Ziggy Stardust (song)
"Ziggy Stardust" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie for his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, he recorded it at Trident Studios in London in November 1971 with his backing band the Spiders from Mars—comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. Lyrically, the song is about Ziggy Stardust, a bisexual alien rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. The character was influenced by English singer Vince Taylor, as well as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and Kansai Yamamoto. Although Ziggy is introduced earlier on the album, this song is its centrepiece, presenting the rise and fall of the star in a very human-like manner. Musically, it is a glam rock song, like its parent album, and is based around a Ronson guitar riff.
Since its release, "Ziggy Stardust" has received widespread acclaim from music critics, with the majority praising its story, guitar riff and the band's performance. The song has since been included on lists of Bowie's greatest songs, and by some as one of the greatest songs of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it number 282 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. The track is also one of four of Bowie's songs included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Bowie performed the song frequently on the Ziggy Stardust and 1978 Stage tours, and again during his tours in the 2000s.
The song was covered by the English gothic rock band Bauhaus in 1982; their version peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. While Bowie's original recording was never released as a single, a live version from 1972 was released as a single in France in 1994 to promote the bootleg album Santa Monica '72. The song has since appeared on multiple compilation albums and has been remastered several times, including in 2012 for its 40th anniversary; this remaster was included in the box set Five Years (1969–1973) in 2015.
Composition[edit]
Bowie wrote "Ziggy Stardust" and fellow album track "Lady Stardust" "within days" of each other in early 1971.[1] According to biographer Nicholas Pegg, it was registered with Bowie's publisher Chrysalis as early as April 1971, before the recording sessions for Hunky Dory (1971).[2] Bowie recorded an acoustic demo of the track between February and March 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London,[1][2] around the same time he recorded "Moonage Daydream" and "Hang On to Yourself" with his band Arnold Corns.[3] This demo was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc CD release of Ziggy Stardust in 1990.[4] The demo also appeared on the Ziggy Stardust – 30th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc in 2002.[2]
The album version was recorded at Trident Studios in London on 11 November 1971.[5][2] Co-produced by Ken Scott, Bowie recorded it with his backing band known as the Spiders from Mars—comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. Musically, it is a glam rock song, like its parent album,[6] that is based around a riff containing both tonic and dominant chords (the latter with a "hammered 4th"), followed by a "shifting-bass run" from C to A minor, thereby going back to the root.[7] Biographer Marc Spitz describes the riff as "instantly recognisable and primal but complex."[8] While Ronson plays the main riff on an electric guitar, Bowie plays an acoustic twelve-string guitar, which is mixed beneath the electric. A second electric guitar riff, inspired by the American rock band the Byrds, what Doggett calls a "jingle-jangle", is also present but almost buried in the mix.[7] Richard Cromelin of Rolling Stone notes the "faint ring" of 1970's The Man Who Sold the World on the track—"stately, measured, fuzzily electric."[9] Bowie begins his vocals, which Doggett describes "like a meteor from a distant galaxy", with "the phrase that defines his hero: 'Ziggy played guitar'."[7][8] The song ends with a reprise of the same line, but Bowie holds the note "defiantly"; once his voice slides away, and Ronson enters on guitar, sliding away in the same vein.[10] Doggett describes the final seconds: "Then, after one of the most perfectly judged pauses ever captured on vinyl, there was "Suffragette City"."[10]
Live versions and subsequent releases[edit]
Bowie recorded the song for the BBC radio programmes Sounds of the 70s: John Peel and Bob Harris on 11 and 18 January 1972, respectively. On 16 May 1972, he played the song again on Sounds of the 70s: John Peel, which was broadcast a week later on 23 May 1972.[38] The 18 January and 16 May recordings were released on the Bowie at the Beeb album in 2000,[39] while the 11 January recording is included on the album BBC Sessions 1969–1972 (Sampler).[2]
Bowie performed the song throughout the Ziggy Stardust Tour (1972–1973), and it can be heard on Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (1983) and Live Santa Monica '72 (2008).[40][41]
Performances from the 1978 Stage tour have been released on Stage (1978) and Welcome to the Blackout (2018).[42][43] Despite having vowed in 1990 never to perform the track again, it was often the closing number on Bowie's 2002 Heathen Tour. Buckley calls his renditions during this tour "heart-stopping".[44] Bowie also performed the song at the 2000 Glastonbury Festival, released in 2018 on the album Glastonbury 2000,[45] and on his 2003 Reality Tour. A performance from that tour is included on the 2010 A Reality Tour DVD and the album of the same title.[2][46]
Since its release, "Ziggy Stardust" has appeared on numerous compilation albums, including Changesonebowie (1976),[47] Changesbowie (1990),[48] The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 (1997),[49] Best of Bowie (2002),[50] Nothing Has Changed (2014)[51] and Legacy (2016).[52] The song, along with the entire Ziggy Stardust album, has been remastered multiple times, including in 1990 by Rykodisc,[53][54] and in 2012 for its 40th anniversary.[55] The 2012 remaster and a 2003 remix by producer Ken Scott were included in the box set Five Years (1969–1973) in 2015.[56]
"Ziggy Stardust"
"Third Uncle" (Eno)
October 1982
1982 at a BBC radio session
3:08
David Bowie