つい先日、夫とリリースされたばかりのボウイのアルバムを聴いたばかり。突然の悲報に驚いています。
2年前、夫の父は癌で亡くなりました。義理の父は高齢であったのに、癌の転移スピードは驚異的でした。
発見が早くても増殖スピードが恐ろしく早く、あっとゆう間に転移してしまう（遠隔転移）癌があります。
ボウイの死については肺癌から肝臓に転移したくらいしか伝えられていませんが、18ヶ月という短い期間だったということで夫と私は死んだ父を思い浮かべました。
いろいろな事を考えるボウイの悲報です。
10. “Golden Years” (from Station to Station)
In a record primarily characterized by electronic textures and Euro-influenced techno, “Golden Years” serves as a pleasant oddity. Propelled by the kind of funk/soul beat that would have not seemed out of place on Young Americans, “Golden Years” casts Bowie in a lounge lizard role, albeit with one sleek backing track that you just want to soundtrack whatever Saturday Night Fever-esque strut you’ve got.
9. Oh! You Pretty Things” (from Hunky Dory)
BBC Motion Gallery
Originally prepped to be Hunky Dory’s first single, Bowie opted for “Changes” instead.While that seemed to be the correct decision in retrospect, one cannot help but wish this track had been given more attention. Anchored by some cabaret-esque piano, the song rises to a hooky chorus that probably made Paul McCartney jealous.
8. “The Jean Genie” (from Aladdin Sane)
This video was recorded on 3rd January 1973, broadcast on 4th January 1973. Lost and never seen again until broadcast by the BBC on 21st December 2011. God bless the BBC ! See the story of the discovery of the lost footage
7. “The Man Who Sold the World” (from The Man Who Sold the World)
“The Man Who Sold the World” stands as one of the creepiest songs in Bowie’s oeuvre. The fact that the vocals sound reminiscent of a snake hissing through water do little to alleviate this. Like many Bowie songs, this proved to be a popular standard. The most famous cover of which no doubt remains Kurt Cobain’s haunting, anguished version in Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged special.
6. Ziggy Stardust (from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust)
5. “Under Pressure” (from Queen’s Hot Space)
Yes, this is technically on a Queen album. And, yes, it’s been overplayed to death in countless movie and TV trailers. Need to make a character’s intense anxiety look charming? This is the song for you. Ultimately, however, this does not detract from John Deacon’s bass line or the way in which Freddie Mercury’s soaring vocals and Bowie’s understated crooning so perfectly complement each other. There are some songs that just deserved to be overplayed. This is one of them.
4. “Heroes” (“Heroes”)
Whenever one discusses the career of David Bowie, the word chameleon inevitably find its way into the discourse. And, yes, Bowie was indeed a master of adjusting himself to fit different trends and stage personalities. Yet such a characterization also implies a cold, disconnection. It connotes one who keeps emotion and heart-baring sentiments at an arm’s length. Such are the criticisms often thrown at Bowie and those of his ilk.
Then there’s “Heroes.” Gone is the theatricality. Gone is the subversive musical throwbacks. Gone is any sense of irony. All that’s left is a man singing self-consciously over the beautiful, hypnotic waves of undulating electronic noises that surround him. Bowie originally wrote the song after spotting a pair of lovers rendezvousing under the Berlin Wall. Intrigued, Bowie envisioned their story. Like all the best Bowie tracks, this one is a build. It begins with whispered, cooing, with the narrator imploring his companion to be his queen. Approximately three minutes in, the tone of Bowie’s voice dramatically shifts into an emotional wail. By the time he gets to the line “We’re nothing / And nothing can help us,” his voice is cracked with emotion.
Despite its progressive sound, “Heroes” betrays some very old-fashioned sentiments. It’s the emotionally gripping tale about a man desperately seeking the comforts of love and the always effervescent warmth of happiness—if just for one day. Bowie had written sad songs before but never has he sounded so, well, achingly human.
3. “Young Americans” (from Young Americans)
The words “English glam rocker” and “Philly soul” sound like they should go together about as well as Morrissey and McDonald’s. Yet, not only does Bowie pull it off, but the result is one of his strongest songs to date. Over a blaring sax and soulful backup singers, Bowie constructs—a happy song about a decidedly miserable situation. He even manages to slip in a “Day in the Life” reference in there. If there were ever any doubts regarding Bowie’s range as a musical artist, this shattered them all in one fell swoop.
2. “Space Oddity” (from Space Oddity)
It’s telling that, 40-plus years after its initial release, “Space Oddity” remains a weird, weird song. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, the song spins the tale of “Major Tom” an unfortunate astronaunt trapped drifiting in space. While many of Bowie’s best are based around the gradual build or surprising the listener, this is by far the one that does it best. “Space Oddity” certainly feels like two or three different parts of songs melded together. That Bowie makes it seem so seamless is a sign of his mastery. And who doesn’t inadvertently clap along to that middle section? Just sayin’.
1. “Life on Mars?” (from Hunky Dory)
Hunky Dory remains Bowie’s most consistently enjoyable album. And never has his penchant for sweeping, cabaret-esque theatricality been more apparent than on this surreal track. Beginning with Bowie wailing over a lonely piano, the track quickly builds in intensity, adding a soaring string section that gives the track its Broadway-worthy punctuation.
