"I'll Take You There"--he certainly does!

Phishanga said:

NoVideo said:

Really? I thought it was pretty clearly laid out in the lyrics, but I could be way off. What was your interpretation? That's the great thing about Bowie songs. People are still debating the meaing of songs that are 30+ years old

Valentine told me who's to go
Feelings he's treasured most of all
The teachers and the football star
It's in his tiny face
It's in his scrawny hand
Valentine told me so
He's got something to say
It's Valentine's Day

The rhythm of the crowd
Teddy and Judy down
Valentine sees it all
He's got something to say
It's Valentine's Day

Valentine told me how he'd feel
If all the world were under his heel
Or stumbling through the mall
It's in his tiny face
It's in his scrawny hand
Valentine knows it all
He's got something to say
It's Valentine's Day

Valentine Valentine
Valentine Valentine

It's in his scrawny hand
It's in his icy heart
It's happening today
Valentine Valentine

Definitely about school massacre.

"The rhythm of the crowd
Teddy and Judy down
Valentine sees it all
He's got something to say
It's Valentine's Day"

I read this as panic spreading, Teddy and Judy are shot down, the murderer sees everyone although they're trying to hide and finally everyone is "listening" to him. Also, I guess it doesn't have anything to do with Valentine's Day - but the name of the murderer might be Valentine. What do you think?

Could also (maybe?) be an ironic reference to the infamous Valentine's Day massacre that happened in 1929?

Repeat from other thread: (You Will) Set The World On Fire--a new Bowie classic IMHO.

One thing is for sure--if you want up-beat happy-go-lucky music (and its associated topics), don't look for it with David Bowie... Now, on third listen with head phones after blasting it on the stereo...

[Edited 3/14/13 17:20pm]

You seem to really like this album purplethunder. Where would you place it among Bowie's other albums? Right now I think it's quite high up there

aardvark15 said:

You seem to really like this album purplethunder. Where would you place it among Bowie's other albums? Right now I think it's quite high up there

Man, you are asking me something that's premature...since this is my first day hearing this album! I'm going to have to let it resonate with me...and come back to this question... I find it quite hard to write about music... But I will say that I haven't had a reaction toward a new Bowie album like this in years...and I mean longer than twelve. I will also state that if people don't get Bowie's tongue-in-cheek irony, they won't get this album at all...

[Edited 3/14/13 18:23pm]

How Does The Grass Grow--another potential classic.

The instrumentation and the emotive urgent way Bowie uses his voice alone makes this a stand-out song--but, so do the lyrics:

"You Feel So Lonely You Could Die"

"(You Will) Set The World On Fire"

Its a classic disc, not a cluncker on it.

Whoops, I was so enthusiastic that I repeated lyrics others here have posted. Forgive my first listening experience...

Damn, posting those lyrics this thread is a lot different than reading a few lines on the printed liner!

different songs keep totally capturing me. tonight it was "how does the grass grow?". again - incredibly bleak song. i think this album really might be the darkest of his career along with "outside".

how goes the grass grow?

blood blood blood

where do the boys lie

mud mud mud

i mean, serious shit. It's a brilliant song. I love how the bridge becomes an entirely different track musically, and then descends back into the madness that is the main song. I think it's very "Scary Monsters". Brutal and beautiful and total genius

There’s a graveyard by the station
Where the girls wear nylon skirts and
Sandals from Hungary
The boys ride their Riga 1’s
Upon the little hill
Such sadness and grief
The trees die standing
That’s where we made our trysts
And struggled with our guns
Would you still love me
If the clocks could go backwards
The girls would fill with blood and
The grass would be green again
Remember the dead
They were so great
Some of them

Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood
Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
Where do the boys lie
Mud mud mud
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood

But I lived a blind life
A white face in prison
But you made a life out of nothing
Now I ride my black horse
I miss you more
Than you’ll ever ever know
Waiting with my red eyes
And my stone heart

Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood
Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
Where do the boys lie
Mud mud mud
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood

I gaze in defeat
At the stars in the n ight
The light in my life burnt away
There will be no tomorrow
Then you sigh in your sleep
And meaning returns with the day

Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
Where do the boys lie
Mud mud mud
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood.

[Edited 3/14/13 20:38pm]

purplethunder3121 said:

Repeat from other thread: (You Will) Set The World On Fire--a new Bowie classic IMHO.

