Cygnet Committee
Encyclopedia
"Cygnet Committee" is a song written by David Bowie
in 1969 for his second eponymous album (released in the U.S. as Man of Words, Man of Music and re-released in 1972 as Space Oddity
). At over 9 minutes this ambitious progressive
folk rock
song was Bowie's longest studio recording until the opening/title track
of 1976's Station to Station
.
called "Lover to the Dawn". In 1968, he recorded an acetate demo
of the song as a duet with John Hutchinson. "Lover to the Dawn" was intended as material for Bowie's soon-defunct folk combo, Feathers, which also included Hermione Farthingale, his girlfriend at the time. On Bowie's 1969 album, Farthingale was to become the subject of two other songs ("Letter to Hermione
" and "An Occasional Dream
") mourning the end of their relationship.
During 1969, Bowie and his new girlfriend, Angela Barnett
(who would become his wife in 1970; they divorced in 1980), lived in Beckenham
, where they ran the Arts Lab, trying to encourage young people to be creative. However, Bowie soon quit the Arts Lab, when he realized that most people were coming just to see him perform and not to participate. His disappointing encounter with the hippie
s during this time is the basis for the song, as he felt he was used and abused by the teens: "I gave them [my] life... They drained my very soul..."
that had been hoped for. The mottoes of the new state are, "I will kill for the good of the fight for the right to be right," and "We can force you to be free." Near the end of the song, the narrator describes what has become of the revolution:
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
in 1969 for his second eponymous album (released in the U.S. as Man of Words, Man of Music and re-released in 1972 as Space Oddity
Space Oddity (album)
-Release history:-7" open reel tape releases:There was only one release of Space Oddity on open reel, in 1972 duplicated by Magtec, North Hollywood, CA 91605. This is a high speed 7.5 ips release...
). At over 9 minutes this ambitious progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
song was Bowie's longest studio recording until the opening/title track
Station to Station (song)
"Station to Station" is a song written by David Bowie in 1975 and released in 1976. It is the title track and opener for the album of the same name. The song is Bowie's longest studio recording, clocking in just above 10 minutes...
of 1976's Station to Station
Station to Station
Station to Station is the tenth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1976. Commonly regarded as one of his most significant works, Station to Station is also notable as the vehicle for Bowie's last great 'character', The Thin White Duke...
.
Lyrical background
"Cygnet Committee" developed from an earlier composition of Bowie's that had been written in the style of Simon and GarfunkelSimon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
called "Lover to the Dawn". In 1968, he recorded an acetate demo
Acetate disc
An acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
of the song as a duet with John Hutchinson. "Lover to the Dawn" was intended as material for Bowie's soon-defunct folk combo, Feathers, which also included Hermione Farthingale, his girlfriend at the time. On Bowie's 1969 album, Farthingale was to become the subject of two other songs ("Letter to Hermione
Letter to Hermione
"Letter to Hermione" is a song written by David Bowie in 1969 for the album Space Oddity. This ballad is a love letter to Hermione Farthingale, whom Bowie met through Lindsay Kemp. She became Bowie's girlfriend and they lived together for a short while in London in 1968...
" and "An Occasional Dream
An Occasional Dream
An Occasional Dream is a song written by David Bowie in 1969 for the album Space Oddity. It is a gentle love song with flute arrangement about a brief and intense affair....
") mourning the end of their relationship.
During 1969, Bowie and his new girlfriend, Angela Barnett
Angela Bowie
Angela Bowie is an American cover girl, model, actress and musician. She is the former wife of English musician David Bowie and mother of film director Duncan Jones.-Early life:...
(who would become his wife in 1970; they divorced in 1980), lived in Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, where they ran the Arts Lab, trying to encourage young people to be creative. However, Bowie soon quit the Arts Lab, when he realized that most people were coming just to see him perform and not to participate. His disappointing encounter with the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s during this time is the basis for the song, as he felt he was used and abused by the teens: "I gave them [my] life... They drained my very soul..."
Plot
As with many of Bowie's works, the song is a dystopian narrative. One strand of the story concerns a man who helped revolutionaries establish a new order by, "open[ing] doors that would have blocked their way" and "ravag[ing] at my finance." The revolutionaries, "let him use his powers," so they could "infiltrate business cesspools/Hating through our sleeves." But "now [they] are strong" while the man "sits alone growing older" having been forgotten by those he helped. The other strand of the story describes the post-revolutionary world, revealing that it is not the utopiaUtopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
that had been hoped for. The mottoes of the new state are, "I will kill for the good of the fight for the right to be right," and "We can force you to be free." Near the end of the song, the narrator describes what has become of the revolution:
- A love machine lumbers through desolation rows
- Plowing down man, woman, listening to its command
- But not hearing anymore.
Live versions
- Bowie played the song at The Sunday Show introduced by John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on 2 February 1970. This was broadcast on 8 February 1970 and in 2000 was released on the album Bowie at the BeebBowie at the BeebBowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three CD set, the third, bonus CD being a recording on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre...
.
Other releases
- It was released as the B-side of the Eastern European single "The Width of a CircleThe Width of a Circle"The Width of a Circle" is a song written by David Bowie in 1970 for the album The Man Who Sold the World, released later that year in the U.S. and in April 1971 in the UK. It is the opening track to the album, a hard rocker with heavy metal overtones...
" in June 1973. - It appeared on the Japanese compilation The Best of David Bowie in 1974.