Category - Classic Hits

I’m sure you, along with the rest of the world, have received the news that David Bowie died on January 10. This is my small musical journey with the artist, with my favorite three songs of his.

I can’t pretend to be a huge David Bowie fan, but I can attest to the fact that people more music-oriented than I are crazy about the man and his music. He’s managed to stay at least relatively relevant to the music world since at least 1972, if not 1969, when he originally released ‘Space Oddity’ (below). I have seen countless people posting about how magical and influential he was to them. Those words have certainly been batted around by people writing his epitaphs for major news outlets, too.

Incredibly, David Bowie was making music right up until he died. His last album was just released in November.

This song (at the top) is an incredible song given the news. It’s titled ‘Lazarus’ and was a conscious epitaph to himself, particularly with the video. Bowie died of liver cancer, so his pending end was foretold some time ago. Nevertheless, the video was hauntingly prescient, given that it was released just two days before his death.

Below is his original music video to ‘Space Oddity,’ which was originally released in 1969. The song was remixed and re-released in 1972, which is the version that is more popular. However, the video was not nearly as interesting as this one.

My favorite song of his, however, is this one, ‘Ashes to Ashes.’ It’s a check-in with the protagonist of ‘Space Oddity,’ Major Tom. In it, he’s found spaced out on a foreign planet.

One thing I can honestly say that I always appreciated about David Bowie was his acting. He made an incredible Andy Warhol in Basquiat, but his over-the-top but eternally awesome Labyrinth was the one that will always stick out in my mind.

Rest in peace, David Bowie.