With over 140 million of
his albums sold, it’s not a stretch to say that David Bowie achieved massive
success as a musician. His various reinventions and stylistic changes over a
career spanning some 5 decades kept his music at the top of charts across the
globe. Whether you like his music or not, you’d have a hard time arguing that
David Bowie wasn’t a creative and impactful musician.
Born David Robert Jones in
January of 1947, Bowie displayed a penchant for imaginative interpretations and
artistic aptitude early on. When he was 9 years old, his dancing during his
music classes was praised by his teachers as “vividly artistic.” He picked up a
love of jazz music in the early 1960’s and began to take saxophone lessons from
a local teacher.
Bowie formed his first
band at the age of 15, but his aspirations to pop stardom made him want more
than his bandmates could give, and he jumped from group to group. He finally
got his big break in 1969 with the release of “Space Oddity,” a top 5 hit in
the UK. Other chart toppers would follow over the years, including “Fame,” “Let’s
Dance,” his collaboration with Queen “Under Pressure,” and various others.
It’s impossible to try
and summarize David Bowie’s musical style by looking at any single song or
decade: the very essence of his style was its continuous change. From his alter ego
Ziggy Stardust to his Tin Machine era, Bowie constantly reinvented himself and
pushed the boundaries of pop music. He allowed himself, and by extension his
music, to be deeply impacted by world events. After 9/11, he allowed the
feelings of despondency and fear to echo through his new works. Bowie continued
making music up until his death from liver cancer in 2016, releasing his album
2 days before his untimely passing.
In terms of his creative
process, Bowie was a master of free association. He’d list out any assortment
of words and form a narrative from the distinct imagery that they brought to
mind. He also associated with some of his most eminent contemporaries,
including Mick Jagger and the band Queen. Bowie was a firm believer in the idea
that teamwork and collaboration could create some of the most creative artwork.
David Bowie kept the music world and his fans on their respective toes with his
unbridled creative talents. He forever changed the face of pop music, and his
music will continue to set the standard for what it means to be musically
innovative for decades to come.
Sources
https://www.inc.com/julie-anne-exter/the-5-best-lessons-from-david-bowies-incredible-creative-legacy.html
http://www.davidbowie.com/bio
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/arts/music/david-bowie-dies-at-69.html
I've always been amazed at how creative David Bowie is. He managed to continually reinvent himself over his entire career. His drive maybe represents an almost compulsive need to express himself in new and inventive ways and to continually push the status quo. I also think it's so cool how Bowie inspired so many generations of future creatives across all fields. Overall a truly remarkable individual.
ReplyDeleteFrom Ziggy Stardust to the perhaps misguided "Earthlings" album, reminscent of the Prodigy David Bowie has certainly explored the gamut of musical tastes and concepts. He was a creative force to be reckoned with, for sure. I'm interested in your account of his early years, when you suggest he was exceptionally ambitious and therefore clashed with early collaborators. I wonder how much extrinsic motivation David Bowie possessed before becoming famous, and how this motivation to entrance and entertain his audience continued to fuel him throughout his long and versatile career.
ReplyDeleteLike you say, though, no matter what one's opinion is on David Bowie, its impossible to deny his impact on music!
I personally have not heard of his works before reading your blog, its interesting style of musics and definitely a new and creative execution to the music genre. The process and motivation of his works was interesting to learn about!
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