The song David Bowie wrote about “the whorehouse at the Vatican”
David Bowie was not opposed to tackling the subject of martyrdom, at least not in his songwriting. In fact, celebrating otherness was very much his forte. What perhaps may come as a surprise to some, however, was that said otherness wasn’t always as obvious as gender fluidity and flamboyant physical appearances.
One of Bowie’s earliest forays into the realm of dark compositions was 1969’s ‘Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud’ – the enigmatic, nameless boy within the song stands on the precipice of fate, sentenced to death. As dawn approaches, the hangman’s noose looms, a grim consequence for the so-called “crime” of madness. Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, a symbiotic bond links the boy and the encircling mountains, and, in a tragic crescendo, the village crumbles to ruins as the boy’s life wanes.
“There are some tracks on [the album] I’m really proud of,” Bowie said in George Tremlett’s David Bowie: Living on the Brink. “‘The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud’ is one of the best. It’s about a boy who falls in love with the mountain where he lives. The people in his village think he’s mad and they’re determined to kill him, to hang him, but the mountain protects him and kills the village. That was the b-side of ‘Space Oddity’, but no one ever heard it.”
In 1995, Bowie released ‘I Have Not Been To Oxford Town’, sung from the perspective of murder suspect and prisoner Leon Blank. It came to be known as one of the most complex pieces of storytelling in Bowie’s discography yet one of the most conventional on Outside, detailing Blank’s awaiting trial for the murder of Baby Grace Blue.
As time went on, Bowie only became more intrigued by medieval history, sprinkling much of it in his songs even in the years leading up to his death. In 2012, Bowie released his 24th and penultimate studio album, The Next Day. Its title track was also the opening song and takes aim at the Catholic Church, exposing the hypocrisy of men who “work with Satan while they dress like the saints”. These individuals denounce sex workers while shamelessly seeking their services. Our central character endures the agony of lashing and a relentless pursuit through the very streets where crowds “chant for his death”.
Bowie’s displeasure found its mark upon unveiling the music video for ‘The Next Day’ in May 2013. Crafted under the visionary direction of Floria Sigismondi at the iconic American Legion in New York, the video assumed a cast of big names as Gary Oldman took on the role of a priest, while Marion Cotillard embodied the essence of Mary Magdalene. The ensemble further featured the likes of historical martyrs Joan of Arc and St. Lucy of Syracuse, along with a flagellant and a nun. Bowie himself graced the screen as an artist, his performance culminating with a poignant departure from character as he turned to directly address the group at the end.
Bowie later explained that it was about “the whorehouse at the Vatican”, Zachary Alford said in Uncut. “We didn’t have big, grand discussions about things. With David, he’d say something and you’d go, ‘Uh-huh, I get it.’” Of course, the video sparked controversy, with YouTube removing it entirely but later stating they had made “the wrong call”. Religious figures also condemned Bowie’s decisions to use blasphemous language, but he himself wasn’t all that bothered at all. Bowie was never one to shy away from challenging institutional norms or themes of grandeur: for a period of time, he didn’t even care that much about commercial success. As long as he was staying true to himself, that’s all that mattered.
Bowie refused all interviews to promote The Next Day, but he did respond to a request from novelist Rick Moody for a list of words to explain the album’s themes. For ‘The Next Day’, he gave the following three words: “Effigies; Indulgences; Anarchist”.
