What David Bowie Means To Me

David Bowie - The Man and Legend

Honestly, I can't remember when or where I first hear David Bowie, it may have been when my mum watched the TV series Life on Mars or years later when I watched Ashes to Ashes with her. But I do know that ever since moment I found I had a love for his music. On what would be the 5th anniversary of his death I'm going to lay out my top 10 favourite things about Bowie along with a few key elements about this life.

David Robert Jones was born in Brixton London on the 8th January 1947. As a young child his musical talents started to shine through and when he was 15 he got into his first band. It wasn't until the mid 1960's that he started to make a name for himself and start to get noticed, but one thing had to change and that was his name which was changed to Bowie. Through out his life he produced numerous albums that many of us to this day have owned or still do. 

He has also created some well known songs that if your like me will sing passionately at the top of your voice. David has also had an acting career and been in a hand full of films and TV shows. Bowie had many famous friends from Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Annie Lennox and Iggy Pop. I can remember this day 5 years ago, I woke up to a message from my mum saying had I seen about David Bowie, so naturally I looked online and my heart sank. I remember screaming and then bursting into tears as I couldn't believe what I was reading and that this total legend had left us. He didn't want a funeral, so he was cremated 2 days later. His ashes were scattered in a Buddhist ceremony in Bali, Indonesia.

So below are 10 things about Bowie that I either love or feel a deep connection; 

1. Ashes To Ashes

This has got to be my faviroute song ever, I first heard this when I watched the TV show of the same name. When I did my GCSE in Art we got to pick what our final/exam piece would be. I picked the option of Words and Music, I can't remember what made me choose Bowie but for some reason everything seemed to click into place after I spoke to my teacher. I went through so many of songs to see what messages they contained, in the end I found Ashes to Ashes. I printed off the lyrics and pulled it all apart, I went line by line to pick out what the true meaning was and while doing so I felt I knew a bit more about the person that Bowie really was. I found everthing that was connected to this song and even found out that Bowie himself was an artist and produced many of his own art work. This I also looked into and used for my exam. I was happy with what I produced and the outcome that I got and to this day I still have all the art that I produced. Whenever I hear the song now it takes me back to my art lessons and to everything that I found out.

2. Heroes

This is another of my favourite songs, unlike Ashes to Ashes I have never looked to much into it or pulled it apart. I just enjoy the song for what it is and always turn it up and sing along whenever I can. When Bowie died this song slowly started to mean more and speak to me so much as to me was now the Hero. When I decided to get a tattoo dedicated to Bowie it was a hard choice for me as I didn't know if I wanted a lyric from this song or a quote that to me summed him up, but more on that later.  

3. Labyrinth

Not many people know this film, but for me it is one of my favourite films. It took me years to find it as it's not a main stream film, but once I noticed Bowie was in it I knew that I had to watch it. I remember watching it on YouTube, there was 20 min videos of the film, so it took me a while. I then decided to get the DVD and made the rest of my family sit and watch it with me one weekend. Ever since then it's  a film that I constantly watch and will always watch as to me it never gets old or loses it's magic no matter how many times that I sit and watch it. While watching it I know there is little things to watch out for, like little easter eggs. So much so that every time I watch the film I try to spot and find as many as I can in the hope that I've seen more then I did last time. No matter how many times that I do watch it I still find that I'm not a fan of Sarah and wish that Jareth won at the end. I also had this film incorporated into a tattoo I got done of all the fantasy lands. Me and my tattooist redesigned the whole thing and I needed another land that I knew and loved, so I picked the Goblin City, there is also a red lightning bolt going though it as a sign to Bowie and his character Aladdin Sane. 

4. Ziggy Stardust

This has to be one of the most famous and popular characters that Bowie ever created. He created Ziggy because of his love for drama and wanting to use a different persona. While he was on tour in America he created the ideas for the character and then on his return to England he made him. His first performance was in February 1972 and would go on for years. As much as Bowie loved Ziggy, he could never shake him off and even at one point had to check his sanity as he didn't know what was Ziggy and what was Bowie. He eventually dropped Ziggy and created his next character The Thin White Duke. I love Ziggy because he allowed Bowie to be someone else and allow him to perform and produce some of his best music. It also allows people to be who they want to be no matter if they have to hide behind a mask, it gives people the confidence to go out there and do what they want to do without being to scared. 

