David Bowie Tribute
Now that everyone is talking nice things about David Bowie, I have to say that I did not like him very much when I was young. I rediscovered him a few years ago with album The Next Day I ended up buying the vinyl, at a time when I no longer buy Compact Disc, It is something I reserve for those albums that exceed my expectations when listening on streaming.
After listening to Lazarus few days before his death, the news did not surprise me and verses of the song took on its full meaning.
Look up here, I’m in heaven |
I’ve got scars that can’t be seen |
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen |
Everybody knows me now |
Look up here, man, I’m in danger |
I’ve got nothing left to lose |
I’m so high it makes my brain whirl |
Dropped my cell phone down below |
This weekend, listening to the album Blackstar, I wanted to do my little tribute with this brief analysis of his lyrics.
The Data
I have developed a Python script that accesses AZLyrics, and, with it, I have compiled the lyrics of 254 songs and 25 albums:
album | year |
---|---|
David Bowie | 1967 |
Space Oddity | 1969 |
The Man Who… | 1970 |
Hunky Dory | 1971 |
The Rise And Fall… | 1972 |
Pin Ups | 1973 |
Aladdin Sane | 1973 |
Diamond Dogs | 1974 |
Young Americans | 1975 |
Station To Station | 1976 |
“Heroes” | 1977 |
Low | 1977 |
Lodger | 1979 |
Scary Monsters | 1980 |
Let's Dance | 1983 |
Tonight | 1984 |
Never Let Me Down | 1987 |
Black Tie White Noise | 1993 |
Outside | 1995 |
Earthling | 1997 |
Hours… | 1999 |
Heathen | 2002 |
Reality | 2003 |
The Next Day | 2013 |
Blackstar | 2016 |
What about his songs
This is the wordcloud of his entire career:
Amd this of the album Space Oddity:
Do you see Major Tom to Ground Control calling?
Am I sitting in a tin can |
Far above the world |
Planet Earth is blue |
And there’s nothing I can do |
Space Oddity |
And this of his latest album Blackstar:
Something happened on the day he died |
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside |
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried |
(I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar) |
Blackstar |
Words through the years
I will now show some important words in their lyrics and their frequency over the years: god, love, time, star, live & die
God & Love
Check ignition and may God’s love be with you — Space Oddity |
Time & Star
Time, he’s waiting in the wings |
He speaks of senseless things |
His script is you and me, boys |
Time |
There’s a starman waiting in the sky |
He’s told us not to blow it |
‘Cause he knows it’s all worthwhile |
Starman |
Die & Live
In the two last albums die appears more than before…
Here I am |
Not quite dying |
My body left to rot in a hollow tree |
Its branches throwing shadows |
On the gallows for me |
And the next day |
And the next |
And another day |
The next day |
Epilogue
This chaos is killing me |
This chaos is killing me |
Yeah bye, bye love |
Bye, bye love |
Eternal |
Sweet, sweet love |
Bye bye space boy |
Bye, bye love |
Moon dust will cover you |
Moon dust will cover you |
Moon dust will cover you |
Moon dust will cover you |
Moon dust will cover you |
Hallo spaceboy |
References
Document in R (rmarkdown) to reproduce this analysis can be found following this link