Yes - it is. The band absolutely sizzles on this track. It's like what the Never Let Me Down album should have sounded like. They HAVE to do this live.

Phishanga said:

NoVideo said:

it's up on youtube apparently but i haven't listened to it yet. Will track it down eventually, want to find a high quality audio version. Maybe it will appear as a b-side on a future single.

The 3 bonus tracks are interesting and good but I can see why they are bonus tracks and not on the album proper.

Hmm... I couldn't find it yet. :-/

Please let me know when you find it...

purplethunder3121 said:

Phishanga said:

Hmm... I couldn't find it yet. :-/

Please let me know when you find it...

This is terrible quality (somebody uploaded it recorded from their stereo speaker, WTF?) but at least you can hear it. I need to get my hands on a high quality audio version of it. hope it becomes available. It sounds much more substantial than the other bonus tracks.

NoVideo said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Please let me know when you find it...

This is terrible quality (somebody uploaded it recorded from their stereo speaker, WTF?) but at least you can hear it. I need to get my hands on a high quality audio version of it. hope it becomes available. It sounds much more substantial than the other bonus tracks.

This is amazin

NoVideo said:

different songs keep totally capturing me. tonight it was "how does the grass grow?". again - incredibly bleak song. i think this album really might be the darkest of his career along with "outside".

how goes the grass grow?

blood blood blood blood

where do the boys lie

mud mud mud mud

i mean, serious shit. It's a brilliant song. I love how the bridge becomes an entirely different track musically, and then descends back into the madness that is the main song. I think it's very "Scary Monsters". Brutal and beautiful and total genius

How Does The Grass Grow is also one of my favorites... Although the lyrics are bleak, the instrumentation both defies and defends the lyrical content... The song is sad but not bowed down or defeated, but ironic, angry, and defiiant.

How Does The Grass Grow?

There’s a graveyard by the station
Where the girls wear nylon skirts and
Sandals from Hungary
The boys ride their Riga 1’s
Upon the little hill
Such sadness and grief
The trees die standing
That’s where we made our trysts
And struggled with our guns
Would you still love me
If the clocks could go backwards
The girls would fill with blood and
The grass would be green again
Remember the dead
They were so great
Some of them

Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood
Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
Where do the boys lie
Mud mud mud
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood

But I lived a blind life
A white face in prison
But you made a life out of nothing
Now I ride my black horse
I miss you more
Than you’ll ever ever know
Waiting with my red eyes
And my stone heart

Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood
Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
Where do the boys lie
Mud mud mud
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood

I gaze in defeat
At the stars in the night
The light in my life burnt away
There will be no tomorrow
Then you sigh in your sleep
And meaning returns with the day

Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya ya ya
Where do the boys lie
Mud mud mud
How does the grass grow
Blood blood blood.

[Edited 3/14/13 20:57pm]

But I lived a blind life
A white face in prison
But you made a life out of nothing
Now I ride my black horse
I miss you more
Than you’ll ever ever know
Waiting with my red eyes
And my stone heart

the ghost of one of the boys whose blood makes the grass grow.

I read somewhere, maybe it was the Tony Visconti interview, that this song was based on a chant that soldiers used to do during bayonette practice. how does the grass grow? blood blood blood

what a brilliant concept for a song. and the performance, vocal, etc... just has the intensity to match the subject matter. And that section of "Apache" - the 'Ya Ya Ya's"... just sound so twisted. reminds me for sure of something that would be on Scary Monsters, or maybe some of those weird segments like in All the Madmen or Bewlay Brothers.

NoVideo said:

But I lived a blind life
A white face in prison
But you made a life out of nothing
Now I ride my black horse
I miss you more
Than you’ll ever ever know
Waiting with my red eyes
And my stone heart

the ghost of one of the boys whose blood makes the grass grow.

I read somewhere, maybe it was the Tony Visconti interview, that this song was based on a chant that soldiers used to do during bayonette practice. how does the grass grow? blood blood blood

what a brilliant concept for a song. and the performance, vocal, etc... just has the intensity to match the subject matter. And that section of "Apache" - the 'Ya Ya Ya's"... just sound so twisted. reminds me for sure of something that would be on Scary Monsters, or maybe some of those weird segments like in All the Madmen or Bewlay Brothers.

