dark, full of disturbing imagery and drug references!
2:45. My favorite david bowie moment😮 "...my mother said..."
My mother said a lot of things I never took notice of
@@paulmckean5692 why?😳
What a truly powerful transition and evolution from one era to the next... And told in such a masterful beautiful way.
RIP David Bowie.
1980!!!!a great pop music year.
Timeless classic
David Bowie estava 3mil anos a frente de nosso tempo
100% truth like Roxy Music & Moody Blues, Yes & Hawkwind.
David Bowie e o cantor solo internacional que mais gosto
I remember the 80s, when I first heard this amazing song, this amazing voice and this legendary performer. RIP David, you are truly one of the best and this is one of the best songs of our youth. Great music is timeless and ageless, and thank you for giving a gift of music master of your art.
It's my favourite song in 55 years
@@paulhughes1038 Amazing song. I even recall first time I heard it, about 40 years back, in a friends car. Immediately loved it.
Takes you to another place....just brilliant.💫🌠
This music it's my favourite. Thank you, Mr Bowie for this music. You will never be forget.
we need you back Mr. Bowie from 1980.......we need you back
Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like David Bowie
I first saw this in 1983 when *Simon and Nick* from
Duran Duran showed it during their Guest VJ Hour
on MTV. So much time has past. Bowie gone...
_"Oh no... don't say it's true."_ 💔
Timless GEM 💎
My favorite Bowie's song
This song is such creative genius on so many levels. No one else was able to add amazing funky bass and drum lines to alternative rock like David Bowie. There's a reason why he appeared on Soul Train--only one of two white artists at the time. But the artistry of the video itself was on another level. David was like the Andy Warhol of music in terms of video art direction and musical creativity. Let's not forget the before-its-time gender non-binary theme of David Bowie either. This song came out just before MTV made its debut of "music videos" and this video was a big hit on MTV.
The day the video came out is the official real start of the 80s
no Genius, it is pure "inspiration".
The other white artist was another genius (along with Bernie Taupin of course) Elton John
He got inspiration from earlier periods such as the 1920s and the Renaissance. Every Age thinks its the first when the “latest thing” turns out to be as old as time itself.
@@CraigColburn-kz6cc Anyone can be inspired. Almost no one can make a song/video like this, at a time like that. That's the difference.
THIS SONG HAS ALWAYS AFFECTED ME, AND AFTER ALL THIS TIME IT STILL AFFECTS ME,AS ONLY THE GREAT CAN DO, GREETINGS FROM ITALY 🇮🇹 ITALY
Bowie is so special. A true genius! ❤
The techno-wizardry is amazing in this video. Everything David touched turned to classic gold. Love this old song!!
3:22: a beach from beginning of Wizardry VIII, techno-fantasy RPG video game. Coincidence?!
Incomprehensible, but still one of my favourite Bowie's songs. 😊
Também é uma das minhas favoritas😊
Bowie was always ahead of everyone, an innovator, thank you David, your music will live forever ♥💚🧡💙🎶🎵🎼🎹
David Bowie was so far ahead of his time AND the music game that people were shocked. A true unconventional artist in every sense of the word.
Did a doctor conclude he was born prematurely or what?
Always loved David Bowie i was hooked on his music an style since his days of The Diamond Dogs.
I love the synths at the end! So awesome!
Peak Bowie.
No-one else on the planet could’ve written these lyrics. Haunting and strange.
My mother said, to get things done, you’d better not mess with Major Tom.
The layers of this song...the popping bass.. genius, ground breaker.
I was 21 when this music video came out, was considering over the top and weird but a well loved nursery rime. The 80's music was the very best, uplifting and positive.
I’m 50, got to see him live a few times. So glad!
I’m so incredibly jealous
@@mrworm1716 First concert Bowie was better, but Duran Duran in it's hayday was damn good too!
Saw him 3 times. Just incredible.
What masterpiece! 🌠
Ich hoffe, daß auch ein Beitrag in deutscher Sprache akzeptiert wird. Dieser Song war der absolute Lieblingssong meiner Jugend und David war für mich the most beautiful guy ever. Ruhe er in ewigem Frieden!
I'm jealous. The padded room I was in was much smaller
Pay private. Better experience
Mine was too ,but I expanded it with my mind😂😅
Well, so, how do we get a bigger one. Only ask 'cause I'm on my way. 😂❤😂
I am / 67 years old. This music NEVER gets old.😂
..the most cosmic performer on earth .....
I love all Bowies records but this song is outstanding ❤
This song is timeless
Ah yes, takes me back to my teen years when MTV ruled.
True dat ❤️
Ero giovanissima quando ascoltavo la tua musica e oggi dopo decenni l'ascolto ancora perché è da brividi brividi ❤
Just going through the comment section brings tears of joy to me eyes and warms my heart!!
