Happy Anniversary: David Bowie, “Ashes to Ashes”
37 years ago today, David Bowie released the single that served as a “Space Oddity” sequel, one which would – 15 years later – ultimately prove to be the middle chapter in a Major Tom trilogy.
Written by Bowie and co-produced by Bowie and his longtime production collaborator Tony Visconti, “Ashes to Ashes” was described by its composer at the time as “very much a 1980s nursery rhyme,” and although he would not say as much outright until years later, it’s very clear both in its sound and in its accompanying music video – the most expensive one ever made at that time – that it was Bowie’s farewell to the ‘70s. “Ashes to Ashes” also gave Major Tom a makeover for the new decade, referring to him as a “junkie, strung out in heaven’s high, hitting an all-time low.” Whether this was a reference to Bowie’s album of the same title (1977’s LOW), it’s hard to say, but given his enjoyment of the occasional cheeky lyrics, it’s not the craziest theory ever posited.
As a single, “Ashes to Ashes” proved to be a huge hit for Bowie in the UK, climbing all the way to #4 in the UK Singles chart. That success was not matched in the States, alas, where the single bubbled just under the Billboard Hot 100 but never properly charted. You’d never know it from the amount of airplay it continues to receive, however, so at least Bowie’s brilliant single was ultimately vindicated on our shores.
