NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ashes to Ashes (song)

"Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet. Bowie has said that with this song he was "wrapping up the seventies really for myself, and that seemed a good enough epitaph for it".^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata AshesToAshes3. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is an album by David Bowie. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Avatar Studios, formerly known as the Power Station, is a renowned recording studio on 48th Street in Manhattan, New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Tony Visconti in the 1970s Tony Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is a record producer, and sometimes a musician or singer, who has had a long and illustrious career working with some of the best known popular music artists from the late 1960s onwards, including the Moody Blues, as well... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Crystal Japan is an instrumental piece written by David Bowie and released as a single in Japan in 1980. ... Fashion is an album track on David Bowies Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). ... Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is an album by David Bowie. ... Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is the title album track on David Bowies Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). ... Fashion is an album track on David Bowies Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is an album by David Bowie. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... David Mallet is a director particularly noted for his work on music videos, including David Bowies innovative Ashes to Ashes. ...

Music and lyrics

Melancholic and introspective, "Ashes to Ashes" featured Bowie’s reinterpretation of "a guy that’s been in such an early song", namely Major Tom from his first hit in 1969, "Space Oddity". Described as "containing more messages per second" than any single released in 1980,^[2] the song also included plaintive reflections on the singer’s moral and artistic journey: Melancholia (Greek Î¼ÎµÎ»Î±Î½Ï‡Î¿Î»Î¹Î±) is a mood of non-specific depression. ... Major Tom is a fictional astronaut created by David Bowie. ... Space Oddity is a song written and performed by David Bowie and released as a single in 1969. ...

Instead of a hippie astronaut who casually slips the bonds of a crass and material world to journey beyond the stars, Bowie now saw Major Tom as a "junkie, strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low". The last line was interpreted as a play on the title of Bowie’s 1977 album Low, which charted his withdrawal inwards following his drug excesses in America a short time before, another reversal of Major Tom’s original withdrawal 'outwards' or towards space.^[2] Singer at a modern Hippie movement in Russia Hippie, or hippy, refers to a member of a subgroup of the counterculture that began in the United States during the early 1960s, becoming an established social group by 1965, and expanding to other countries before declining in the mid-1970s. ... A junkie (or junky) is a heroin addict. ... Low is a 1977 album by David Bowie, widely regarded as one of his most influential releases. ...

The final lines, "My mama said, to get things done, you better not mess with Major Tom", have been compared to the verse from a nursery rhyme:^[3]

Bowie himself said in an interview with NME shortly after the single's release, "It really is an ode to childhood, if you like, a popular nursery rhyme. It's about space men becoming junkies (laughs)."^[4] Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. ...

Musically "Ashes to Ashes" was notable for its delicate synthetic string sound, counterpointed by hard-edged funk bass, and its complex vocal layering. Perhaps Bowie's most sophisticated sonic work to date, its choir-like textures were created by Chuck Hammer with four multi-tracked guitar synthesizers, each playing opposing chord inversions; this was underpinned by Bowie's dead-pan, chanted background voices.^[5] Funk is an African American musical style. ... Chuck Hammer, a guitarist, guitar synthesist, and digital film composer recorded work with Lou Reed and David Bowie. ... A guitar/synthesizer (also guitar synthesizer, guitar/synth, or guitar synth) is any one of a number of systems originally conceived to allow a guitarist to play synthesizers. ...

Video

The video clip for "Ashes to Ashes" was one of the most iconic of the 1980s. Costing £250,000, it was at the time the most expensive music video ever made.^[3] It incorporated scenes both in solarised colour (helped by an innovative Quantel Paintbox technique) and in stark black-and-white, featuring Bowie in the gaudy pierrot costume that became the dominant visual representation of his Scary Monsters phase. Also appearing were Steve Strange and other members of the London Blitz scene, forerunners of (later participants in) the New Romantic movement that was heavily influenced by Bowie’s music and image.^[3] Image File history File links Ashes_to_Ashes_video. ... Image File history File links Ashes_to_Ashes_video. ... Solarisation is a phenomenon in photography in which the image recorded on a negative or on a photographic print is wholly or partially reversed in tone. ... The Quantel Paintbox is a dedicated computer system for performing real time manipulation of video, and creating graphics. ... Watteaus sad commedia dellarte player of Pierrot, ca 1718â€“19, traditionally identified as Gilles (Louvre) Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime. ... Steve Strange (born Steven John Harrington on May 28, 1959) is a British singer and pop icon, best remembered as an influential party promoter and as the frontman and lead singer for Visage. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Bowie described the shot of himself and the Blitz Kids marching towards the camera in front of a bulldozer as symbolising "oncoming violence".^[6] Scenes of the singer in a space suit - that suggested a hospital life-support system - and others showing him locked in what appeared to be a padded room, made reference to both Major Tom and to Bowie’s new, rueful interpretation of him. Contrary to received opinion, the elderly woman lecturing Bowie at the end of the clip was not his real mother.^[1] Record Mirror readers voted "Ashes to Ashes" and Bowie's next single, "Fashion", the best music videos of 1980.^[7] Record Mirror was a British weekly music newspaper. ... Fashion is an album track on David Bowies Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). ...

Release

"Ashes to Ashes" hit #4 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release, rising to #1 a week later, making it Bowie’s fastest-selling single to that point in time.^[3] It was issued in three different sleeves, the first 100,000 copies including one of four sets of stamps, all featuring Bowie in the pierrot outfit he wore in the video.^[8] The B-side, "Move On", was a track lifted from his previous album, Lodger (1979). The US release had "It's No Game (No. 1)" as the B-side, while the flip side of the German release was "Alabama Song". The single did not chart in America. Lodger is a 1979 album by David Bowie. ... Its No Game is a song written by David Bowie in 1980 for the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). ... Alabama Song is a single by David Bowie, a cover of a song from Bertold Brechtâ€™s opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (see Alabama Song). Sometimes known as Moon of Alabama, it had previously been covered by The Doors. ...