Bowie(RIP) is still loved and admired!!
Makes me so happy!
It's really easy for people to blow off the music that came before.
Songs from the 70's, 80's and 90's are already 3 to 5 decades old.....
I hope our younger generation can keep the proper respect for this amazing art that was left behind.
If anyone knows of a young current artist similar to a Bowie, please inform....
Would like to watch some of their videos and listen to some of their music....
Time marches on......
RIP King!!
Bowie was one of a kind!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hate to break it you,but their will never another Bowie, definitely one of one in this planet and universe
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like David Bowie
Happy Birthday Wonderful Man 🖤💙🖤
Helped me through every stage of life since I was 10 and still doing it now. That's a long time
One of the first really creative pop videos ,to be rolled off the eighties conveyor belt ,there was nothing else around like this
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like listening to Bowie
I can't stop looping this song
X2
if you like this you might like my brothers music. his name is stu morris
M2❤
Great song that utterly outclasses anything today I'm afraid.
For real. People bicker over the definition of functioning genius. Anyone on Earth, please write a better song.
After a 25 year heroin addiction this is what you pray ❤
David Bowie tenía magia , un adelantado a su tiempo . Por siempre 🌹
You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like David Bowie
Beautiful, perfect, thanks, David...
I was 12 when this came on the radio back then, instantly loved it, like many of his songs.
David Bowie the world is so much smaller without you
Yes, and so kinda boring.😢❤😢
Dang David, we miss you so much!
❤️🇺🇸🍀🍄David Bowie is invited to the party. 2023.
I wonder how many people realise that it is a clever homage to life on Mars? And everyone knows it's a huge reference to space oddity. Absolute masterpiece 🥰
The first Bowie music video I ever remember seeing. I was just a little kid when this came out and I was like, "I'm not sure what this music is all about, but this is fascinating!" Its 2024, and the fascination is still with me.
I've never done good things.
I've never done bad things.
I've never done anything out of the blue.
Greatest lyrics ever
Amazing singer, sadly missed 😭
BOWIE WAS A GENIUS !
amazing artist and human being
Masterpiece !!!
Your music and your legend are eternal ❤
Classic classic.
I love Bowie!!! ❤❤❤. I love you when was teenager.
J'adore son œuvre et cette chanson fait partie de mes préférées, ainsi que l'album.
Rien est démodé dans ce clip !
De cette génération, seuls les anglais tenaient le haut du pavé en musique !
Je l'ai vu trois fois à Paris.
Quelle idée de mourir, il aurait encore pu nous épater !
What can you say? Genius!!!
great video one of my favourite bowie songs thanks david for all the music
Not one of my favorite Bowie songs but ad the video & it's one of the best combo's ever. Exactly how I imagined 'The Mule' to be from the Isaac Asimov 'Foundation' trilogy sci-fi novel series.
There is a brilliant story about the making of this video. There was an old man picking sticks on the beach during filming and the director asked him to leave, so they could do the shoot. He refused and the director, pointing at Bowie, said do you know who that is? The old man said "It's some c...t in a clown suit". Bowie later said, It was a huge moment for me, It put me back in my place and remember I'm just some c...t in a clown suit. Brilliant.
Bowie Is Infinite.
A classic from the great man R I P ❤❤❤
Every time I hear that Minimoog solo at the end, I automatically get goose bumps. Classic song. R.I.P Mr Bowie.
Love it. Favorite Bowie song. Go figure…
SW9 LAD. Done us proud! Miss you David, a true innovative and funny genius. Kent boy. Uk forever 😢🎉🎉🎉
He was my genius the late David Bowie 🎵my hero.
Hadn't heard a thing about him being sick... We salute you, Major Tom.
He kept it only between his family and friends apparently
+andyjay729 Wikipedia haven't acknowledged that the first music video was actually not produced in 1981 but was ashes to ashes in 1980 and
Bowie used the latest video processing.
I don't blame him the press can be like vultures at times
+MsFanmail a lot of his music dealt with how much of a bad thing fame was, it comes as no suprise that that it was kept quiet
+garyoptica Music videos existed long before 1980, believe me. We simply didn't have cable channels devoted to music videos before then. The Beatles did at least one, "Hello Goodbye" which ran on the Ed Sullivan show in November of 1967. The program had advertised that the Beatles were appearing on that program, which I made a point of watching. Then Ed read a letter to the TV audience, that was supposedly from the Beatles, explaining that they couldn't make it that night. I was only 10, but recognzied that as pure b.s. and a false advertising of the worst degree. so the Beatles were dressed in their Sgt. Pepper's outfits, miming along to the song, with hula dancers coming on at the end. I'd already heard the song on the radio and found the video only mildly interesting. But, it was a music video and many others followed, assuming some had not preceded it.
