David Bowie's Nothing Has Changed

For those of you who do not know, David Bowie released new songs and a new compilation album is due out soon.

The new songs he released are called "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)," which I was not able to find anywhere to listen to it--but it will be released officially later this month. The other is called "'Tis a Pity She's a Whore." Admittedly, I did not think much of the title. And I hoped DB would not disappoint me.

I did listen to it a couple of times, as you can do here: 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore. I do not care for the lyrics, though I thought the music was well enough. I did a little more research because it is supposed to be an artistic reflection centered around WWI. According to the David Bowie (Official) Facebook page, Bowie said of this song: “If Vorticists wrote Rock Music it might have sounded like this." I would imagine he is right.

Apparently, there was a play by the same title written by John Ford in the 1600s. The play centers around a complex incestuous relationship. I know little more than that except that it was controversial at the time and pushed aside for centuries.

Otherwise, I think DB is trying to reflect in his new album, Nothing Has Changed, not only his music, but some sort of historical context? I don't know, I haven't come to any good conclusions. It may be easier to see a point when the album arrives. I know there will be "unreleased" songs on there, which were actually on the album Toy. This article: David Bowie box set to feature new and unreleased music talks about the different tracks that will be on the album.

Image from David Bowie (Official)

I feel hesitant because the new song feels rough to my sensibilities. However, it took The Next Day a while to grow on me, but it did just that (minus a couple of songs that I find difficult to listen to. Namely "How Does the Grass Grow," which I find disturbing and "Boss of Me," which I simply don't like.) Turns out that, despite the dark nature of the song "The Next Day," I actually grew to love it. And I always liked "Where Are We Now?" Anyway, I have hopes that the new songs will grow on me and mean more to me later. DB has hidden depths in a lot of his music that manages to speak to me, even through weird/questionable lyrics. That is part of why I am a fan: his music (usually) means something. Here's hoping.

"First they give you everything that you want
Then they take back everything that you have
They live upon their feet and they die upon their knees
They can work with Satan while they dress like the saints
They know God exists for the devil told them so
They scream my name aloud down into the well below."
~"The Next Day" by David Bowie. This is the part that finally made me like the song.