The song that Billy Corgan wrote for David Bowie
Billy Corgan grew up admiring David Bowie, and much to his delight, they built a strong relationship. Following Bowie’s death, The Smashing Pumpkins frontman reflected upon what he’d learnt from his shared experiences with the late musician and used songwriting as a vehicle to navigate his grief.
In the 1990s, the two artists were on the same label, which meant they regularly crossed paths and forged a friendship. Bowie was at an interesting point in his career, going through another period of reinvention. After the commercial success of the ’80s, Bowie transformed once more by unlocking an industrial aspect of his sound and initiated himself with the alternative rock scene.
In 1997, Bowie celebrated his 50th birthday in style by performing with an array of special guests at Madison Square Garden. Corgan was thrilled to be asked to participate in the evening, and he took to the stage to duet on Mott The Hoople’s ‘All The Young Dudes’ with Bowie.
Corgan reflected on the performance with Howard Stern: “It was terrifying. We did soundcheck as you do. I thought it was weird because he had me about five feet behind him. I thought it was a bit of a diss. I didn’t understand that. Then I come out for the show, it’s about halfway through the show, and he’s all warmed up and sweating.”
The Smashing Pumpkins singer added: “His voice is warmed up, and it’s that voice. It was mind-blowing to hear him sing for real, standing next to him. For years, I didn’t understand why he put me behind him. It was almost like I was the little kid with him. I realised it was because I was so much taller. He had done it to diss me. He wanted us to look at the same height.”
Although they were never close friends, Corgan was devastated when Bowie departed in 2016. At the time, he was in the process of writing his second solo album, Ogilala, and the opening track, ‘Zowie’, was written in tribute to his hero.
Explaining the origin of the song, Corgan told Stern: “When I was writing this song, the opening chord sequence reminded me of the weird inversions he’d do. So, I started thinking about David, and it wasn’t too long after he passed, he was sort of in the air, and he kind of rode shotgun with me when I was writing this song.”
Corgan continued: “I was sort of meditating on one side of my brain about David and the times I met him, and I was writing this song about another thing, this kind of self-reflective thing. So, when I finished, I felt (I needed to) tip my cap to him. It’s like a very personal way to say thank you.”
On the emotional track, Corgan sings: “That life keeps up running faster than your scars, And Cain isn’t able to build a superstar, I’ll carry back your love to win.” Bowie meant everything to him, and ‘Zowie’ is a fitting tribute to a talent who taught him so much.
