Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song)

August 8, 1980

Ashes to Ashes is a song by David Bowie from 1980. The song was released as a single and on Bowie's album Scary Monsters ( and Super Creeps ). The single and the album marked the beginning of a new change of style Bowie. The musician separated from one part of the cast of his band and producer Tony Visconti of. With Ashes to Ashes Bowie Space Oddity achieved by the second number - one hit in the United Kingdom.

Publication and chart success

Energy produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti single was released on RCA Records on August 8, 1980. The single version is shortened compared to the album version is almost a minute to 3:35 minutes. The British Association of Phono British Phonographic Industry certified a silver record in August 1980. In Germany, the single reached number 9 in Austria and # 6 in Switzerland, # 11 in the charts.

Music Video

Remarkably today is the complex for those activities of the music video, which is why it is still one of the milestones of music video art. It was held by David Mallet largely in an overexposed and typical for that time aesthetics and uses Bowie's mutability, through which he became known. Among other things, he appears as a sad clown and a diver. His supporters come from the London scene, as the New Romantics were known later. One of the actors is Steve Strange, who appeared with Fade to Grey in a similar style-defining music video in November 1980.

Ashes to Ashes is the quintessence of the 1970s, Bowie, before another change for the Dandy- image of the 1980 Bowie took the next single release fashion, the in Let's Dance and China Girl manifested itself.

Reception

Dave Thompson -reviewed the song for the music database Allmusic: The song is simply summarized a continuation of the adventures of Major Tom. The music video for Ashes to Ashes was a very conscious recognition of the then-emerging New Romantic scene.

Dave Rimmer, author of Like Punk Never Happened, says in his picture book The Look - New Romantics, Ashes to Ashes could be interpreted as an autobiographical trawl through Bowie's career, in which he deliberately past roles depositing and the blinds condescending to yesterday. Rimmer refers to both passages of the song as well as scenes from the music video.

Developed by Matthew Graham and Heather Pharoah British crime series Ashes to Ashes - Back to the 80s (2007-2010) was named after this song and refers in the first season on multiple occasions Pierrot from the music video.