In my quest to learn more about the most important artists of the last century, David Bowie was going to be unavoidable. There has always been a passive amount of Bowie in my life, his culture importance is unbelievably huge and so I was somewhat familiar with some of his work. I decided to start with Hunky Dory as there were quite a few songs I recognised but I couldn’t be prepared for just how much I love this album.
Released in 1971 it was one of Bowie’s first albums but so many of these songs have gone on to be not only classic Bowie tracks but also songs which have maintained their importance to this day. Any album that can begin with ‘Changes’ and follow that up with ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ has already established itself as a cultural classic.
These first two songs are definitely two of the strongest on the album and they share a lot of themes, many of which help to define the whole album. What stands out in particular is the focus on generational differences, this is pretty apparent just from the title of ‘Changes’ but I think my favourite line relating to this theme is:
“And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They’re quite aware of what they’re going through”
This generational different is mirrored in ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ brilliantly in the chorus:
“Oh you Pretty Things
Don’t you know you’re driving your
Mamas and Papas insane”
I think that not only is this sentiment as relevant today as it was in 1971 but goes some way to reflect how Bowie was becoming something of a counter cultural icon, the somewhat effeminate, long haired Bowie on the cover adds to this.
The album also plays into the wider culture at the time through its songs titled for Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan. While I find Andy Warhol the better song, the intro especially showing traits of the more experimental approach which Bowie became increasingly capable of on an album which is full of reasonably poppy tracks, they come together to show how this album is something of a time capsule for its era, seeped in culture and feeling. This culture and the themes of generational difference come together beautifully on what is perhaps the best track on the album, ‘Life on Mars?’.
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how good ‘Life on Mars?’ is but I still want to take a moment to say, how good is this song? I’ve heard it before but listening to it as part of the album really gave it another dimension. Its somewhat metaphorical and obscure lyrics seem to make a lot more sense in the context of ‘Hunky Dory’ and its dynamic, swelling composition is just tremendous. The piano which follows the vocals throughout the whole song is really excellent and stands out as one of the most intricate and thoughtful pieces of music on the album.
As for the other pieces on the album, I didn’t really find myself enjoying ‘Eight Line Poem’ or ‘Quicksand’ a great deal which may be more of a reflection on how great the other tracks are (it certainly doesn’t help that ‘Eight Line Poem’ is between ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ and ‘Life on Mars?’). I found ‘Kooks’ and ‘Fill Your Heart’ to be pleasant, pop, tracks which on some listens I really enjoyed but on other occasions I really wanted the slightly more alternative and interesting sound which I associate with Bowie. ‘Queen Bitch’ found itself in a similar situation where I generally enjoyed the track but it sometimes feels a bit left out from the rest of the album, perhaps down to its sound but I think it also unfortunately falls in the same category of being surrounded by other songs which are simply outstanding.
The final song on the album however, ‘The Bewlay Bothers’ is something of an outsider, I was unfamiliar with it before listening to ‘Hunky Dory’ but its become one of my favourite songs on the album. Its lyrics are obscure and abstract and the narrative which it tells hardly makes sense but its pulled of with so much style and emotion that I believe it works brilliantly. It’s dynamic crescendos and imagery come together to create a song which really stands out in an album full of classics. The lyrics:
“Now my brother lays upon the rocks
He could be dead, he could be not
He could be you
He’s chameleon, comedian, Corinthian and caricature”
are some of my favourites on the whole album and always stand out when listening through.
So overall how does ‘Hunky Dory’ rate? Brilliantly. In trying to give myself a bit of an education I’ve really got a lot more appreciation for why Bowie is such a cultural icon. ‘Hunky Dory’ is an example of how to bring together new, exciting sounds which are both of their time while also being timeless classics. It’s made me love songs which before I would have only recognised and brought some tracks to my attention which I’d never really listened to before. I really can’t wait to listen to more Bowie now and see where he goes.
Rob's Music Review 