David Bowie made music tell a story in 1972 with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The album contains 11 songs, for a total run time of about 39 minutes. Each song works together to tell a different piece of the storyline created by Bowie for his fictional alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. As implied by the name, it follows this character through his whole storyline, starting with the world being on the brink of destruction before introducing Ziggy as a savior in track three. It follows him through fame up until it leads to his ultimate destruction in the final track, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.” The album uses the story as a commentary on the tragedy that awaits those who allow the fame to swallow them up.
The album remains compelling today due to its storyline. Many of the themes, although taken from an out-of-this-world concept, remain relevant. Track 9, “Ziggy Stardust,” goes in-depth about how and why Ziggy had a downfall. It showed how fame could not only change a person but also destroy them. Ziggy himself is a cautionary tale for those in the entertainment industry. Overall, the album speaks to the flaws and struggles of humanity and the things we do to help us cope. The album gave a mystical character to keep listeners’ attention and show them what can happen to someone, even if they originally have good intentions, as a result of fame going straight to their heads. Ziggy’s story still captures the attention of audiences for the same reason that Greek myths never fail; his story is a tragedy.
The album also holds a captivating sound. The album uses relatively basic instruments, but he plays with the sound in a way that intrigues listeners anyway. Bowie himself also has unique, otherworldly vocals that pull people in, hence his otherworldly alter ego. Bowie also made the music interesting simply because of the type of music it was. Glamrock is compelling itself, especially when mixed with Bowie’s voice and intriguing lyrics. Bowie found a way to blend his unique voice with the same instruments as everyone else but still make it his own sound. One of the most famous songs off the album, “Starman,” highlights the unique nature of his music simply through its melody. The melody of each song on the album built on top of the other for a complex storyline told not only with lyrics but also through music theory.
Overall, I gave the album a 5/5 for its captivating nature from both its storyline and musical composition.
