"Ziggy Stardust" lyrics
"Ziggy Stardust"
Now Ziggy played guitar
Jamming good with Weird and Gilly
And The Spiders from Mars
He played it left hand
But made it too far
Became the special man
Then we were Ziggy's Band
Ziggy really sang
Screwed-up eyes and screwed-down hairdo
Like some cat from Japan
He could lick 'em by smiling
He could leave 'em to hang
He came on so loaded, man,
Well-hung, snow-white tan
So where were the spiders
While the fly tried to break our balls?
Just the beer light to guide us
So we bitched about his fans
And should we crush his sweet hands?
Oh yeah
Ziggy played for time
Jiving us that we were Voodoo
The kids was just crass
He was the naz
With God-given ass
He took it all too far
But boy, could he play guitar
Making love with his ego
Ziggy sucked up into his mind (ah)
Like a leper messiah
When the kids had killed a man
I had to break up the band
Ziggy played guitar
Thanks to Mara, woodstockclass, Steve, Terry Windows, eileen_dover for correcting these lyrics.
Writer(s): David Bowie
The character Ziggy Stardust, this song is about, was inspired by Vince Taylor. David Bowie met him in the 60s. Bowie mentioned it in a 1990 interview, "Vince Taylor was the inspiration for Ziggy… He always stayed in my mind as an example of what can happen in rock n roll. I'm not sure if I held him up as an idol or as something not to become." Taylor was popular as one of the famous figures in rock and roll, but ruined his life and career because of drugs.
David Bowie created Ziggy Stardust's character with the help of his then-wife, Angela. A part of the character's name came from the '60s psychobilly musician Legendary Stardust Cowboy.
The clothes, hair, and makeup of Ziggy Stardust were based on the Malcom McDowell's character from the film "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) and on William Burroughs book "Wild Boys".
Another inspiration for Ziggy was Gene Vincent, a rockabilly star, whom David Bowie saw once in concert: Vincent injured his leg in a car accident shortly before and was wearing a leg brace that forced him to stand with his injured leg behind him. That inspired Bowie to come up with the "position number one for the embryonic Ziggy" pose.
Ziggy Stardust was David Bowie's way to deal with the mental health issues in his family. He said, "One puts oneself through such psychological damage in trying to avoid the threat of insanity. As long as I could put those psychological excesses into my music and into my work, I could always be throwing it off." But on the 3rd of July 1973 he did his last show as Ziggy at the Hammersmith Odeon in London because he was afraid that the line between Stardust and Bowie had become too thin which could've led to madness.
Bon Jovi's song "Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars" from their album "Crush" (2000) is a homage to Ziggy Stardust.
"Leper Messiah" from the lyrics of this song was used as the title for
The Metallica's eponymous song.
- AZLyrics
- D
- David Bowie Lyrics
album:
"The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars" (1972)
You May Also Like
The Who - "Baba O'Riley" Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don't need to fight to prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Don't cry, don't raise...
Deep Purple - "Highway Star" Nobody gonna take my car
I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh, it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power
Big fat...
The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary" Oh, the heads that turn
Make my back burn
And those heads that turn
Make my back, make my back burn
The sparkle in your eyes
Keeps me alive
And the sparkle in your eyes
Keeps me alive, keeps...