I miss him already...
I still can't believe he's gone. It doesn't feel like it... This song's making me cry. :'(
Biscuit0100 He's one of the first musicians I really ever loved. Such a charismatic and creative person...Well as I said, I truly feel that there's a part of him still here
Muhammad Farrukh Yep. He's the Starman waiting in the sky... :')
+Muhammad Farrukh Starman had to go back home, is all.
Grace Mitchell I can't help but imagine him on Mars....
The perfect transition between 70s Bowie and 80s Bowie💫
I heard a (BBC?) radio interview with producer Tony Visconti a couple of years after Ashes To Ashes came out,and he was saying something along the lines of congratulating Bowie for "finally killing off that Major Tom character (which had garnered a bit of idolatry all of its own)" with this song. He also said something along the lines of record company suits having the mindset of sending "all the weird ones" (Bowie,Bolan,Sparks,etc.) over to him artist-wise,something which Visconti was only too happy with because it gave him better chance for innovation,exploration and boundary-pushing music-wise.
Really? I will try to look for the interview and listen to it, because it sounds pretty fascinating.
Sugar Dust I'm pretty sure it was part of a series about well-known producers,about half a dozen of them,aired around 1982. I remember hearing the ones about Glyn Johns and Tom Dowd as well.
Thanks!! I'll be on the lookout for it.
Sugar Dust I'd be interested it hear it again after all this time!
This was the first Bowie video I saw when I was like 10 (I'm now 18) when VH1 Classics was doing a music video marathon and Bowie was in there and it was this music video. I though it was the best music video I saw ever. Bowie made a large impact on me and will continue forever. We miss you David.
Ga, you're young! I first saw this as a teenager when it just came out. I'm old but at least I got to experience all this first hand. We will miss him greatly.
+Greyfort 7 very true
That's awesome
Thanks
No doubt no 2 mention Fashion those Vids go hand and hand
David Bowie connects us with our own dreams. When we're young, he makes us feel so pulled to our own hearts. To realize our most important, most dignified, true selves. To want to be a hero in whatever way we can. He makes us feel the pain of dreams we haven't made come true. He took the risks we wish we all could take.
So very well said....
+Erik Preston Thank you, sweet soul. I love when art and wonderful humans bring us all together. Incredible.
+Sofia Piel I definitely agree with this. Any time I listen to his music, it takes me back to my happiest visions. It's kind of spooky, but awesome nonetheless.
I couldn't agree more. so heartbroken, but at least we have his legacy.
Music can do this strange and beautiful thing sometimes. It makes you feel nostalgic for places we have never been, people we have never met, things we have never known.
My god, the last minute of this song always sends shivers down my spine. Incredible piece.
I agree. I often wish there were more songs that had this feel; it sticks out a bit on Scary Monsters.
Same here James...that synth at the end seems unworldly............!
I feel the same at the end of the song
Same!!!
James Bloomfield me too.that keyboard sound is so atmospheric and eerie.I have loved it since it was first released when I was 11. It kind of spooked me at that age the same way the cure a forest did.timeless and perfect.
As a musician, huge fan, (he's my most significant influence), being born on the same day as Mr. David Robert Jones, back in the beginning of the decade when he first became a household name, (Jan. 8th 1971) I felt compelled to come back to reminisce about my childhood and about how happy i was during the era that this track was released..The artist, the legend, the man, will ALL truly be missed.. Thank God for us, his long time and newer fans, he left us all a wonderful parting gift..
His latest and final album, "Black Star". As i stated in another one of his videos for his new album, The Thin White Duke was always light years ahead of everybody who dare call themselves a musician or musical artist..
R.I.P Mr. Jones.. You gave us songs like "Heroes", but you sir, are mine..
+Rhythmista Very nice post.
BubbaZen10 Thanks ;)
Rhythmista You bet. It moved me man. I had heard his songs before this one came out, and Fame was probably my favorite, but this one ...? This one has just always stuck with me more than any other for some reason.
+BubbaZen10
Probably because it's such a fun and snappy song to listen to,that's why! Even though it's weird,like most of Bowie's best tunes.
+BubbaZen10Bowie was a demi-god in his own right who rendered many other musicians obsolete
"My Mama said to get things done, you better not mess with Major Tom"
I'm guessing that's his real mother in the video.
It's not his real mother
newdawnnation Yes, it is indeed.
it's the best part (the end) of this faboulous song, it's a dream
Drew B That makes a lot of sense in retrospect,even if it does take away some of the mystique.
RIP (Return If Possible)
Zacho-Web Administrator RIP (Return Immediately Please)
Zacho-Web Administrator ofc oof no u
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Man Who Fell to Earth...
One of DAVID BOWIE's greatest classics. Timeless. Still miss this great genius.