Subterraneans
Encyclopedia
"Subterraneans" is a song by David Bowie
for his album Low (1977). Subterraneans is mostly instrumental, with brief, obscure lyrics sung near the song's end.
The final song of Low, "Subterraneans" was meant to invoke the misery of those in East Berlin
during the Cold War
. According to Bowie, people who "got caught in East Berlin
after the separation - hence the faint jazz
saxophone
s representing the memory of what it was."
, this song is among Bowie's most subdued and ambient
. "Subterraneans" was ultimately the most heavily edited song on Low, with the reversed instrument sounds, saxophone, and multilayered synthesizers from Brian Eno
which float underneath a moaned vocal that is wordless
until about the final ninety seconds. The synthesiser melody
is identical to a motif
from Edward Elgar's
"Nimrod", the 9th Enigma Variation
.
The piece was rumoured to be originally intended for use in the soundtrack to the film The Man Who Fell to Earth
, in which Bowie played the lead role. Though this rumour was false, the reversed track used as the bassline
in this piece was actually the only remaining intact part of the film soundtrack that Bowie used on the Low album.
, which Bowie had previously used and expressed admiration for.
According to the liner notes to the 1999 Virgin Records
rerelease of Low, the lyrics are:
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...
for his album Low (1977). Subterraneans is mostly instrumental, with brief, obscure lyrics sung near the song's end.
The final song of Low, "Subterraneans" was meant to invoke the misery of those in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. According to Bowie, people who "got caught in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
after the separation - hence the faint jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s representing the memory of what it was."
Musical characteristics
Together with "Ian Fish, U.K. Heir" and "The Mysteries" from The Buddha of SuburbiaThe Buddha of Suburbia (soundtrack)
The Buddha of Suburbia is a 1993 soundtrack album by David Bowie which accompanied the 4-part television serial The Buddha of Suburbia on BBC2 ....
, this song is among Bowie's most subdued and ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
. "Subterraneans" was ultimately the most heavily edited song on Low, with the reversed instrument sounds, saxophone, and multilayered synthesizers from Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
which float underneath a moaned vocal that is wordless
Mouth music
Mouth music may refer to:* Puirt a beul, a Scottish traditional music style* Mouth Music , a band who sings in that style....
until about the final ninety seconds. The synthesiser melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
is identical to a motif
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
from Edward Elgar's
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
"Nimrod", the 9th Enigma Variation
Enigma Variations
Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra , Op. 36, commonly referred to as the Enigma Variations, is a set of a theme and its fourteen variations written for orchestra by Edward Elgar in 1898–1899. It is Elgar's best-known large-scale composition, for both the music itself and the...
.
The piece was rumoured to be originally intended for use in the soundtrack to the film The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Man Who Fell to Earth (film)
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fiction film directed by Nicolas Roeg.The film is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, about an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought...
, in which Bowie played the lead role. Though this rumour was false, the reversed track used as the bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
in this piece was actually the only remaining intact part of the film soundtrack that Bowie used on the Low album.
Lyrics
The lyrics are amongst Bowie's most inaccessible, and - superficially at least - seem to make no sense. Bowie reports that during the recording of Low he was "intolerably bored" with conventional narrative rock and roll lyrics. The lyrics of "Subterraneans" seem to resemble the "cut-up" technique popularized by William S. BurroughsWilliam 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...
, which Bowie had previously used and expressed admiration for.
According to the liner notes to the 1999 Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
rerelease of Low, the lyrics are:
- Share bride failing star
- care-line care-line care-line care-line driving me Shirley, Shirley, Shirley, own.
Live versions
- The song was used as an introduction to Bowie's set during the 1995 Outside tour. It was different from the album version in that its lyrics and musical themes were merged from the song "Scary MonstersScary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (song)"Scary Monsters " is the title track from David Bowie's 1980 album Scary Monsters . It was also issued as the third single from that album in January 1981...
" (which would follow "Subterraneans" on the setlists). This version was performed alongside the co-headliners, Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
.
Cover versions
- Philip GlassPhilip GlassPhilip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
- Low Symphony (1992) - Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
- Live recording (with David Bowie) (1995)
Sources
- Greatorex, Johnathan. "Just a Mortal With Potential." Teenage Wildlife. Nov. 1996. 06 Mar. 2006 <Teenage Wildlife>.