Starman (song)
Encyclopedia
"Starman" is a single by David Bowie
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...

, released in April 1972. The song was a late addition to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...

, included at the insistence of RCA
RCA Records
RCA 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 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single. It replaced the Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...

 cover "Round and Round
Around and Around
"Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single "Johnny B. Goode".- The Rolling Stones :...

" 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. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...

 for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal 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...

magazine in 1973, Ziggy Stardust is not the Starman but merely his earthly messenger – contrary to received opinion which often paints Ziggy as an extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

. The song has inspired interpretations ranging from an allusion to the Second Coming of Christ
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...

, to an accurate prediction of the plot for the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close 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...

(1977).

The music is in a gentle pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock 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 string
String instrument
A 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...

 arrangement by Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...

, not dissimilar to the style of Bowie's previous album Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky 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 Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold 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 composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...

's "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...

" from the film The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...

, alluding to the "Starman"'s extraterrestrial origins (over the rainbow). Other influences cited for the track are the T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...

 songs "Telegram Sam
Telegram Sam
Telegram 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.Perhaps best known for bringing the term "main man" into popular culture, it was number one for two weeks, before being knocked off the top by "Son of My Father"...

" 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
Vanilla Fudge's 1967 psychedelic/hard rock remake of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" reached #6 on the Hot 100 chart two years after the release of the Supremes' recording. While the version released on 45 RPM single was under three minutes long, the album version was extended to six minutes and...

" (the morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...

-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" three years before. NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

critics Roy Carr
Roy Carr
Roy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the late 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...

 and Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles 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 Peel
John Peel
John 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...

 for example calling it "a classic, a gem". Its turning point came when Bowie scored a place on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top 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. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

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 Ayshea
Ayshea
Ayshea , is an English actress, singer and TV presenter.-Biography:Born in Highgate, London and educated at Arts Educational School, London, Ayshea was trained in ballet, music, drama and dance. She made her film debut at age 9 as an uncredited extra at in Tom Thumb. At seventeen, she was signed...

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.

Popular culture

Writer James Robinson
James Dale Robinson
James Dale Robinson is a British writer of comic books and screenplays who is also known for his interest in vintage collectibles and memorabilia. His style is described as smart and energetic, built upon his vast knowledge of obscure continuity from the period known to fans and historians as the...

's acclaimed Starman
Starman (Jack Knight)
Starman is fictional character, a comic book superhero in the , and a member of the Justice Society of America. He is the son of the original Starman, Ted Knight...

series featured a story about an alien named Mikaal Tomas, who went by the alias of Starman while living on Earth. In the opening scene of the tale, Mikaal claims that the people of earth gave him the name due to the similarities between his own life and Bowie's song.

Production credits

  • Producer
    Record producer
    A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

    s:
    • Ken Scott
      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. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...

    • David Bowie
      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...


  • Musician
    Musician
    A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

    s:
    • David Bowie: vocals, acoustic guitar
      Acoustic guitar
      An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

    • Mick Ronson
      Mick Ronson
      Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...

      : lead guitar
      Lead guitar
      Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

      , piano
      Piano
      The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz 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
      Trevor Bolder is an English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with The Spiders From Mars, the one-time backing band for David Bowie, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the...

      : bass
      Bass guitar
      The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    • Mick Woodmansey
      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...

      : drum
      Drum kit
      A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

      s

Other releases

  • The Italian release of "John, I'm Only Dancing
    John, I'm Only Dancing
    "John, I’m Only Dancing" is a single by David Bowie, released in September 1972.-Recording and release: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
    "John, I’m Only Dancing" is a single by David Bowie, released in September 1972.-Recording and release: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 on to Yourself
    "Hang On to 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
      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
      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 (David Bowie album)
      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 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. This album was also included as the first disc of the compilation The Platinum...

      (1997)
    • Best of Bowie
      Best of Bowie
      Best of Bowie is a career-spanning greatest hits album by multi-platinum recording artist David Bowie. The songs range from his second album to 2002. It was released 35 years after his first album, David Bowie....

      (2002)

Cover versions

  • The Italian
    Italy
    Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

     group I Profeti covered the song with the title L'amore mi aiuterà (1972)
  • Nenhum de Nós
    Nenhum de Nós
    Nenhum de Nós is a 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, Sady...

