News of Bowie’s death on Monday prompted an outpouring of grief.
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The music video for “Lazarus”, included in Bowie’s final album, premiered on January 8.
And when he played himself – like his cameo on “Zoolander”, as the only human qualified to judge the “walk off” between male models Derek Zoolander and Hansel – he was the coolest David Bowie one could be. This was no coincidence: he’d been fighting cancer for 18 months, and we now know Blackstar was a carefully planned “farewell gift” for his fans.
Streaming giant Spotify said streams of Bowie’s music were up 2,700 percent on Monday, while the Official Charts Company in the United Kingdom said Bowie’s “Blackstar” album was headed to the top spot on the charts with sales of 43,000 since its Friday release.
“I got this from somebody very close to him”.
The BRIT Awards has confirmed it will stage a tribute to David Bowie at next month’s event. The record is replete with references to the singer’s fate, most portentously on “Lazarus” (“Look up here, I’m in heaven”, he cries).
Madonna dedicated a song to the late musician as she performed in Houston, Texas, as part of her Rebel Heart tour on Tuesday evening. The only thing I can say is that she didn’t consider it assault, but that’s no excuse for him or Angie Bowie.
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“Dollar Days”, however, is far more on-the-nose when it comes to Bowie’s impending mortality, including lyrics like “I’m dying to”, “Don’t believe for just one second I’m forgetting you”, and “If I’ll never see the English evergreens I’m running to, it’s nothing to me”. The type of cancer is unconfirmed but reports have suggested it was liver cancer. However, this is not a sad album, it’s just intensely emotional and abstract. To-date, 25 studio LPs by the Thin White Duke have been released, as well as multiple hits compilations. Look up here, man, I’m in danger. The last songs “Dollar Days” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away” are a attractive one-two punch.
