The classic song David Bowie called “so easy”
Weaving characters and stories, exploring far-off galaxies or building new worlds but somehow tying it all together with a universal sentiment, David Bowie was a lyrical master. From his more folkish debut to his final offering, his storytelling abilities never faltered from their golden standard. His work is vast and intricate, but to him, that’s simple; it was “easy”.
What a humble brag. Claiming that your songwriting was a breeze after writing tracks that helped redefine modern music is perhaps the most extreme, nonchalant quip we’ve ever heard. It’s like saying building the pyramids was a walk in the park or finding a medical wonder cure was nothing, really.
For Bowie, however, it seemed to be the truth as he considered some of his best work with a simple shrug. When asked about ‘Life On Mars’, his epic poem on the changing face of the modern world, he responded, “This song was so easy”.
As a track, ‘Life On Mars’ is about as rich as they come. Bowie moves from scene to scene as the verses roll on, considering a broad cast of characters as he makes a dystopia out of daily life. You can read commentary on politics or society into every line as he paints a circus-like picture in which the world is losing it. Still standing as not only one of Bowie’s finest works but also as a key song in British music history, it’s a true classic that deserves to be written on the walls of museums.
But for the songwriter himself, it was a simple song that captured the creativity of his youth. “Being young was easy,” he continued. Reminiscing on being 24 and writing songs before he shot to fame, ‘Life on Mars’ soundtracks that ease for him. “A really beautiful day in the park,” he recalled, “Sitting on the steps of the bandstand. ‘Sailors bap-bap-bap-bap-baaa-bap.’ An anomic (not a ‘gnomic’) heroine. Middle-class ecstasy.”
The song, to any listener, sounds like the kind of track that would have been intricately and thoughtfully crafted. It’s easy to imagine Bowie sitting at a desk and piecing together the various images, trying to find the perfect phrase for a soaring chorus or figuring out a hook to tie it all together. It feels like the sort of song that should have been drafted over and over until it reached the final form we know it as.
But, no. Instead, ‘Life on Mars’ is one of those golden instances where inspiration strikes in a second, and you’re left dashing for a scrap of paper to capture it. “I took a walk to Beckenham High Street to catch a bus to Lewisham to buy shoes and shirts but couldn’t get the riff out of my head,” Bowie remembered of the moment. “Jumped off two stops into the ride and more or less loped back to the house up on Southend Road.”
It’s strange to think of all the neighbours on his street. Watching a young lad racing back up the road, probably assuming he was late for work or had forgotten something. Instead, he was running to pen a generation-defining track that we’re still in awe of today.
