"
Starman" is a single by
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, released in April 1972. The song was a late addition to
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English rock musician David Bowie. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music Charts. A concert film of the same name directed by D.A...
, included at the insistence of
RCARCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single. It replaced the
Chuck BerryCharles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
cover "
Round and Round"Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written by Chuck Berry.The Rolling Stones covered the song on their second US album 12 X 5 in 1964. It was also included on the 1977 live album Love You Live, as part of the El Mocambo club gig in Toronto....
" on the album.
The lyrics describe Ziggy Stardust bringing a message of hope to Earth's youth through the radio, salvation by an alien 'Starman'.
"
Starman" is a single by
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, released in April 1972. The song was a late addition to
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English rock musician David Bowie. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music Charts. A concert film of the same name directed by D.A...
, included at the insistence of
RCARCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single. It replaced the
Chuck BerryCharles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
cover "
Round and Round"Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written by Chuck Berry.The Rolling Stones covered the song on their second US album 12 X 5 in 1964. It was also included on the 1977 live album Love You Live, as part of the El Mocambo club gig in Toronto....
" on the album.
Music and lyrics
The lyrics describe Ziggy Stardust bringing a message of hope to Earth's youth through the radio, salvation by an alien 'Starman'. The story is told from the point of view of one of the youths who hears Ziggy. According to Bowie himself, speaking to
William S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer.Much of Burroughs's work is semi-autobiographical, drawn from his experiences as an opiate addict, a condition that marked the last fifty years of his life...
for
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine in 1973, Ziggy Stardust is
not the Starman but merely his earthly messenger – contrary to received opinion which often paints Ziggy as an
extraterrestrialExtraterrestrial life is defined as life which does not originate from planet Earth. The existence of life outside the planet is theoretical and all assertions of such life remain disputed....
. The song has inspired interpretations ranging from an allusion to the
Second Coming of ChristIn most Christian theologies, the Second Coming of Christ is the return of Jesus from Heaven to earth, an event expected to fulfill aspects of Biblical Messianic prophecy, such as the general resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment of the dead and the living and the full establishment of the...
, to an accurate prediction of the plot for the film
Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Cary Guffey. It tells the story of Roy Neary, an Indiana electrical lineman, whose life changes...
(1977).
The music is in a gentle
pop rockPop rock is a mix of pop music and rock music utilizing a catchy pop style with light lyrics, and guitar-based songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
vein, featuring prominent acoustic guitar and a
stringA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones. The most common string instruments in the string family are guitar, violin, viola,...
arrangement by
Mick RonsonMichael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is most well known for his work with David Bowie from 1970 to 1973, Bowie's glam rock period, including being part of The Spiders from Mars band.He also had a solo career, the most notable...
, not dissimilar to the style of Bowie's previous album
Hunky DoryHunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
(1971). The chorus is loosely based on
Harold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music.Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to being the composer of The Wizard of Oz, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook.His 1938 song "Over the Rainbow”...
's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the film
The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical / fantasy film directed mainly by Victor Fleming from a script by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, and others and based on the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum...
. Other influences cited for the track are the
T. RexT. Rex were an English rock band fronted by guitarist, singer and songwriter Marc Bolan. Formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1960s London, the folk rock group's debut album My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows reached number 15 in the UK...
songs "
Telegram SamTelegram Sam was the third UK number one single for the British rock group T. Rex. The song also appeared on their 1972 album The Slider....
" and "Hot Love" (the "boogie" references and "la la la" chorus) and Holland–Dozier–Holland's "
You Keep Me Hangin' On"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a 1966 number-one hit song originally recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, the song became The Supremes' eighth number-one single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for two...
" (the
morse codeMorse code is a type of character encoding that transmits telegraphic information using rhythm. Morse code uses a standardized sequence of short and long elements to represent the letters, numerals, punctuation and special characters of a given message...
-esque guitar and piano breaks).
Release and aftermath
From a commercial point of view, "Starman" was a milestone in Bowie’s career, his first hit since 1969's "
Space Oddity"Space Oddity" is a song written and performed by David Bowie and released as a single in 1969. It is about the launch of Major Tom, a fictional astronaut. The song appears on the album Space Oddity...
" three years before.
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
critics
Roy CarrRoy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...
and
Charles Shaar MurrayCharles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist.His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
reported that "many thought it was his first
record since 'Space Oddity'", and assumed that it was a sequel to the earlier single.
