CFNN Rock Correspondent Dana Murray

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars is the album that catapulted David Bowie to fame. While he had some success with his first few albums, which had songs such as “Space Oddity” and “Life On Mars?,” this album made him into the artist we recognize today. If you ask someone which of David Bowie’s personas they most recognize him by, chances are, they’ll say Ziggy Stardust. That style and the album that it went with are iconic. It ushered in the glam rock era of the 70’s and made an undeniable impact on rock history.

“Five Years” tells of the impending doom of Earth in five years. It focuses on the mundane parts of life that become beautiful when the realization hits that the world will be no more. He talks of wanting to take in everything about Earth before it’s gone and all of the people he had seen and met over his life. It starts out with a gentle, plodding drum beat and a bare bones piano part. It places more emphasis on Bowie’s voice, which makes the lyrics that much more impactful. As the song goes on, the instruments gain intensity. The piano gains more prominence, bass is added, and there’s a string section. It gets more and more chaotic before fading back to the drum beat from the beginning. It’s one of my favorite opening tracks of all time. 

“Soul Love” has a groove from the get-go. The bass line is really cool. I love the incorporation of a saxophone in the song. It makes it moody and gives it a great vibe. The guitar part is quite nice. The song speaks of love of all sorts, such as the love of a mother grieving for her dead son and a first love between teenagers. I like that it has a completely opposite subject matter and tone from the previous song. It’s upbeat and happy in comparison to the impending apocalypse described in “Five Years.”

“Moonage Daydream” has one of my favorite opening lines in all of music: “I’m an alligator.” The sheer oddity of it makes it great. I love the use of Sci-Fi imagery throughout; it’s on brand for the album. The bass in this song is prominent. It also has some really nice harmonies. The combination of the string section, piano, and classic rock is unparalleled. It’s a stand out song on the album.

“Starman” has become more popular in recent years, which I’m ecstatic about. It’s one of Bowie’s best. I love the acoustic intro! I like that the song as a whole leans into pop-rock tradition while the lyrics are futuristic and talk of an alien coming to Earth to play music. This is a song that describes Bowie, especially the line “he’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds.” He was otherworldly and he ended up blowing the minds of many. 

“It Ain’t Easy” is a Ron Davies cover that tells of the hardships of being a musician. It makes the song more glam, while keeping some of the blues elements, such as guitar tone and the way Bowie sings. The harmonies on the chorus are amazing. It has a similar, yet different feel compared to the rest of the album. It’s a fusion of musical styles that works wonderfully. This cover outshines the original in almost every aspect.

“Lady Stardust” is my favorite song on this album. The piano part is gorgeous. I find it interesting that this song was written about Marc Bolan from the band T. Rex. It makes sense when you listen to the lyrics: “people stared at the makeup on his face / laughed at his long black hair and his animal grace.” Bolan was famous for wearing glitter on his face when he performed and he had long, curly black hair that he wore a top hat over. It shares similarities with “Planet Queen” by T. Rex, which is fitting. I love that it’s a crossover of my two favorite glam rock artists. 

“Star” is Bowie’s take on his rise to fame. He’s musing on why he became a star. The line “I could make a transformation as a rock & roll star” describes what he did pretty accurately.  He transformed into so many different personas over the course of his career in addition to changing the world with his music. I love the harmonies and piano. For being so short of a song, it pulls its own weight. 

“Hang On To Yourself” is another shorter track on the album. I love the riff and beat for this song. It reminds me of 1950’s rock n roll. It’s a lesser known song, but it’s still a good one. It describes some of the fans Ziggy had during his career, specifically the kind that would lead to his downfall. It’s a nod to the story that the album centers around. It could be considered skippable, but it adds some context to why Ziggy had his “rise and fall.” 

The most recognizable song on this album is “Ziggy Stardust,” which tells the story of Ziggy Stardust’s career and his death due to his fans. It’s told from the point of view of the fictional “Spiders From Mars,” Ziggy’s backing band. They were cast to the side and complained about the fans since they were all obsessed with Ziggy. Musically, it’s simplistic but still has glam elements. The guitar riff is instantly recognizable. Bowie’s voice tells the story he’s telling so well. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll classic.

“Suffragette City” is another iconic track on this album. The riff is amazing and so is the bass line. I love the Moog synthesizer lines placed throughout. It fits with the vibe of the song. There’s also a few references to A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, which is a book and movie Bowie was heavily influenced by. My favorite part of the song has to be the “wham bam thank you ma’am” line towards the end. I can’t describe why I like it so much, but it has so much energy that I can’t help but yell it every time I hear it.   

“Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” is a beautiful way to close out the album. It’s a sad one, but it’s surprisingly uplifting. It’s a great song to listen to when you’re feeling down. I love the line “Oh no, love! You’re not alone / you’re watching yourself but you’re too unfair.” It’s a contender for my favorite Bowie lyric. The reverb guitar part shares some similarities with “Wake Up Alone” by Amy Winehouse. The full orchestra is a fantastic choice. It brings the elements of the song together and makes it full and emotional. Bowie’s voice here is amazing as well. It’s a beautiful way to close the album. 

This album is the reason I got into David Bowie. It was so different from the things I had listened to previously and it captivated me. It sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until the last note has played. On the back of the album, the fine print says that this album is “to be played at maximum volume” and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s an album like no other and it needs to be appreciated to the fullest. This is the reason that Bowie will be remembered forever.