With The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (Ziggy Stardust), David Bowie brought glam rock to the masses. Ironically, he didn’t do it as “David Bowie.” To fully deliver this new rock frontier, Bowie crafted a character: the titular “Ziggy Stardust.” Ziggy is a doomed, tragic, Christ-like (we’ll get to that later) character, and the album chronicles his journey to save humanity from itself. Due to its narrative structure, some label Ziggy Stardust a concept album. That idea inspired me to research the album, because I wanted to find the heart of Bowie’s story. After analyzing Ziggy Stardust, I found three major themes: Religion, Love, and Music. Below, you'll find the album tracklist, my analysis, and the data I gathered to write this entry. Tracklist: Religion: 9/11 songs (Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain’t Easy, Lady Stardust, Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Rock n’ Roll Suicide) On Ziggy Stardust, Bowie isn't one for subtlety. Throughout the album, Bowie's alter-ego, Ziggy, is acts as a prophet who uses rock music to save the human race. He amasses a devoted following, uses the stage as a pulpit for rock n' roll sermons, and eventually sacrifices himself for mankind. Does that remind you of anyone? "Soul love: the priest that tastes the word and / Told of love: and how my God on high is / All love: though reaching up my loneliness / Evolves, by the blindness that surrounds him" Love: 8/11 songs (Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, Lady Stardust, Star, Ziggy Stardust, Rock n’ Roll Suicide) Love is the core of Ziggy Stardust. It motivates the characters to do good, and it's the ultimate factor in Ziggy's sacrifice. Love gives the characters reason to carry on, even without Ziggy. "Love is careless in its choosing / Sweeping over cross a baby / Love descends on those defenseless" Music: 8/11 songs (Five Years, Moonage Daydream, Starman, Lady Stardust, Star, Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Rock n’ Roll Suicide) Ziggy uses his music to enlighten people, and warn them of the impending apocalypse. Of course, this could be a thinly-veiled metaphor for any artist/consumer relationship, but I think it's more of a love letter from Bowie to rock n' roll music. The album occasionally tackles some heavy topics, but it's always kept afloat by Bowie's tangible love for music. "Now Ziggy played guitar / He played it left hand / But made it too far / Became the special man / Then we became Ziggy's Band" Most Thematic Song(s): "Five Years," "Moonage Daydream," "Starman," "Lady Stardust," "Ziggy Stardust," and "Rock n' Roll Suicide" contain all three themes. Least Thematic Song(s): "Suffragette City" contains none of the three themes. Final Thoughts: After analyzing Ziggy Stardust and writing this entry, I don't believe it's a concept album. There is a loose story that unfolds throughout the album, but the themes seem too vast to be beholden to one certain concept. Bowie uses Ziggy to comment on what it means to be a superstar, what it means to love, and what it means to worship something beyond your comprehension. Ziggy Stardust isn't about Ziggy's story. It's about the story of humanity, told through him. Data: Religion: 9/11 songs (Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain’t Easy, Lady Stardust, Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Rock n’ Roll Suicide)
Love: 8/11 songs (Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, Lady Stardust, Star, Ziggy Stardust, Rock n’ Roll Suicide)
Music: 8/11 songs (Five Years, Moonage Daydream, Starman, Lady Stardust, Star, Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Rock n’ Roll Suicide)
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