I’ve thought about posting this for a while but, being the Dope, I have a feeling I know the answers I’ll get… but I am genuinely asking.
I frequently read about what a force he was:
And on and on.
I’m not knocking him, I don’t hate him, I’m just having trouble seeing his massive influence.
One thing that I notice is that his music doesn’t seem pervasive in the culture like, say, the Beatles or the Stones. I read that he sold over 100 million albums but I almost never hear his music on the radio. Or in stores or in elevators. So clearly a lot of people like his music but I would think that if he is such a musical force, there would be a lot more of his music lingering in our current zeitgeist.
Did he have a string of hits and I just missed them? Because lets be honest, as lyrics and melodies go, Major Tom is mediocre at best. And when was the last time you heard it these days?
It probably depends on the type of music you’re listening too. I see all sorts of influences in later “glam rock” and/or “hair rock”, styles that were full of flamboyant, theatrical, over-the-top leading men and ladies, where it was about appearance on MTV as much as the music (or more so).
I’d also say Bowie’s lyrics tended (not always by any means) to have more meaning and depth of storytelling than a lot of the other surf or self-indulgent rock, which had influence on lots of later singer-songwriters.
But it’s the first point that sells it for me - huge acts like Madonna, Prince, et al of the 80s seem to be a direct lineage from Bowie, even if it’s not specifically his musical style that’s being inherited.
The influence certainly has been VERY strong in the underground, moreso than in the mainstream, and that has been true for half a century+ now I’d say, but probably has waned a fair amount this century. I cannot speak for muzak, internet, radio, and other programmers, but I too haven’t heard much of anything by him in a public place or TV show/movie in quite awhile, but open to being proved wrong.
He was also someone who helped support other acts, like Devo.
He also partnered with Brian Eno for years. In this article, he is credited with helping Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Tina Turner get their careers turned around.
(I admit that I don’t know anything about the other two artists in that article.)
My point is that Bowie’s influence goes beyond just the music that he performed.
He had three top-40 songs in the U.S. in 1975 (“Young Americans,” “Golden Years,” and “Fame,” which hit #1), and his 1970s albums nearly always made the top 40 in the U.S.
“Under Pressure” (#29 in 1981) was his first top-40 song in the U.S. in six years. He left his longtime U.S. label, RCA, in '82, and signed with EMI; his first album after that, Let’s Dance, was a renaissance for him here, with three top-10 singles.
I think it depends on what stations you’re listening to. I agree with the below:
…which get frequent play on '70s and classic rock stations.
I feel like I’ve heard some of his songs used in commercials recently (“Starman” comes to mind), but I suspect that some bands, like the Stones, have been more vigorous in selling their music for commercial use.
Yeah. I hear his songs all the time. For example, I just checked the playlist for WXRT, our local eclectic rock station, and David Bowie was played three times in the last 24 hours, the last two and a half hours ago: “Modern Love,” “Changes,” “China Girl.”
The final song in the “Stranger Things” series, one the bigger TV pop culture phenomena of the last few years, was “Heroes.” Plus the Peter Gabriel version of the song was used twice before in the series.
One thing about Bowie is that his style didn’t simply evolve over time; he actively re-invented his musical style, and his persona, repeatedly over the course of his career.
Just thinking about a few of his best-known songs:
“Space Oddity” is prog-tinged psychedelic folk rock
Yeah, it took me a long time to realise how many songs he sang because he had so many different sounds over his career (and I have a lousy memory). Just the other day I was wondering who sang “Rebel Rebel”, for instance.
Amazing musician, composer, lyricist.
His work sits up there in mind right next to Elton John / Bernie Taupin, Paul McCartney / John Lennon, and a few others.
Even though I can’t listen to some of his stuff (“Fame” and “Let’s Dance” are not my style), I appreciate the artistry.
My favorite Bowie trivia: He wrote “All the Young Dudes” and gave it to Mott the Hoople, and that song saved them. What a great guy.
Though he wasn’t a great musician, David Bowie had a very good eye for talent, and excellent intuition for knowing what “works” in music. When he became the producer for Lou Reed’s Transformer album, he knew Reed was a lousy musician, so he brought on some real talent (Mick Ronson). That album was successful because of Ronson’s talent, and Bowie’s skill of knowing what works and who to hire; Reed didn’t have much to do with the album.
I’d be inclined to say his appeal was more theatrical than musical?
To my ear, a lot of his songs seem to be rather ‘pasted together’… they don’t ‘flow’ very organically. He didn’t seem to have the natural melodic and harmonic talents of, say McCartney or Paul Simon.
Just some speculation based on nothing more than being a person with a slightly above average amount of knowledge around certain corners of music:
Is it possible that his fame (heh) and influence is more apparent in the UK? I feel like there are a few acts often described as vital (The Kinks come to mind) who were never consistent chart-toppers in the US.
Bowie was influenced by The Velvet Underground… another band that countless musicians have referenced as inspirational but most people couldn’t identify a single song from. There’s an avant-garde element to Bowie- he was involved in and evolved a particular approach to music and to being a musician that set a course for others. He was a scene-maker and a trend-setter.
