# David Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes' - what is he on about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 28, 2001, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188 "2001-02-28T13:13:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reuben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@Reuben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reuben)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/1 "2001-02-28T13:13:29Z")
Although you might think someone would have explained this _somewhere_ on the web, an extensive Google search showed no results. So - can anyone explain what the lines “Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I” and later “But the little green wheels are following me” are on about? And most of the rest of the song? A copy of the full lyrics are at [http://forbowie.tripod.com/songs/ashestoashes.txt](http://forbowie.tripod.com/songs/ashestoashes.txt) I feel like a complete twit singing along to something so incomphrehensible (but the music is irresistable). Many thanks for any help. ---
**Author:** ![tevya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tevya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tevya)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/2 "2001-02-28T15:56:08Z")
> [@](#): > > “Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I” Perhaps this line refers to a media picture / album cover / trashy magazine picture of him – Just a guess here. > [@](#): > > “But the little green wheels are following me” Perhaps this line refers to withdrawal symptoms / hallucinations --just another WAG. Remember that deciphering lyrics is a lot like mind reading. There also may be no answer at all. Sometimes lyrics mean nothing. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/3 "2001-02-28T15:57:12Z")
Generally, I think it’s about a heroin habit, but no idea about individual lines, which may just be surrealist chatter. The “little green wheels” line, is of course, immediately following, “time and again I tell myself/ I’ll stay clean tonight. . .”; “I’m hoping to kick” is pretty clear, and the Major Tom lines/ first couple of stanzas refer to an earlier cryptic drug-themed song (Space Oddity). In general it seems like a song-tribute to a song-- the original song was about a heroin habit, and this one is about the continuation/ attempts to kick that habit. Actually, looking at the lyrics on that site, they are all pretty clear, except the ones you cite above, which might be highly individual idiosyncratic drug-induced imagery that no one but David himself could explain. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/4 "2001-02-28T17:24:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by capybara \* > [Bthe original song was about a heroin habit, and this one is about the continuation/ attempts to kick that habit._\* Wow-I had no idea. [http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Albums/SO/SO.html](http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Albums/SO/SO.html) says " Supposedly inspired by the plight of the Apollo 8 astronauts, Bowie later returned to Major Tom in his 1980 hit, Ashes to Ashes." Maybe “Ashes to Ashes” meant to enlightened square folks like me to the real meaning in “Sapce Oddity”? “We know Major Tom’s a junkie”? ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/5 "2001-02-28T17:50:14Z")
One pbolem with the jap girls line is you forgot to look at the following line Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain’t got no money and I ain’t got no hair where logically it should be broken up as: Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain’t got no money and I ain’t got no hair ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/6 "2001-02-28T17:50:14Z")
One pbolem with the jap girls line is you forgot to look at the following line Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain’t got no money and I ain’t got no hair where logically it should be broken up as: Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis and I Ain’t got no money and I ain’t got no hair ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/7 "2001-02-28T18:19:57Z")
Quick Bowie trivia: In Space Oddity, the “day in the life”-esque orchestral buildup is allegedly supposed to represent the feeling between shooting up and the heroin “hitting”. ---
**Author:** ![duncanpgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@duncanpgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duncanpgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/8 "2022-10-25T10:52:25Z")
Bowie was famous for developing lyrics in a creative style that involved cutting up phrases he had written in his notebook and rearranging them. In this way, he is uncovering ‘something’ that is beyond the literal meaning of the words. I guess he creates a mood and an impression and sometimes literal meaning. It’s a very rich artistic approach. (I see my comment comes ‘22 years later’ 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/9 "2022-10-25T11:55:03Z")
I was going to say ‘have you looked up the Wikipedia article?’ when I saw the date of the OP. It was only 1-2 months after Wikipedia was launched on 15 Jan 2001 and while an ‘Ashes to Ashes’ song page was precisely the sort of thing that would have been started by an early 21st century Bowie nerd, they clearly didn’t do it early enough. Bowie’s cut-up song writing style was borrowed from W.S. Burroughs and he’s been interviewed about it a few times but I couldn’t be arsed looking through Youtube, which also wasn’t invented when the OP popped their question. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/10 "2022-10-25T16:06:03Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > which also wasn’t invented when the OP popped their question. As neither was Genius Lyrics. While the site is often just some teenager’s BS, this one does have something to say about Japanese girls in synthesis: > **[Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis](https://genius.com/David-bowie-ashes-to-ashes-lyrics?referent_id=14462944#note-14462944)** > > The line could be a reference to how, especially in the late 70s, early 80s, Japan was synthesizing American/British pop culture, especially rock and roll. Japan has adopted (or synthesized) a ton of western trends and culture; from baseball to rock... ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/11 "2022-10-25T18:57:35Z")
Aaaaand. . . not that anyone is asking, but here’s some info on the background vocals. Some were easy to make out, but some weren’t. [Lank](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to/666550) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-bowies-ashes-to-ashes-what-is-he-on-about/56188/12 "2022-10-29T05:08:50Z")
Moved from FQ to Cafe Society (which did not exist when this thread was started).