Moonage Daydream
"Moonage Daydream" | |||||||||||
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Single by Arnold Corns | |||||||||||
B-side | "Hang On to Yourself" | ||||||||||
Released | 7 May 1971 | ||||||||||
Format | 7" single | ||||||||||
Recorded | 25 February 1971 | ||||||||||
Genre | |||||||||||
Length | 3:52 | ||||||||||
Label | B&C Records CB 149 | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | David Bowie | ||||||||||
Producer(s) | David Bowie | ||||||||||
Arnold Corns singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Moonage Daydream" | |
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Song |
"Moonage Daydream" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 and first released as a single with the band Arnold Corns. A re-recorded version, featuring Bowie and his backing band The Spiders from Mars, was released in 1972 on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The song tells of an alien messiah and hints at his destiny to save the world from the impending disaster described in Bowie's "Five Years", as well as his fate as the quintessential "soul lover". In terms of the story arc of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, this is one of the most important songs as it describes the creation of Ziggy from a combination of religion, romance, sexual freedom, rebellion, and passion; he metamorphoses into the archetypal rock star.
Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust is the title of a book written by David Bowie, published in 2002 by Genesis Publications, named after this song. The book documented the years 1972-73 and was fully illustrated with the photography of Mick Rock. Bowie and Rock met in 1972 and formed a working relationship and lasting friendship. Subsequently, Mick Rock was the only photographer authorised to record the two-year career of Ziggy Stardust.
Contents
Arnold Corns version
The Arnold Corns version of "Moonage Daydream", recorded on 25 February 1971,[2] was released by B&C as a single in the UK on 7 May 1971.[3] "Hang on to Yourself" was the B-side.
The official band line-up, fronted by dress designer Freddi Buretti, was a total fabrication; Buretti was at the session but his contributions were simply lost alongside Bowie's.
This version was also released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc rerelease of The Man Who Sold the World album (1990) with an alternate lyrics (Come on strong girl, and lay your heavy trip on me, the church of mad love is such a holy place to be...). It also appeared on the Ziggy Stardust - 30th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc in 2002.
Production credits
- Arnold Corns version (recorded February 1971)
- Producer:
- David Bowie
- Musicians:
- David Bowie: vocals, piano
- Freddi Buretti: vocals
- Mark Carr-Pritchard: guitar
- Peter DeSomogyi: bass
- Tim Broadbent: drums, tambourine
- Album version (recorded November 1971)
- Producer:
- Musicians:
- David Bowie: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, saxophone, string/flute arrangements
- Mick Ronson: electric guitar, piano
- Trevor Bolder: bass guitar, trumpet
- Mick "Woody" Woodmansey: drums
Live versions
- Bowie recorded the song for the BBC radio programme "Sounds of the 70s: John Peel" on 16 May 1972, and this was broadcast on 23 May 1972. In 2000, this recording was released on the Bowie at the Beeb album.
- A live version recorded at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 20 October 1972 has been released on Santa Monica '72 and Live Santa Monica '72.
- The version played at the famous concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 3 July 1973 was released on Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture.
- A recording from the 1974 tour was released on David Live. Another live recording from the 1974 tour was released on the rare live album A Portrait in Flesh.
- On the Outside tour in 1995 Bowie once again played "Moonage Daydream" and a live version recorded on 13 December 1995 was released on the "Hallo Spaceboy" single in 1996. This version was also released on the bonus disc that followed some versions of Outside - Version 2.
Other releases
- The 1971 Dutch Philips single (issued as "Moonage Dream") starts with someone (presumably the engineer) saying "Whenever you're ready...."
- It was released as the B-Side of the rerelease of the single "Space Oddity" in December 1972.
- It also appeared on the compilations The Best of David Bowie (Japan 1974), Starman (Russia 1989), Sound and Vision (box set) (1989), Best of Bowie (US/Canada 2002) and Nothing Has Changed (2-CD/3-CD 2014).
- A new mix of the song appeared on the Ziggy Stardust - 30th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc.
Appearances in popular culture
- Appears as downloadable content in the music video game series Rock Band in a 3-song pack, along with covers of the other two David Bowie songs "Heroes" and "Queen Bitch".