Track listing

Move On is a song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno in 1979 for the album Lodger. ...

Production credits

In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Tony Visconti in the 1970s Tony Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is a record producer, and sometimes a musician or singer, who has had a long and illustrious career working with some of the best known popular music artists from the late 1960s onwards, including the Moody Blues, as well... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... â€œInstrumentalistâ€ redirects here. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Chuck Hammer, a guitarist, guitar synthesist, and digital film composer recorded work with Lou Reed and David Bowie. ... A guitar/synthesizer (also guitar synthesizer, guitar/synth, or guitar synth) is any one of a number of systems originally conceived to allow a guitar player to play synthesizers. ... A guitar/synthesizer (also guitar synthesizer, guitar/synth, or guitar synth) is any one of a number of systems originally conceived to allow a guitar player to play synthesizers. ... Carlos Alomar is a guitarist who has played with David Bowie more than anyone else including the Serious Moonlight album and tour which featured Stevie Ray Vaughan as special guest for his Dallas, Texas show. ... Simon House (born 29 August 1948 in Nottinghamshire, England) is a composer and classically-trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... George Murray is a studio bass guitarist who worked closely with David Bowie as a part of his regular ensemble, on a number of Bowies albums released in the 1970s. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... Dennis Davis is a studio musician who worked closely with David Bowie as a part of his regular ensemble, on a number of Bowies albums released in the 70s. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ...

Alternate versions

There have long been rumours of an extended unreleased version of the song, allegedly some 13 minutes long and featuring additional verses, a longer outro and a synthesizer solo.^[1] A 12:55 version that appeared on the bootleg From a Phoenix... The Ashes Shall Rise was a fake, repeating the song's instrumental breaks to achieve its additional length.^[9] Similarly, an 11:44 version on bootleg albums such as Glamour, Vampires of the Human Flesh and Monsters to Ashes was again nothing more the original track with segments repeated and looped.

Live versions

The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GBÂ£4 billion. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 2000. ... David Bowie: A Reality Tour (2004) Summary David Bowie: A Reality Tour is a DVD of David Bowies performance in Dublin, Ireland during the 2004 Reality Tour. ... David Bowie scored his first truly commercial blockbuster with Lets Dance (1983), a dance album with co-production by Chics Nile Rodgers. ... Sound + Vision is David Bowies box set compilation released on Rykodisc in 1989. ... Heathen is an album by the British singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in 2002. ...

Other releases

ChangesTwoBowie, released in 1981, was a David Bowie compilation album issued by RCA Records. ... Fashion (4:51) (Bowie) Red Sails (3:47) (Bowie, Eno) Look Back In Anger (3:07) (Bowie) I Cant Explain (2:14) (Townshend) Ashes To Ashes (4:26) (Bowie) Golden Years (3:59) (Bowie) Joe The Lion (3:08) (Bowie) Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (5:14) (Bowie) Wild... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Sound + Vision is David Bowies box set compilation released on Rykodisc in 1989. ... ChangesBowie is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1990. ... The Singles Collection is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1993 in the UK and (with some changes) as Bowie - The Singles 1969 to 1993 in the US. // Track listing All songs written by David Bowie unless otherwise indicated. ... Best of Bowie (2002) is the most recent greatest hits album by multi-platinum recording artist David Bowie. ...

Cover versions

Uwe Schmidt (aka Señor Coconut; born in Frankfurt, Germany) is a German DJ and producer of electronic music. ... Pop Artificielle is a 1999 album by lb (which refers to Lassigue Bendthaus, one of the many aliases of musician Uwe Schmidt). ... Happy Rhodes (born August 9, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and electronic musician. ... Grant Lee Buffalo was a Los Angeles-based rock band, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble (bass) and Joey Peters (drums). ... A Perfect Circle (often referred to as APC) was an alternative rock band, formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel. ... Steve Haw is a musician, songwriter and artist. ... Tears for Fears (abbreviated TFF) are a popular English pop band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, which emerged after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate. ... Briolette Kah Bic Runga (born 13 January 1976) MNZM is a New Zealand singer-songwriter whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one in the New Zealand charts, and has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists of our time. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Image:Jacksoul2. ... Tripod is an Australian musical comedy act specialising in improv, parody and satire. ... Bojan ZulfikarpaÅ¡iÄ‡ (also using stage name Bojan Z.) (born February 2 1968 in Belgrade) is a Franco-Serbian jazz pianist. ... Sneaker Pimps is a British Electropop band formed in Reading, England in 1995. ... Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... â€œPeel Sessionsâ€ redirects here. ... La Ley (Spanish for The Law) was a Chilean pop rock band formed in Santiago by AndrÃ©s Bobe and Luis Alberto Beto Cuevas Olmedo with Mauricio Claveria, Rodrigo Aboitiz and Luciano AndrÃ©s Rojas. ...

Notes

Categories: Number-one singles in the United Kingdom | 1980 singles | 1980 songs | David Bowie songs Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, director and writer. ... Roy Carr is an English music journalist. ... Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. ... Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Chris Welch was reviewer and critic with Melody Maker during the 1960s and 1970s, reporting on the rise of such bands as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, If, as well as Cream. ... Mojo is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, director and writer. ... The Winner Takes It All is arguably one of ABBAs best-written, performed and most memorable songs. ... ABBA was a Swedish pop music group active from 1972 until 1982. ... This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Singles Chart, from its inception in 1952 to the present. ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Start! is a song by English rock band The Jam, released on their album Sound Affects and as a single with Liza Radley, both in 1980. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Contents

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