“I had no natural talents”: the songwriter David Bowie was always jealous of
There is nothing quite like David Bowie‘s discography. Its pieces stitch together like reels from multiple films, haphazardly thrown together. A lot of the time, nothing appears connected apart from the man himself, as sound, image and concept are open to variation, but it is this constant switching around that made him such an enticing entertainer.
Cut to his first breakout song, ‘Space Oddity’. We see David Bowie adopt a character called Major Tom, who sings about going into space and how doing so changes your perception of what life is like on Earth. It was the first of many characters that David Bowie created throughout his life, as with each album came a new sound, a new theme and something new for fans to become obsessed with.
Things ended how they started. Throughout his career, Bowie played various characters, dabbling in rock, glam, disco, punk, and other styles of music. His creative abilities were absolutely limitless, and his work is something we can look back on now with real admiration. When he knew things were coming to a close, he decided to end things as they started.
The video to the off-kilter and disorienting song Blackstar featured the body of an astronaut passed out amongst jagged rocks. Many at the time believed that this could have been Major Tom, and after David Bowie died shortly after the release of the album Blackstar, this opinion became more widespread. While Bowie may not have specified either way, the music video director, Johan Renck, said, “To me, it was 100% Major Tom.”
When you look at these different facets of David Bowie, you would be forgiven for thinking he was a natural songwriter. The fact that he had so many other ideas he was keen on trying really highlights just how creative he was. However, if you were to ask Bowie, he would tell you the exact opposite. He admitted previously that he doesn’t find writing songs something that comes naturally to him. Instead, he said that he had to train himself to be creative and force himself to engage with his ideas. He said he was always jealous of Marc Bolan for this reason before referring to the line “I danced myself right out the womb” from ‘Cosmic Dancer’.
“I didn’t know how to write a song, I wasn’t particularly good at it. I forced myself to be a good songwriter, and I became a good songwriter,” said Bowie. “But I had no natural talents whatsoever. I made a job of work at getting good. And the only way I could learn was see how other people did it. I wasn’t one of those guys who came out of the womb-like Marc [Bolan].”
It’s interesting to learn how many people we consider excellent songwriters initially struggled to find their feet. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards famously had to be locked in a kitchen by their manager and weren’t allowed out until they had written their first song. The track wasn’t representative of what Rolling Stones would go on to make, but it highlights how difficult it can be to get up off the ground initially.