     - Brazilian Portuguese
    Portuguese language
    Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

     version named Astronauta de Mármore (1989) (English: Marble Astronaut)
  • 10,000 Maniacs
    10,000 Maniacs
    10,000 Maniacs is a United States-based alternative rock band, which formed in 1981 and continues to be active with various line-ups.-1981–1993:...

     - Single (1992)
  • Birth Marc - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
  • Phillip Boa
    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
    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 :-Bonus tracks :-External links:****...

  • Culture Club
    Culture Club
    Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...

     - Live recording, Culture anthology album and Don't Mind if I Do
    Don't Mind if I Do
    Don't Mind If I Do is the fifth and final album by new wave 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.-Overview:...

    (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
    Dan is a name. It refers sometimes to the short form of the name Daniel. Dan, or the acronym DAN may refer to the following:Persons* Fyodor Dan, a Russian Marxist revolutionary...

     - Single (1996)
  • Dar Williams
    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
    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 Slacks
    Blood on the Slacks
    Blood on the Slacks is the fourth full-length 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
    Joe Dolan
    Joseph "Joe" Francis Robert Dolan was an Irish entertainer, recorder and singer of easy listening songs...

     - 21st Century Joe
  • Leningrad Cowboys
    Leningrad Cowboys
    The Leningrad Cowboys is a Finnish rock band famous for humorously making rock and roll covers of popular songs, exaggerated pompadour hairstyles, long, pointy shoes, often featuring a Russian military band, the Alexandrov Ensemble.-Beginnings:...

     - Zombie's Paradise
  • Magni Asgeirsson
    Magni Ásgeirsson
    Guðmundur Magni Ásgeirsson , is a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also currently the frontman for the Icelandic pop band Á Móti Sól. Outside of Iceland, he is most famous for being a contestant on the CBS reality show Rock Star: Supernova.-Biography:The third of four children, Magni was...

     - Rock Star: Supernova (2006)
  • Mates of State
    Mates of State
    Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel .Over the course of the band's fourteen year career, they've released three EPs and six full-length, studio...

     - All Day EP
  • Nosferatu
    Nosferatu (band)
    Nosferatu is an English gothic rock band formed in March 1988 by Damien DeVille, Vlad Janicek, and Sapphire Aurora. Their albums, singles, and DVD have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, making them one of the most successful second wave gothic rock groups....

     - Goth Oddity - A Tribute to David Bowie (1999)
  • Of Montreal
    Of Montreal
    Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...

     - Live on their 2007 tour
  • Seu Jorge
    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 Portuguese
    Portuguese language
    Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

     version (previously composed by Nenhum de Nós) for the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
    The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
    The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is an American comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. on December 25, 2004...

    (2004)
  • Slackdaddy
    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
    The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with sixteen Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville , Ted Kowalski , Phil Levitt , and Bill Reed .-1950s:...

     - Million Copy Hit Songs Made Famous By Elton John & David Bowie
  • The Glitter Band
    The Glitter Band
    The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first four hit singles by Gary Glitter from 1972 to 1973. The...

     - Wham Bam, Thank You Glam (1996)
  • The Living Sisters
    The Living Sisters
    The Living Sisters is a folk supergroup consisting of Inara George, Becky Stark and Eleni Mandell. The members began collaborating in 2006 during breaks from their other projects...

     - Love to Live (2010)
  • The Rockridge Synthesiser Orchestra - Plays David Bowie Classic Trax
  • Tomoyasu Hotei
    Tomoyasu Hotei
    is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Hotei at number 70 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.- Life and career :...

     - Guitarhythm 2 (1991)
  • The Dykeenies
    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
    Gabriele Susanne Kerner , better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer and actress. She rose to international fame in 1983 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons". In 1984, she re-recorded this song in English as "99 Red Balloons". Nena was also the name of the band with whom she...

     - Cover me (2007)
  • Shawn Mars - Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie (2007)
  • John C. Reilly
    John C. Reilly
    John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. 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 films, including three separate films in 2002...

     - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
    Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
    Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a 2007 music comedy film written and produced by Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan, directed by Kasdan and starring John C. Reilly...

    soundtrack (2007)
  • Korean
    South Korea
    The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

     rock band Jaurim
    Jaurim
    Jaurim is a rock band from Seoul, South Korea. They had performed in the indie scene before 1997, and became major with their first released single 'Hey Hey Hey'...

    - 靑春禮瓚 (청춘예찬) (2005)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK