“We don’t hear a single.” That’s been a common complaint of A&R reps ever since rock and roll was born, as record companies seek out that one song that can break through to a widespread audience. Normally, that request goes either unheeded or unfulfilled. Few artists can step up and deliver something universal on demand. But David Bowie, when faced with such a brief, came through in 1972 with a Top 10 UK hit in “Starman”.
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Catching a “Star”
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when David Bowie was a bit of a question mark when it came to his viability as an artist. Bowie must have felt it himself as well because he briefly considered becoming a songwriter-for-hire. Even though he had a no. 1 single under his belt in Great Britain with “Space Oddity” in 1969, he wondered if releasing music of his own was the right path.
Even his 1971 album Hunky Dory, which included future classics like “Changes “, “Life On Mars”, and “Oh! You Pretty Things”, failed to manufacture any hits. Thus, it was probably understandable that his label worried a bit about the commercial prospects of a concept album about a space alien/rock star.
That’s what Bowie was planning with The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. They asked Bowie to go back and write something that would appeal to radio, which he did without hesitation.
The original sequence of the album included a song called “Round And Round”, which was a cover of an old Chuck Berry B-side. Bowie came back with “Starman”. It was a brilliant ploy, as the song came from the perspective of radio listeners fascinated by Ziggy’s presence on the dial. In real life, the listening public ate up this Bowie offering, which reached no. 10 and raised expectations for the album to come.
Revisiting the Lyrics of “Starman”
David Bowie’s “Starman” proved ingenious because it ended up serving two purposes. On the one hand, it stocks to the plot of the concept album just fine. But it also manages to say something profound about the bond that can develop between a radio personality and their audience.
The narrator is sitting in the dark all alone listening, when something jolts him out of his stupor: “Some cat was layin’ down / Some rock ‘n’ roll/’Lotta soul,’ he said.”
Soon, the listener realizes that this isn’t necessarily the typical playlist: “Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase / That weren’t no DJ, that was hazy cosmic jive.”
“Starman” also touches on how friends connect through music. The listener quickly calls a buddy to share in the experience. “Hey that’s far out so you heard him too!” he exclaims.
They both inherently understand that this voice is otherworldly. “Look out your window, I can see his light.” And they hope to make contact. “If we can sparkle, he may land tonight.”
Only the young can understand this phenomenon: “Don’t tell your pappa or he’ll get us locked up in fright.”
In the chorus, the kids wonder if the “Starman” will touch down: “He’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds.” At last, the alien delivers some benevolent words: “Let the children lose it / Let the children use it / Let all the children boogie.”
It’s an interesting hypothetical to wonder if the Ziggy Stardust album and character would have broken through if David Bowie hadn’t been pushed into writing “Starman”. How impressive it was for him to step up with such a relevant, resonant song when he needed it the most.
Chris Walter/WireImage
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