The "ya ya ya" chant is really chilling...especially if you put it in a militay context... The first thing the chant reminded me of was of bullies taunting the bullied in school...and the resultant tragic reactions...which would also have a military context... The rhyme and taunting chant in the chorus also reminds me in a haunting way of certain simple but alienating rhymes chanted by childrren on playgrounds decade after decade... The percussion and bass underlying the chorus also punctuates the urgent point of view of the person in the lyrics when he is "ya ya ya" yearning to return to a past before all the bloodshed. This song, to me, is a savage mocking indictment, not only against war, but also against institutionalized ideas that make us afraid of "scary monsters" and cause us to act in ways we will ultimately regret...and will never forget.... But, there is also hope beyond dwelling on the violent past when Bowie writes:

There will be no tomorrow
Then you sigh in your sleep
And meaning returns with the day

These songs are multi-layered...the more I listen, the more I perceive...

[Edited 3/14/13 23:18pm]

purplethunder3121 said:

NoVideo said:

But I lived a blind life
A white face in prison
But you made a life out of nothing
Now I ride my black horse
I miss you more
Than you’ll ever ever know
Waiting with my red eyes
And my stone heart

the ghost of one of the boys whose blood makes the grass grow.

I read somewhere, maybe it was the Tony Visconti interview, that this song was based on a chant that soldiers used to do during bayonette practice. how does the grass grow? blood blood blood

what a brilliant concept for a song. and the performance, vocal, etc... just has the intensity to match the subject matter. And that section of "Apache" - the 'Ya Ya Ya's"... just sound so twisted. reminds me for sure of something that would be on Scary Monsters, or maybe some of those weird segments like in All the Madmen or Bewlay Brothers.

The "ya ya ya" chant is really chilling...especially if you put it in a militay context... The first thing the chant reminded me of was of bullies taunting the bullied in school...and the resultant tragic reactions...which would also have a military context... The rhyme and taunting chant in the chorus also reminds me in a haunting way of certain simple but alienating rhymes chanted by childrren on playgrounds decade after decade... The percussion and bass underlying the chorus also punctuates the urgent point of view of the person in the lyrics when he is "ya ya ya" yearning to return to a past before all the bloodshed. This song, to me, is a savage mocking indictment, not only against war, but also against institutionalized ideas that make us afraid of "scary monsters" and cause us to act in ways we will ultimately regret...and will never forget.... But, there is also hope beyond dwelling on the violent past when Bowie writes:

There will be no tomorrow
Then you sigh in your sleep
And meaning returns with the day

These songs are multi-layered...the more I listen, the more I perceive...

[Edited 3/14/13 23:18pm]

Apache

aardvark15 said:

Just took another listen. This album is definetly one of his best. I think taking a breaking after "hitting an all time low" was just what Bowie needed. I think Where Are We Now is my favorite from the album. That song gives me chills all over every time I hear it. It's a very simple song, but a very haunting one. I do wish there was more to the outro

The next single should be "Next Day" or "Set The World On Fire" IMO.

Cinny said:

purplethunder3121 said:

The "ya ya ya" chant is really chilling...especially if you put it in a militay context... The first thing the chant reminded me of was of bullies taunting the bullied in school...and the resultant tragic reactions...which would also have a military context... The rhyme and taunting chant in the chorus also reminds me in a haunting way of certain simple but alienating rhymes chanted by childrren on playgrounds decade after decade... The percussion and bass underlying the chorus also punctuates the urgent point of view of the person in the lyrics when he is "ya ya ya" yearning to return to a past before all the bloodshed. This song, to me, is a savage mocking indictment, not only against war, but also against institutionalized ideas that make us afraid of "scary monsters" and cause us to act in ways we will ultimately regret...and will never forget.... But, there is also hope beyond dwelling on the violent past when Bowie writes:

There will be no tomorrow
Then you sigh in your sleep
And meaning returns with the day

These songs are multi-layered...the more I listen, the more I perceive...

[Edited 3/14/13 23:18pm]

Apache

So, does that take away from Bowie's song, for you? For me, it doesn't.

Let's talk about other influences--the first person I thought of when I first heard You Feel So Lonely You Could Die was, of course, Hank Williams...

[Edited 3/15/13 0:40am]

aardvark15 said:

Just took another listen. This album is definetly one of his best. I think taking a breaking after "hitting an all time low" was just what Bowie needed. I think Where Are We Now is my favorite from the album. That song gives me chills all over every time I hear it. It's a very simple song, but a very haunting one. I do wish there was more to the outro

Listening to it again... Very haunting... I love this song, too. I like how the guitars, drums, and keyboards open the song up at the end...like a cloudy sky opening up to some rays of the sun... But, you are right, the outro should be more prolonged...

