OPO - David Bowie

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Life on Mars. **Thought POO would be better switched to OPO (Only Pick One). Anyway, I'm going with an obvious but amazing song here.**

― ORchid ONe, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Damn, that's a tough one....

I'm going with "Station to Station" from the STAGE album.....or "Diamond Dogs."

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Oh! You Pretty Things"... It's my personal power anthem...

― Keiko, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gotta be "The Laughing Gnome," people. Oh and by the way "Heathen" is way, way better than everybody's been saying it is. Not the best one since "Scary Monsters": best one since "Lodger."

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Scary Monsters has very high peaks, but I do think Heathen is more consistant. I know nobody cares about current Bowie--I scarcely do--but Heathen is a good record. Go ahead and ignore me.

Anyway, I could never OPO... so very many great ones just thinking about it reminds me of why the man was so great to begin with.

― Sean, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

OPO hataz will SUFFAH. OPO/POO is the best thread idea evah. I'd POO artists I don't even like. I'm picking a Doors song as we speak...

― Keiko, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

OPO is a great idea, to be sure, so hurrah for its existence. However, all candidates chosen so far have more than one essential song, rendering me helpless to choose. Alas!

"Sons of the Silent Age" at this moment in time. Subject to immediate change.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Sweet Thing". It's very "story of my life", circa 1979. Or "Be My Wife", it's very "story of my life" circa 2002.

― Arthur, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Here is the answer to that dilemma, Mr. Raggett

― Keiko, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Glad that everyone likes OPO. I thought up the idea, or at least the POO/OPO part, during pre-match (England and Brazil, sorrow) jitters last night... Too much Guinness led to the POO instead of the OPO. First time back to ILM in a long while. Couldn't think of a good alias, so back to my own name. My choices were Bowie "Life on Mars," Depeche Mode "Death's Door," and Echo and the Bunnymen "Never Stop." Yes, Ned, these favorites change by the second, but it's still fun to take a temporary stance.

― Tim DiGravina, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It's all good, Tim. :-) But you will be GOOGLED and HELD ACCOUNTABLE for LIFE! ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That's funny, Ned. Google will be the death of me, or at least cause me to think twice before posting things like "The Associates are overrated" -- I think I posted something like that once.

― Tim DiGravina, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In age we learn wisdom. Or something.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

they are tho

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

& i'm older'n you ned

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

anyway my d. bowie POO is "Heroes", no "Sound & Vision"

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

no "Rebel Rebel"

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"John, I'm Only Dancing" edging out "Panic In Detroit" edging out "Always Crashing In The Same Car".

― J Blount, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

sahmtimes you get sah lahnley.. DARR DERR DURR!! sahmtimes you get nahwhere!

Be My Wife. *hated* Bowie until i heard this song.

― Wyndham Earl, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

nooo! POO is DANCE MAGIC DANCE!!

dance magic dance!! JUMP MAGIC JUMP!!

― Wyndham Earl, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wyndham, are you serious about Dance Magic? Oh, to have Audiogalaxy back to sample some of the Labyrinth stuff...

― Tim DiGravina, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Are you all mental? Its obviously 'Drive in Saturday', because, well just because of everything about it.

I change my mind about this every twenty minutes and should not be held accountable for my own opinions, nor in my slef belief in their infalability. Imagine everything I write being written in chalk and a little elf rubs it out after you read it.

Oh and as I was saying the single best bowie moment is 'Sense of Doubt' from Heroes.

― Alexander Blair, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i keep changing my mind on this, i've agreed w/ everyone since me except wyndham but i don't even know that song...'Dance mAGIC" - huh? David Bowie really did a song called that? i never heard of it.

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It's a goofy and admittedly fun number from Labyrinth.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Under Pressure!

― jel --, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"i dig everything"

― nathalie, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Heroes

One of my fave songs EVAH

― Rhiannon, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Beauty and the Beast

― Andy K, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Suffragette City"

― sundar subramanian, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Heroes" (single edit)

― Joe, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Ashes to Ashes"!!!

― daria gray, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Fashion," on the strength of that unbelievably amazing lead guitar part.

― Douglas, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Either Golden Years or Heroes

― MICHELINE, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Lady grinning soul' from Aladdin Sane, forgot this one.

― Rhiannon, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Probably not my POO (Golden Years is my fave), but does anyone else think that "I'm Deranged" is the great lost latter-day Bowie track? and one of the few beat-y ones that doesn't sound like a Bowie vs. "Electronica" train-wreck?). First heard it on the 'Lost Highway' soundtrack and then bought the 'Outside' album which had nothing else even remotely interesting on it.