5. His Funny Eye (Heterochromia)

The first thing that anyone notices about Bowie is the fact that his eyes are different, which I always throught was strange but at the same time I liked it. While doing my art GSCE I had to do some research on Bowie, it was doing this that I discovered what really happened to his eye and it's not as glamourous as I thought. While he was at college he got into a fight with a friend over a girl, this led his friend to punch him in the eye. After a few weeks in hospital and some surgery the Dr's discovered that he would also have a perminatly dilated pupil, its this that gave the impression that his eyes were different colours. It was also this that gave him a distinctive look to his image and is probably one of the things that he is remembered for having. He later thanked his friend for giving it to him as it made him different and unique. For years I have wanted a husky, because Bowie and huskys have the same eye condition I would love to name one after him for that reason. 

6. Blackstar

This was the last album that Bowie made, it was released on his 69th birthday which was 2 days before his death. When I first heard it I will admit I wasn't to sure on it as to me it didn't sound like Bowie. But the more I listened to it the more I started to like it. My favourite song from the album has to be Lazarus, there is so much meaning to the song and when really sit down and listen you can tell that it is in some ways his own goodbye and parting message to his fan's. The first line "Look up here, I'm in heaven" makes me cry every time I hear it as I can just picture him up there in heaven along side people like Freddie Mercury. There is also a line in the title track that makes me cry, "Something happened on the day he died, spirit rose a metre and stepped aside, somebody else took his place, and bravely cried". When read that lyric, especially the last line it makes me feel as though he stepped aside for someone else to take over, but we all know nobody could ever replace Bowie! 

7."I don't know where I'm going" Quote

The full quote is "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring". This is the quote I went with when I got my tattoo dedicated to Bowie. Like I mentioned above it was between this quote and a lyric from the song Heroes. But when I read this for the first time to me it sumed up Bowie so much. For me he never had a boring life and didn't really seem to know what he had set out to do. Plus knowing that I had a Freddie Mercury quote tattoo done a few year's earlier, I wanted something that would fit along side it and match.

8. Major Tom

Everyone knows who Major Tom was, but does everyone know that Bowie based Major Tom on himself. Tom was first mentioned in the song Space Oddity, he was a space man who had been sent into space before he was left spinning around in space after the connection with ground control was lost. He was next mentioned in Ashes to Ashes, when I took this song apart that's when I realised that the character of Tom was Bowie. In the song Tom is mentioned as being a junkie, which at this time we all know that Bowie himself was a junkie. It was as though he was telling part of his life through a character or mask, which Bowie was good at doing. He was in some ways in other songs, but there was no really mention until one of Bowie's last songs. Blackstar was released just days before his death but the song has no mention of Tom, except for the music video. There is a dead astronaut, it's believed that this was fate of Major Tom and in some ways is another goodbye from Bowie as he finishes with one of the first characters he ever wrote about and created. 

9.Working With Queen 

Not only am I a massive fan of Bowie but I am also a massive fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury. So when they did the song Under Pressure together, can imagine my joy. Now I obviously wasn't around when this song was made, and I can't remember when I first heard it, but when I noticed that it was there 2 legends I loved it even more. The bass line is so iconic and was nearly forgotten when writing the song, but it's a good thing it was remembered or things would have been different. I love this song and this partnership because its so of the most amazing, iconic and popular people in music doing a song together. They both have talents that can be seen in this song. It just makes me happy to know that 2 people who I look up to and see as legends did this together. When Freddie died in 1994, Bowie sung this song with Annie Lennox at his memorial concert. 

10. The Man Himself 

I couldn't not put Bowie himself on this list. This man to me is an icon and now a legend, he will go down in history for his music and his well known characters. For me he was a man well ahead of his time not only with the music he created but with the looks that he created. He may not have known what he was trying to achieve but he got there in so many ways. He taught me so much about myself and for that I will be thankful to him. He taught me that I should always be myself even if I wear a mask or not, just like he did with Ziggy. He also taught me to follow my dreams, even if you don't fully know what they are but at the same time to live a fun and rewarding life. 

That's is, that's my top 10 things about Bowie, I really enjoyed doing this as it allowed me to think back to so many memories and to remember so much. I love and miss Bowie whenever I hear his voice as it still feel as though he is still here and will make a new album or song, but deep down I know that he isn't here.