3:32
The Next Day, 2013
Written by David Bowie
While this is a straightforward (for Bowie) rocker full of big guitars and anthemic sound, the song is set in the 1960s Greenwich Village scene. The song appears to be about, and addressed to, Odetta ("Ochs takes notes / When the black girl and guitar / Burn together hot in rage"). Noting that esteemed folkies Van Ronk, Ochs, and Dylan are taking notes, the narrator of song appears to proposition Odetta (or whoever the black girl with the guitar may be) and promises her headlines and stories in magazines. "I can hear the nation cry," he roars. It's a fascinating juxtaposition of music and words, leaving the listener to wonder if the real result of all the promises was that rock, primary the purview of the white male musician, won out in the world's eyes. Maybe it's even a nod to Bob, who plays this kind of loud rock these days but initially built his vast reputation by imitating the sounds and words of others in the Village scene.
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