― Spencer Chow, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, Spencer. "I'm Deranged" is great; it plays at the beginning of Lost Highway, right... with just images of the road zipping by? That's superb. I really like "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" as well, especially as featured in Seven... I think it plays as the credits roll in reverse (at the end of the movie).

― Tim DiGravina, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Memory of a free Festival"

― A Nairn, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Suffragette City" or "Ashes to Ashes"? Hmmm, it's tough, but I'll go with "Ashes to Ashes". That song really turned me on my ear when I first heard it, while I just think "Suffragette City" is a fantastically catchy song.

― Vinnie, Saturday, 22 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ASHES TO ASHES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― erik, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was going to say Art Decade but then a little voice popped up to say ooooo, which means I pick Warszawa.

― Damian, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yawn, "Heroes"...how boring. So maybe I'll say "V-2 Schneider" instead, just to be different.

― Sean Carruthers, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Boys Keep Swinging"

No contest.

― J, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Weirdly enough, it's "Candidate" (I hope I can throw in "Sweet Thing reprise" since it's grafted on). The lyrics are so descriptive (something Bowie's Kinda gotten away from since then, IMO - I think his work suffers from his reining in his verbosity)(Can't say that about too many artists); the music so claustrophobic, all grim and swirly. Perfect!

― Matt Riedl (veal), Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Some Are".

― Michael Jones, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"heroes"

― gygax! (i forgot my blog password), Monday, 24 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Joe the Lion = best. riff. evah.

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Can't Help Thinking About Me, for the line about the recreation ground.

― harvey w, Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Clearly "Rebel Rebel" as one of the coolest glam hooks ever.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Toss up between "The Bewlay Brothers" and "Station to Station." Second choice would be "Gospel According to Tony Day" (the infamous "Your mind -- BLOW IT!" song).

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Wednesday, 26 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

five months pass...

um... Toooo hard... I think 'Lady Stardust' nudges aside 'Cracked Actor' tonight 'cause I'm feeling romantic.

I love resurrecting dead threads; I hope it's not bad form.

― Zora (Zora), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 23:23 (twenty-three years ago)

"Five Years"!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 23:31 (twenty-three years ago)

This is easy: Absolute Beginners

― jamesmichaelward (jamesmichaelward), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 23:32 (twenty-three years ago)

TVC15

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 4 December 2002 23:35 (twenty-three years ago)

"Five Years" as well.

I remember feeling slightly aggrieved when I heard that he was going to play it at Live Aid (the first time I ever saw him live) but he had to cut short his set so they could show the footage of starving children set to 'Drive' by the Cars.

OK, bit selfish maybe, but it would've been awesome.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 5 December 2002 10:38 (twenty-three years ago)

It could only be Rebel Rebel.

― Roger Fascist (Roger Fascist), Thursday, 5 December 2002 11:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Almost impossible but right now it's Drive-in Saturday. Whatta song!

― mms (mms), Thursday, 5 December 2002 14:06 (twenty-three years ago)

"kooks" - when i'm feeling happily domestic & looking forward to having kids.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 5 December 2002 14:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Life on Mars? for me too

― Jeff W, Thursday, 5 December 2002 14:12 (twenty-three years ago)

I second "Some Are."

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Thursday, 5 December 2002 14:32 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...

Moonage Daydream

― pixel farmer (Rock Hardy), Monday, 1 May 2006 01:14 (twenty years ago)

"under pressure"

― jbr with a z (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 May 2006 01:26 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

this morning: THE SECRET LIFE OF ARABIA.

― pisces, Monday, 14 April 2008 06:29 (eighteen years ago)

Starman.

― moley, Monday, 14 April 2008 09:32 (eighteen years ago)

The Secret Life of Arabia is in my Bowie top 5, for sure.

― Davey D, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 00:49 (eighteen years ago)

Top five would be more fun. But if there is one and only one, I'm somehow with this guy:

This is easy: Absolute Beginners
-- jamesmichaelward (jamesmichaelward), Wednesday, December 4, 2002 11:32 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark Link

― Eazy, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 00:54 (eighteen years ago)

This is literally impossible.

― chap, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 01:10 (eighteen years ago)

I'll pick "After All." It doesn't get enough love.

― Turangalila, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 07:59 (eighteen years ago)

"Oh You Pretty Things"

― Preview of the Matrix 12, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 08:34 (eighteen years ago)

TVC15

― SecondBassman, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 20:45 (eighteen years ago)

No, wait, Panic In Detroit

― SecondBassman, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 20:46 (eighteen years ago)

And a lot of times I like "Fashion"

― SecondBassman, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 20:51 (eighteen years ago)

I guess it's gotta be "Station to Station."

― Davey D, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 21:22 (eighteen years ago)

I'm making that Bowie top 5, just because, dammit.