The single initially sold steadily rather than spectacularly but earned many positive reviews,
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and...
for example calling it "a classic, a gem". Its turning point came when Bowie scored a place on
Top of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, before being moved to Fridays in 1996, and then moved to Sundays on BBC...
in July 1972 (although this performance is often cited as being the first UK TV performance of the song, this wasn't so, as it was performed on ITV's
Lift Off With AysheaAyshea was the stage name of Ayshea Brough. She was a British singer, model, actress and television presenter, born in London on 12 November 1948, although her year of birth was sometimes given as 1951 for publicity purposes...
three weeks earlier). His performance with the Spiders became famous; according to author David Buckley, "Many fans date their conversion to all things Bowie to this
Top of the Pops appearance". It embedded Ziggy Stardust in the nation’s consciousness, helping push "Starman" to #10 and the album, released the previous month, to #5. The single remained in the UK charts for 11 weeks. In the US it peaked at #65.
In February 1999,
Q magazine listed the single as one of the 100 greatest singles of all time, as voted by readers.
Production credits
- Producer
In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
s:
- Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios...
- David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
- Musician
A musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
s:
- David Bowie: vocals, acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. The term is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which depend on electronic amplification to make their sound audible....
- Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is most well known for his work with David Bowie from 1970 to 1973, Bowie's glam rock period, including being part of The Spiders from Mars band.He also had a solo career, the most notable...
: lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
, pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder is an English rock bass guitarist.-Biography:Bolder was active in his native R&B scene in the mid 1960s. He first came to prominence in The Rats, which also featured Mick Ronson on lead guitar...
: bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Mick Woodmansey
Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey is an English rock drummer from Driffield, Yorkshire, best known for his work with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars...
: drumA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
s
Other releases
- The Italian release of "John, I'm Only Dancing
"John, I’m Only Dancing" is a single by David Bowie, released in September 1972. The song was widely believed to be concerned with a homosexual relationship, the narrator informing his boyfriend not to worry about the girl he's with because he's "only dancing" with her...
" from September 1972 used "Starman" as the B-side.
- The Portuguese release of the single had "John, I'm Only Dancing
"John, I’m Only Dancing" is a single by David Bowie, released in September 1972. The song was widely believed to be concerned with a homosexual relationship, the narrator informing his boyfriend not to worry about the girl he's with because he's "only dancing" with her...
" and "Hang on to Yourself"Hang Onto Yourself" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 and released as a single under the name Arnold Corns. A re-recorded version was released on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars...
" as additional B-sides.
- It appeared on numerous compilations:
- The Best of David Bowie (Japan 1974)
- Best of Bowie (1980)
- Chameleon (Australia & New Zealand 1979)
- ChangesTwoBowie
ChangesTwoBowie, released in 1981, was a David Bowie compilation album issued by RCA Records. Its title and packaging followed the format of RCA's first Bowie compilation, ChangesOneBowie in 1976. As well as post-1976 singles, the album collected songs from earlier in Bowie's career that had not...
(1981)
- Fame and Fashion
-Side one:# "Space Oddity" – 5:15# "Changes" – 3:33# "Starman" – 4:10# "1984" – 3:24# "Young Americans" – 5:10# "Fame" – 4:00-Side two:# "Golden Years" – 4:03# "TVC 15" – 5:29# " "Heroes" " – 6:07...
(1984)
- Starman (Russia 1989)
- The Singles Collection
The Singles Collection is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1993 in the UK and as The Singles 1969 to 1993 in the United States...
(1993)
- The Best of 1969/1974
The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 is an album by David Bowie, released by EMI in 1997. The US release of the album was pulled from the stores because of a large number of inaccuracies in the credits and liner notes...
(1997)
Cover versions
- The italian
Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
group I Profeti covered the song with the title L'amore mi aiuterà (1972)
- Nenhum de Nós
Nenhum de Nós is a popular brazilian rock band that started in the 80s and continues to this day.-History:After having helped form the band Engenheiros do Hawaii and playing in two shows, Carlos Stein left the band to form another band with some friends that he had known since elementary school,...
- Brazilian PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
version named Astronauta de Mármore (1989) (english: Marble Astronaut)
- 10,000 Maniacs
10,000 Maniacs is a United States-based alternative rock band, formed in 1981 and continues to be active with various line-ups.-1981-1993:The band was formed as Still Life in 1981 in Jamestown, New York, by Dennis Drew , Steve Gustafson , Chet Cardinale , Robert Buck , and Terry Newhouse...
- Single (1992)
- Birth Marc - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
- Phillip Boa
Phillip Boa is a German independent music singer, guitarist and composer.-Music:In 1985, he founded the Independent band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub...
- Fine Art on Silver, also released as a single
- Bob Downe - Greatest Hits
- Boy Eats Drum Machine - Bonus digital-only track on Bridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilation
Bridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilation is a compilation album released April 17, 2007 by Arena Rock Recording Co. to benefit .- Track listing :The Decemberists - "Think about Me"
Originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac
...
