Absolute Fullness
Hunky Dory - David Bowie (Blast from the Past Sunday)
Well, it seems the inevitable has caught up to me at last. Hunky Dory has always been a light in my life, one that the music-loving-moth is drawn to every time it plays. I’ve talked about it in essays, in speeches, in hand-written notebooks and drawn out conversations — it is an album that is deeply intertwined with who I am as a person. So when I say that “the inevitable” has caught up to me, I’m not just saying that. In fact, I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to write about it on Ear Bites. However, with today being the fifty second anniversary of this fantastic album, the time feels more than right.
While I love Hunky Dory as a whole, the very first track “Changes” is the one that I will always love the most. I’d venture to say it’s my favorite Bowie song of all time, and I can say that confidently because it’s the song that I remember being one of my very first favorites. I can still see the moment I first heard it, all those years ago. That day, curled up on the couch with my neon yellow iPod nano, my headphones launched my world into a whole new dimension. It’s a perfect intro to a perfect album, building up and fading out with confidence and a dash of finesse. Bowie is perfectly articulate on all the lyrics, his confiding tone steeped with wisdom and knowledge. He ends the verse with a smile both times, the whirly string part before the chorus adding a touch of whimsy to the fancifully mocking double-tracked “ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!” The cymbal crashes perfectly punctuate every word, adding just the right amount of depth to them. And of course I’d be crazy to ignore the saxophone at the end. Yeah, that’s right. As if this song couldn’t get better!! “Changes” was responsible for a lot of my love of music, yes, but it also caused me to become obsessed with the saxophone, and for that, I am a better person.
I stand by the opinion that no song could ever follow “Changes” except for “Oh! You Pretty Things”. It’s a song like a a great grilled cheese; simple at the beginning and life-changing by the end. The tune begins with just Bowie and a piano, perfect for a song that has as many words in the verse as this one does. No breakdown of a song could beat this one for me, as the smooth transition is absolutely magnificent. Everything gets livelier when voices are added, and it makes it seem like a party has just begun. I try not to focus on lyrics that much, but there’s something to be said about having an airy “the other’s a bitch” put right before an exceedingly grim “homo sapiens have outgrown their use” that can’t be overlooked.
By far the most recognizable song on the album is “Life on Mars”, and for good reason. This song is a master of juxtaposition, much like Bowie was in real life. The tone and vocals on the song scream glittering fantasia, while the lyrics portray a monotonous and controlling society, one that both mirrors and is completely different from our own. “Life on Mars” is a song with a crescendo like no other; one that makes you feel the need to jump out of your seat cheering by the end, one that takes all of your attention for itself. The string orchestration is world-endingly magnificent, and I feel like everyone who had a part of this song just forgot they were human when recording. The “Life on Mars” music video is one of my absolute favorites, one I’ll watch again and again, fascinated by the man, the music, the feeling of power and beauty and absolute fullness it lends to the reader when it’s finished.
Another song I have a fondness for is the sixth track, “Quicksand”. This is one that I always go to when I have a hankering for a showy song, because his voice on “I’m sinking/in the quicksand/of my thoughts” is just so irresistibly melodramatic. When I used to listen to this album on CD at night, I honestly didn’t realize “Quicksand” was even on it because it starts so quietly. However, listening to it with headphones has let me notice many small details that I just couldn’t hear in the past. For example, the acoustic guitar is some of the strongest I’ve ever heard, the drums are a perfect complement to the other layers, and there’s even a string section. Just goes to show you how different music can sound when listened to in different contexts!
Of course I have to acknowledge my track 7 rule, and while it may not be my favorite on the album, “Fill Your Heart” is one that I’ve started enjoying more recently. Pop quiz! Who do you think co-wrote this song? Five… four… three… oh whatever! It’s none other than Paul Williams! (PAUL WILLIAMS!) That’s one of the reasons I find this song so endearing, and the other is that it’s just a generally lovely song. It’s a tune that fits in a cartoon world where the sun and the clouds are best friends, where daffodils and roses pop up every few seconds, where a rainbow constantly beams overhead! It’s a great mood-booster, (that I also think could do really well in a horror movie soundtrack).
All in all, Hunky Dory is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I’m glad many people share that sentiment. It’s a collection of songs that’ll provide for you no matter what you need, one that can help you through anything. Besides, who doesn’t love an album that lives up to its name?
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