David Bowie’s Look Back In Anger is a famous song that has made a lasting impression on many. It is one of those songs that will not leave anyone indifferent. The song Look Back In Anger appeared on the album Lodge. The record company decided that the U.S. was not quite ready for a hit, so they made look back in anger the first single of the album. The second side also had a repeat single that talked about domestic violence. That single didn’t make the charts. Look Back in Anger is a famous John Osborne song, but it has nothing to do with it.
History of the song Look Back In Anger – David Bowie
David Bowie performed the song on tour in 1983, he reworked it in the mid-90s and made it into a heavy rock version for tours in the following years. The song received a lot of criticism, with some treating it ambiguously. The fact is that many people really didn’t like the meaning of the song, they called it the lowest point of the album. Some thought it was one of the most dramatic songs of the Loja album. The fact is that the angel in the song is represented by David Bowie himself. He draws a self-portrait thereby stating that he is the angel.
The song Look Back In Anger is better perceived if you watch the video, so you can feel more what the artist himself put into the song. When the song is played, it talks about the angel’s visit, but the singer showed a very different interpretation. This song is more about loss, about identity. To this day, the song has an ambiguous meaning, many people perceive it in completely different ways.
The music video was directed by David Mallet, he portrayed an artist based on Oscar Wilde’s book Portrait of Dorian Gray. When the portrait becomes more beautiful, the character himself completely disintegrates, which was the point of the song. David Bowie offers the song, believing that the song has some similarities to various compositions from earlier years. In any case, the song left a lasting impression on a large number of people, it showed how David Bowie himself perceives the Christian faith, as he portrays himself as an angel.
The Meaning of Look Back In Anger – David Bowie
This song was not a real hit, but it left its mark on many people’s lives. David Bowie was already famous and popular when this particular song came out, he tried to express in it his attitude towards the world, but at the same time some criticized it, perceived Look Back In Anger not as worthy. Most importantly, many accused him of the song being a certain plagiarism of John Osborne, but as David Bowie himself says, it was transformed, reworked. This song is about specific Christian events, but the lyrics are perceived precisely from this side.
Many people see the Christian element in this song, while others understand that the song is about David Bowie himself and his perception of life. But most importantly, it is the visuals that help us to perceive this song in the right way, to make the right choice. The Lodge is considered to be David Bowie’s most popular album, but it was also received positively by the public. Many people appreciated these particular songs. In fact, the song shows us that David Bowie was inspired specifically by the work of Dorian Gray, and thus he imitates it in the video.
Musically, the song is characterized by particular tempos and performances, with trumpet and French horn sounds. Carlos Alamar’s guitar sounds great as well. In fact, the song has nothing in common with John Osborne’s piece, although the titles are the same, and the overall plot of the song is an encounter with the angel of death. The main thing we are given to understand is that it is in the video sequence that David Bowie himself begins to dissolve as he paints the pictures. The same was waiting for Dorian Gray, who began to perfect his painting and essentially just disappeared himself.
The song Look Back In Anger left a mark on David Bowie because it carries a special meaning that can only be understood by people who have penetrated its essence and drawn a parallel with a famous work of the same name. Many people must appreciate the full essence of the song and understand for themselves how profound it is and what Christian meaning it carries within it.