Station to Station
The Secret Life of Arabia
The Bewlay Bros
Sound and Vision
Teenage Wildlife

That feels pretty good.

― Davey D, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 21:23 (eighteen years ago)

One of the versions of "Hang On to Yourself" on the BBC box is, like, the whole Ramones catalog distilled into one track.

― ellaguru, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 21:28 (eighteen years ago)

six years pass...

ashes to ashes

― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Friday, 2 January 2015 06:05 (eleven years ago)

red sails

― how's life, Friday, 2 January 2015 11:30 (eleven years ago)

Heroes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb6Gbi1MpoE

― paolo, Friday, 2 January 2015 11:54 (eleven years ago)

five years pass...

letter to hermione

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 03:11 (six years ago)

Ashes to Ashes, a touchstone of my life since it came out

― assert (MatthewK), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 04:38 (six years ago)

Fashion

― umsworth (emsworth), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 04:53 (six years ago)

Station To Station/Sweet Thing/Blackstar - one of them.

― Zelda Zonk, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 05:16 (six years ago)

sound and vision

― fatuous salad (symsymsym), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 08:41 (six years ago)

Is ‘Heroes’ Bowie’s ‘Purple Rain’ as in everybody seems to love it but I find it a bit of dirge and prolly wouldn’t appear in my top half 100 tracks by respective artists?...

― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 11:26 (six years ago)

the "Be My Wife" video

― Irritable Baal (WmC), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 12:37 (six years ago)

Fascination

― Joey Corona (Euler), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 12:42 (six years ago)

young americans

― brimstead, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 17:53 (six years ago)

I’ve never been big on “heroes” the song. but the production is awesome

― brimstead, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 17:57 (six years ago)

^ yes

― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 18:15 (six years ago)

I might risk getting banned for this but I like The Wallflowers’ version of “heroes” better than the original.

Before you send me to the pits let me explain: I was 14 when I first heard it and at that point in my life I had no idea who Bowie was, so for me this was the original version of the song for many years. By the time I heard the Bowie version it sounded off to me... a bit dry and less energetic.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 21:01 (six years ago)

If I had to do a POV:

Letter to Hermione
Ashes to Ashes
Sound and Vision
Moonage Daydream
Rebel Rebel

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 21:05 (six years ago)

Beat of Your Drum

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 21:05 (six years ago)

If my comment about preferring Wallflowers version to the real one isn’t enough to send me to the gallows:

I can’t stand Under Pressure safe for that brilliant bassline and would prefer to listen to Ice Ice Baby any day of the week.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 21:08 (six years ago)

Young Americans

― Migdalia Amygdala (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 22:00 (six years ago)

Unrelated and I'm sure most will know but: the BBC aired three Bowie-docs in succession last week (The First Five Years, Five Years and The Last Five Years). I'd never seen them before, so we recorded them and we've been binging them this week. Visconti has an anecdote about how Bowie was struggling with the lyrics for Heroes while in the studio, and they needed to be done asap. Bowie asked Visconti to leave the room so he could concentrate. Visconti went outside with back-up singer Antonia Maas and had a snog. Bowie saw this through the window and went "that's going to be in the song!" and it became the third verse ("And we kissed, as though nothing could fall") Thought that was a great anecdote.

― Scampidocio (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 18 June 2020 07:16 (six years ago)

Apparently Maas herself has disputed this... from the (essential) Pushing Ahead of the Dame:

Bowie had also been taken with an Otto Mueller painting he had seen in Die Brücke Museum, Liebespaar Zwischen Gartenmauern (Lovers Between Garden Walls), which Mueller had painted as World War I was ending. Bowie transplanted Meuller’s image of two lovers embracing by a high stone wall, placing them before the Wall that Bowie saw every day from Hansa’s control room window. As legend has it, Bowie was looking out that very window when he spied Visconti (who was married at the time, to Mary Hopkin) and the singer Antonia Maass embracing by the Wall. At once he had found his lyric’s resolution, a snapshot of love and bravery set against the concrete madness of governments, despite it being a shabby act, a man cheating on his wife. (The story, essential to the legend of “Heroes,” might not be true.****)

**** Tobias Rüther, in his Helden: David Bowie und Berlin (2008), interviewed Maass, who claimed the lines weren’t about her and Visconti, as “Heroes” had been completed before their affair started, and that Bowie couldn’t have seen them together anyhow. Someone should do a feminist reading of the song—the male gaze (Bowie), the male protagonist (Visconti) and the oft-forgotten woman who claims that none of the story is true.

― umsworth (emsworth), Thursday, 18 June 2020 08:12 (six years ago)

Ah, thanks for that! We'll never really know I suppose.

― Scampidocio (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 18 June 2020 08:47 (six years ago)

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