With so many artistic chapters, and 26 studio albums to his name, diving into the world of David Bowie can feel daunting for newcomers. He committed a great mass of material to record in his time, and to say that all of it was excellent would be a bare-faced lie. Yet, Bowie was one of the most consequential figures music and pop culture have ever produced, and experiencing his work is a must for any wanting to forge a career in the creative sphere.
Whether it be globally resonant hits such as ‘Heroes’, the funky ‘80s club groove of ‘Let’s Dance’ or the stoned conceptually stunning space age anthem ‘Space Oddity’, Bowie’s list of triumphs is extensive. Just like The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, picking his definitive track is nigh impossible.
Although there are many substantial contenders, one absolute classic that has been a fan favourite since release and remained a prime example of his innovative spirit is 1980’s number one hit ‘Ashes to Ashes’.
It’s a strange slice of art pop that weaponised Chuck Hammer’s playing of the novel guitar synthesiser and lyrically revisited the character Major Tom from ‘Space Oddity’ – some eleven years after he first appeared and captured the public imagination. However, the track strikes a regretful tone distinct from ‘Space Oddity’ and describes a Major Tom who has succumbed to addiction, floating isolated in space, a point which is deemed analogous to Bowie’s period of intense addiction in the 1970s.
Although the music and lyrics of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ clearly outline Bowie’s prowess as an artist, so does a lesser known fact: that the song was inspired by a niche number from the 1952 movie Hans Christian Andersen, ‘Inchworm’. It was a piece that left an indelible mark on Bowie as a child, and he once revealed that it inspired many of his songs, which he, astutely, didn’t name.
“I loved it as a kid and it’s stayed with me forever. I keep going back to it. You wouldn’t believe the amount of my songs that have sort of spun off that one song. Not that you’d really recognise it. Something like ‘Ashes to Ashes’ wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t have been for ‘Inchworm.’ There’s a child’s nursery rhyme element in it, and there’s something so sad and mournful and poignant about it,” Bowie told Performing Songwriter in 2003.
“It kept bringing me back to the feelings of those pure thoughts of sadness that you have as a child, and how they’re so identifiable even when you’re an adult. There’s a connection that can be made between being a somewhat lost five-year old and feeling a little abandoned and having the same feeling when you’re in your twenties. And it was that song that did that for me.”
