David Bowie In The
Last Century |
|
David Bowie is one of the
most enduring, most influential
singer/songwriters of the last 30 years. His changing personae have
defined glam rock and provided some of the most memorable pop songs of
all time.
Born on January the 8th 1947 in Brixton, England, David Bowie's birth
name was David Robert Jones. At school he acquired his famous
differently coloured eyes in a fight when a boy stuck a compass in his
eye. As a result one of his pupils is permanently enlarged. He began
playing music when he was 12 and his first instrument was not the
guitar, but the saxophone. He would later graduate with a degree in art
from a technical college.
In 1965 David Jones changed his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion
with Davy Jones of the Monkees. There was little chance of that,
because while Davy was already world famous, David was struggling to
find any success in the music business. He was a member of several
bands which either failed to garner public attention or used up their
15 minutes quickly.
|
|
enduring |
durable |
|
influential |
influent |
|
singer |
chanteur |
|
songwriter |
compositeur de chansons |
|
changing |
changeant |
|
personae |
personnalité |
|
glam rock |
rock de charme |
|
memorable |
mémorable |
|
pop songs |
chansons pop |
to |
acquire |
acquérir |
|
fight |
combat, lutte |
to |
stick |
mettre dans |
|
compass |
compas |
|
pupils |
pupille |
|
enlarged |
agrandi |
to |
graduate |
passer un diplôme |
to |
struggle |
lutter |
|
music business |
milieu de la musique |
|
band (-s) |
groupe |
to |
fail |
échouer |
to |
garner |
gagner |
to |
use up |
épuiser |
|
David Bowie's first top ten single was Space Oddity in 1969 (inspired
by the moon mission of the same year) which peaked at number 5. The
single would be re-released in the US where it enjoyed similar success.
It was a modest beginning which he built into a career which has helped
make him Britain's richest pop star (even more than Sir Paul McCartney,
allegedly).
Bowie's diverse personae changes (Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Ziggy
Stardust (again) and The Thin White Duke) make it clear that his
self-ascribed nickname, The Chameleon of Pop, is accurate. Bowie was
metamorphosing before the adaptable Madonna was a glint in a record
producer's eye.
|
|
single |
titre |
|
moon mission |
mission sur la lune |
to |
peak at |
parvenir à |
to |
be re-leased |
distribuer |
to |
enjoy |
bénéficier |
to |
build into |
bâtir, transformer |
|
allegedly |
paraît-il |
|
self-ascribed |
qu'il s'est attribué |
|
nickname |
surnom |
|
chameleon |
caméléon |
|
accurate |
juste |
to |
metamorphose |
se métaphorser |
a |
glint |
lueur |
|
record producer |
producteur de disques |
|
During his long career Bowie has famously performed duets with Mick
Jagger (Dancing In The Streets) and Queen (Under Pressure). Some of his
less well known collaborations include a version of 20th Century Boy
with Placebo, The Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby (yes,
Bu-bu-bu-Bing Crosby!) and Tina Turner (back in the days when Pepsi
could still afford pop stars on its adverts).
But the Chameleon of Pop's talents extend beyond music and he has
appeared in several films.
Bowie Films (incomplete listing)
1976 -- The Man Who Fell To Earth
1979 -- Just a Gigolo*
1981 -- Christiane F.*
1983 -- Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
1983 -- The Hunger
1986 -- Labyrinth*
1986 -- Absolute Beginners*
1991 -- The Linguini Incident
1992 -- Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me
1996 -- Basquiat*
(* indicates Bowie sang on soundtrack albums of the same name)
His stage appearance in The Elephant Man also received critical acclaim.
Bowie continues to contribute to the musical world to the present day.
He enjoys a huge on-line following and was the first artist to
acknowledge the importance of the Internet by releasing the first ever
web-only single, "Telling Lies" in 1997. |
|
duet (-s) |
duo |
|
famously |
fameusement bien |
|
advert (-s) |
publicité |
to |
afford |
se permettre |
to |
extend beyond |
s'étendre au delà de |
|
talent (-s) |
talent |
to |
appear |
apparaître |
|
soundtrack |
piste son |
|
stage appearance |
apparence en scène |
|
critical acclaim |
acclamation de la critique |
to |
contribute |
contribuer |
|
to the present day |
aujourd'hui |
|
following |
suivi |
|
huge |
énorme, immense |
to |
acknowledge |
prendre en considération |
|
|
|
|
Bowie's Studio Albums (1967 -- 2000)
1967 -- David Bowie
1969 -- Man of Words, Man of Music (better known as Space Oddity)
1971 -- Hunky Dory AND The Man Who Sold The World
1972 -- The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
1973 -- Aladdin Sane AND Pinups
1974 -- Diamond Dogs
1975 -- Young Americans
1976 -- Station To Station
1977 -- "Heroes" AND Low
1979 -- Lodger
1980 -- Scary Monsters
1983 -- Let's Dance
1984 -- Tonight
1987 -- Never Let Me Down
1989 -- Tin Machine
1991 -- Tin Machine 2
1993 -- Black Tie, White Noise AND The Buddha Of Suburbia
1995 -- 1. Outside
1997 -- Earthling
1999 -- Hours
In addition to these studio albums there are many compilation, live and
soundtrack albums which are dedicated to or feature David Bowie. It is
a tribute to his genius that the non-Bowie-specific compilations are so
numerous as to make a comprehensive listing of them impossible. |
to |
dedicate |
dédier |
to |
feature |
caractériser |
|
tribute |
tribut |
|
genius |
génie |
|
numerous |
nombreux |
|
comprehensive |
exhaustif |
|
listing |
liste |
|
|
|
|