- Culture Club
Culture Club were a British pop group that formed in the early 1980s. The band consisted of Boy George , Andy Woodard , Roy Hay , and Jon Moss...
- Live recording, Culture anthology album and Don't Mind if I DoDon't Mind If I Do is an album by pop rock/new wave/reggae band Culture Club, released in 1999 for the Virgin label. The album has been released only in Europe and Japan. Some promo copies circulated in Australia too....
(1999); also included on Starman: Rare and Exclusive Versions of 18 Classic David Bowie Songs, CD premium from the March 2003 issue of Uncut magazine. Also released as a double A-Side in November 1999, reaching number 43 in the UK singles chart.
- Dan
Dan is a masculine name. It refers sometimes to the short form of the name Daniel. Dan, or the acronym DAN may refer to the following:Persons* Fedor Dan, a Russian Marxist revolutionary...
- Single (1996)
- Dar Williams
Dar Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.-Biography:Williams was born...
- Web release
- Golden Smog
Golden Smog is a loosely connected group of musicians comprised, at various times, of members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, The Honeydogs and Big Star...
- Blood on the SlacksBlood on the Slacks is the fifth album by Golden Smog. It was released by Lost Highway Records on April 24, 2007, less than a year after their previous album, Another Fine Day...
- Joe Dolan
Joseph "Joe" Francis Robert Dolan was an Irish compositer, entertainer, recorder and singer of easy listening songs.-Life and career:...
- 21st Century Joe
- Leningrad Cowboys
The Leningrad Cowboys is a Finnish rock band famous for its humorous songs, ludicrous hairstyles and concerts featuring the Russian military band Alexandrov ensemble.-Beginnings:...
- Zombie's Paradise
- Magni Asgeirsson
Guðmundur Magni Ásgeirsson , is a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also currently the frontman for the Icelandic pop band Á Móti Sól...
- Rock Star: Supernova (2006)
- Mates of State
Mates of State are an American indie rock duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel Mates of State are an American indie rock duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team Kori Gardner (vocals, Yamaha...
- All Day EP
- Nosferatu
Nosferatu is an English Gothic rock band formed in March 1988 by Damien DeVille, Vlad Janicek, and Sapphire Aurora. They are one of the most successful second wave Gothic rock groups in the world. Their albums, singles, and DVD have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide...
- Goth Oddity - A Tribute to David Bowie (1999)
- Of Montreal
of Montreal is an American indie pop band formed in Athens, Georgia. Fronted by Kevin Barnes, it was among the second wave of groups to emerge from The Elephant 6 Recording Company.-History:...
- Live on their 2007 tour
- Seu Jorge
Seu Jorge is a Brazilian musician, singer/songwriter and actor. Born Jorge Mário da Silva, he was raised in a favela in the city of Belford Roxo in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro state. He is considered by his fans a renewer of Brazilian pop samba...
- Brazilian PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
version (previously composed by Nenhum de Nós) for the film The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is Wes Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. on December 25 2004. It was written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach and was filmed in and around Naples, Ponza and the Italian Riviera....
(2004)
- Slackdaddy
Slackdaddy is a three-piece Rock/Alternative/Indy bandfrom Athens, Georgia. The band consists of Andrew McCain on Guitar/Vocals, Bryan J. Howard on Bass, and Ian Werden on Drums.-Early years:...
- Loving the Alien: Athens Georgia Salutes David Bowie
- Techno Cowboy - The Ziggy Stardust Omnichord Album (2009)
- The Diamonds
The Diamonds were a Canadian quartet of the 1950s and early 1960s who rose to prominence performing mostly cover versions of songs by black musicians...
- Million Copy Hit Songs Made Famous By Elton John & David Bowie
- The Glitter Band
The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band, but in 1973 began releasing records of their own...
- Wham Bam, Thank You Glam (1996)
- The Rockridge Synthesiser Orchestra - Plays David Bowie Classic Trax
- Tomoyasu Hotei
is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor.-Biography: Hotei first began playing the guitar in junior high school. In high school, his band “Blue Film” finished runners up in a school contest to “Death Penalty", a band led by Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei was expelled shortly before graduation...
- Guitarhythm 2 (1991)
- The Dykeenies
The Dykeenies are a Scottish indie rock band from Cumbernauld, formed in 2005. The group consists of brothers Brian Henderson and Andrew Henderson , along with Steven Ramsay and John Kerr...
- Live at their Apple Store Glasgow show (2007)
- Nena
Nena is a German singer and actress. She rose to international fame in 1984 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons", re-recorded in English as "99 Red Balloons". "Nena" was also the name of the band with whom she released the song...
- Cover me (2007)
- John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly is an American actor. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty film productions, including three separate films in 2002, each of which were nominated for...
- Walk Hard soundtrack (2007)