David Robert Jones also known as David Bowie died yesterday in Manhattan, New York after fighting cancer for 18 months, according to a statement released on his social media accounts. On his birthday and two days before his death, Bowie released his twenty-seventh and last studio album, “Blackstar” as a kind of farewell. One of the most impactful songs on the album titled “Lazarus,” seems to be a farewell to his fans, as the opening lyric is “Look up here, I’m in heaven!” By strategically releasing this album a few days before his death, the artist was able to say goodbye to his fans on his own terms especially since most were unaware that he had been battling cancer for quite some time.
During his lengthy career that spanned over 5 decades and transcended music and style of the preexisting rock industry, Bowie remained an enigma, being a person who constantly changed his style and perplexed and surprised fans with his unique music and evolving persona. He did so by repeatedly changing his persona and writing exploratory, unique and enigmatic music that often capitalized upon being an outsider of society, a misfit, an explorer, a faraway astronaut, (as he explored with one of his alter egos named Ziggy Stardust). Additionally, Bowie seemed to be a gender bender and defied the normal societal norms by wearing makeup and flamboyant costumes while still creating raucous rock and roll. Perhaps part of the mystification that Bowie embodied was his ability to remain an enigma while simultaneously relate to his demographic enough to have countless top hits, capturing longing and everyday life in No. 1 Pop hits like “Let’s Dance.”
Due to his contributions, in 1996, he was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To this day, Bowie has sold 140 million records worldwide, and this number will probably increase with the release of “Blackstar,” a reflections of 18-months of suffering used to channel creativity and create a Bowie-esque farewell: surprising and unique. The link to Bowie’s “Lazarus” from the new album is down below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8
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Gavin Montoya • Jan 21, 2016 at 2:13 pm
This article was a very interesting one. When reading it, I learned more about what was the cause and also, learning about his new album. However, When talking about “strategically” using his death as a promotion to his new album might not be true. But, it is true that he did know that death was imminent.
Stay gold,
Gavin Montoya
Alexander Riesenhuber • Jan 21, 2016 at 8:28 am
You hit the point very fast, talking about all the who, why, how, and such within the first paragraph, and every paragraph afterwards building on it. It felt so powerful and a very good statement to his name. Keep up the good work.
Kylie • Jan 21, 2016 at 8:19 am
I like how this article incorporated information about how he died and his new album. I also like the voting poll.
Tavia Lefort • Jan 21, 2016 at 8:17 am
I like how the article was filled with information about both the album that he just released and about his career accomplishments. I felt that the article wasn’t a sad one despite being about the death of him. It included many highlights and also information about the album itself rather than just all being about his battle with cancer. I felt it had solid information in it that somebody who may not have been informed about much of his life or his music.
Drew • Jan 21, 2016 at 8:11 am
I would include what type of cancer he died from in the beginning when you said that he died from cancer.
Alex Arguelles • Jan 21, 2016 at 8:07 am
I didn’t know that he released his album two days before dying, that was something I found powerful in this article. There were a ton of good and informational details in this article and I like that you were able to provide information to me that I didn’t actually know. Overall this was a great article that conveyed his struggle and how important he was to society.