[Edited 3/15/13 0:09am]

NoVideo said:

But I lived a blind life
A white face in prison
But you made a life out of nothing
Now I ride my black horse
I miss you more
Than you’ll ever ever know
Waiting with my red eyes
And my stone heart

the ghost of one of the boys whose blood makes the grass grow.

I read somewhere, maybe it was the Tony Visconti interview, that this song was based on a chant that soldiers used to do during bayonette practice. how does the grass grow? blood blood blood

what a brilliant concept for a song. and the performance, vocal, etc... just has the intensity to match the subject matter. And that section of "Apache" - the 'Ya Ya Ya's"... just sound so twisted. reminds me for sure of something that would be on Scary Monsters, or maybe some of those weird segments like in All the Madmen or Bewlay Brothers.

You pointed out the Apache link before Cinny did--but I have to give you both credit. I didn't know anything about Apache before you guys mentioned it... So, what other influences do you hear on this album and does it take anything away from it if Bowie samples other musical artists/influences? In my opinion, I don't think so...

I listened to the album yesterday. I wanted to get some shit out of the way before listening to it.

On my first listen I thought it really did sound a lot like Lodger and like Scary Monsters. The guitars have that rough, sproingy sound and the melodies aren't necessarily that easy to disgest on the first listen. However, on successive "spins" it started to remind me more and more the stuff he's done on his 1990s and 00s albums and the "vintage" Bowie impression started to fade to the background. For some reason I got a strong Earthling vibe from many of the tracks and then noticed that his drummer from that era, Zachary Alford, plays throughout the record except for a couple of tracks. It's the "breakbeats" that provide that connection.

I like the added sax parts and that the album isn't heavy on synths. It was a good choice to avoid using drum machines for the most part, although the drumming by Alford sort of gives a similar impression on a few tracks. I'm not so sure about the songwriting, to be honest. The appeal of many of the tracks relies on the production choices, which I guess is fine, but I'm not sure if I'd bother listening to the sillier stuff like "The Boss Of Me" or "Dancing Out In Space" were they by someone else than Bowie. The really good stuff songwriting-wise seems to be "Set The World On Fire" and "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die", which I was impressed by.

Maybe the album could have been a bit shorter (nothing prevents skipping certain songs, of course). Call me crazy, but in addition to the "silly" songs mentioned I'd probably axe out the first two singles as well. They sound a bit distracting on the record.

[Edited 3/15/13 3:08am]

Cinny said:

NoVideo said:

This is terrible quality (somebody uploaded it recorded from their stereo speaker, WTF?) but at least you can hear it. I need to get my hands on a high quality audio version of it. hope it becomes available. It sounds much more substantial than the other bonus tracks.

This is amazin

This is not fair.

novabrkr said:

I listened to the album yesterday. I wanted to get some shit out of the way before listening to it.

On my first listen I thought it really did sound a lot like Lodger and like Scary Monsters. The guitars have that rough, sproingy sound and the melodies aren't necessarily that easy to disgest on the first listen. However, on successive "spins" it started to remind me more and more the stuff he's done on his 1990s and 00s albums and the "vintage" Bowie impression started to fade to the background. For some reason I got a strong Earthling vibe from many of the tracks and then noticed that his drummer from that era, Zachary Alford, plays throughout the record except for a couple of tracks. It's the "breakbeats" that provide that connection.

I like the added sax parts and that the album isn't heavy on synths. It was a good choice to avoid using drum machines for the most part, although the drumming by Alford sort of gives a similar impression on a few tracks. I'm not so sure about the songwriting, to be honest. The appeal of many of the rest of the tracks relies on the production choices, which I guess is fine, but I'm not sure if I'd bother listening to the sillier stuff like "The Boss Of Me" or "Dancing Out In Space" were they by someone else than Bowie. The really good stuff songwriting-wise seems to be "Set The World On Fire" and "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die", which I was impressed by.

Maybe the album could have been a bit shorter (nothing prevents skipping certain songs, of course). Call me crazy, but in addition to the "silly" songs mentioned I'd probably axe out the first two singles as well. They sound a bit distracting on the record.

[Edited 3/15/13 1:14am]

Guess I like it more than you...

I still need to listen to it more. It's playing as of writing this.