- Appears in the 2003 film School of Rock.
- Appears in the film Little White Lies[disambiguation needed].
- Appears in the 2002 film Sonny, Nicolas Cage's directorial debut.
- Canadian Idol runner-up Mitch Macdonald sang this song.
- A riff similar to the introductory guitar riff was incorporated into punk rock band Green Day's 2005 hit single, "Jesus of Suburbia".
- Appears in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy during the team's arrival to Knowhere.
- Appears in the Deathwish Video used by Moose
Cover versions
- Eifo HaYeled - Track on the compilation Somebody hears me (1998)
- Brazzaville - Track on the album Jetlag Poetry
- Crowded House - Live during their 2010 Tour available on their website[4]
- The Chameleons - Track on the album This Never Ending Now
- Cienfuegos - Cienfuegos
- Dennis Dunaway Project - Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie (2007)
- Doofus - Music Is Murder EP (2011)
- Fingersauce[5] - Single (2006)
- Eyfo Hayeled - Live recording
- He's My Brother She's My Sister - He's My Brother She's My Sister EP (2010)[6]
- J. Hell - Crash Course for the Ravers - A Tribute to the Songs of David Bowie (1996)
- Wendy Ip - Spiders from Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie (2003)
- Jambi's Revenge - Origins (2010)[7]
- Sass Jordan - Live Recording
- The Killers- Live Recording (30 Sept. 2005, Jones Beach)
- LA Guns - Rips the Covers Off (2004)
- Low Vs. Diamond - The Saturday Sessions (2007)
- Ann Magnuson - Single
- Mars Needs Women - Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie (2007)
- Danny Michel - Loving the Alien: Danny Michel Sings the Songs of David Bowie (2004)
- Timothy Moldrey - The Dark Side of David Bowie: A Tribute To David Bowie (1997)
- Of Montreal - Live many times, including at Lollapalooza 2009 with Janelle Monáe.[8]
- Portugal. The Man - Live Recording 2009/2010
- Racer X - Second Heat and Vol. 2 - Live Extreme (1986)
- Mick Ronson - Live Recording
- Patti Rothberg - Track on the Album Candelabra Cadabra (2001)
- Mike Scott - King Electric CD Single
- Sexy Sadie - Odd tracks out! (2000)
- Ty Segall - SiriusXMU Sessions
- Shades of Red - Demo CD/Cassette
- Sweet Water - Live on Tour in 2009, 2012 and 2013
- The Smashing Pumpkins - Unreleased recording for an aborted tribute album in 1993/1994
- The Spiders from Mars - The Mick Ronson Memorial Concert (2001). Joe Elliott (vocals, acoustic guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Bill Nelson (guitar), Trevor Bolder (bass), Woody Woodmansey, (drums), Billy Rankin (guitar), and Phil Lanzon (keyboards)
- Matthew Sweet - Live Recording
- Techno Cowboy - The Ziggy Stardust Omnichord Album (2009)
- 10,000 Maniacs - Single
- Terrorvision - Long Live Tibet (various artists) (1997)
- Warrior Soul - (Love Is) The Drug single (1995)
- The White Stripes - Live Recording (27 November 1998)
- Rozz Williams - Live Recording
- Zen Guerrilla - Trance States in Tongues (1999)
- The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - Uke-Werk - Live recordings from German concerts (2013)
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Kevin Cann (2010). Any Day Now - David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974: pp.206-207
- ↑ Kevin Cann (2010). Any Day Now - David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974: p.216
- ↑ Crowded House Online Videos
- ↑ fourwalledworld.com
- ↑ http://hesmybrothershesmysister.bandcamp.com/album/hes-my-brother-shes-my-sister-ep
- ↑ http://noisetrade.com/jambisrevenge
- ↑ http://www.covermesongs.com/2010/08/consequence-of-sound-presents-best-fest-covers.html
References
Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
External links
- Use British English from January 2014
- Use dmy dates from January 2014
- Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows
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- Articles with links needing disambiguation from August 2015
- David Bowie songs
- 1971 singles
- Songs written by David Bowie
- Song recordings produced by Ken Scott
- Song recordings produced by David Bowie
- Rock ballads
- 1970s ballads