Hunky Dory at 50: David Bowie Finds His Voice and the Rest is Rock History

In December 1971 David Bowie’s career was at a standstill. After his first hit “Space Oddity” in 1969, the follow-up effort didn’t capitalize on that success. The Man Who Sold the World was a darker, hard rock album on the heels of its two folk-psychedelic predecessors. It, along with Hunky Dory, were commercial failures initially (but drew a much wider audience upon being re-released after the Ziggy Stardust album came out). Bowie was still trying to find his way. The first song on Hunky Dory faces this career frustration head on, “I still don’t know what I was waiting for, And my time was running wild, A million dead ends streets, Every time I think I’ve got it made, It seemed the taste was not so sweet.” The name of the song, “Changes,” portends of what’s to come.

Change is immediately apparent from the opening music and it holds true for the entire album. Hunky Dory is piano based in stark contrast to the heavy guitar of The Man Who Sold the World. It’s lighter, melodic, and more accessible. Bowie hadn’t settled on one style (he never would, as we’d discover), but presents a vibrant mixture of rock, pop, folk, and glam. Three songs are dedicated to rock icons and one to his newborn son. Several songs will challenge the reader, either with philosophical references or nonsense lyrics.

“Changes” would become one of Bowie’s most popular songs and an ever-present staple of his concerts. It’s catchy with the stuttering chorus, “ch-ch-ch-changes,” and sets the stage for the piano’s fundamental presence on the album. Rick Wakeman, soon to join prog rockers Yes, is on the piano, with Bowie contributing the “less complicated piano parts” as he imparts on the back cover. “Oh! You Pretty Things” uplifts you with the chorus as you digest its darker references to occultist Aleister Crowley and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Next is the soaring ballad, “Life on Mars,” a parody of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Bowie’s back cover notes say this song is “inspired by Frankie.” I’m missing something on the “My Way” connection, so fill me in if you get it. All I know is this song still moves me as evidenced now by the frequently aired trailer for the just released film Licorice Pizza. “Kooks” is the awe of parenthood with the birth of son, Duncan Jones (the back cover asterisk is “For Small Z” for Zowie): “Will you stay in our Lovers’ Story, If you stay you won’t be sorry, ‘Cause we believe in you, Soon you’ll grow so take a chance, With a couple of Kooks, Hung up on romancing.” “Quicksand” contains more philosophical angst with more call outs to Crowley and Nietzsche, along with Garbo, Bardo, Himmler, and Churchill. “I’m sinking in the quicksand of my thought, And I ain’t got the power anymore” is the thought- provoking theme.

Side Two begins with “Fill Your Heart,” a cover song written by Biff Rose and Paul Williams. Sax, strings, and piano make it a pleasing musical palette. It’s uplifting in tempo and happy in words, “Love cleans the mind and makes it free.” “Andy Warhol” begins with producer Ken Scott saying, “this is Andy Warhol and it’s take one” followed by Bowie’s correction of his pronunciation. The song rings of Bowie’s earlier work with its hard acoustic guitar and theatrical singing. Warhol hated it. Bowie addresses Bob Dylan by his real name Robert Zimmerman in the “Song for Bob Dylan.” It’s an ode to Dylan’s greatness, “His words in truthful vengeance, Could pin us to the floor, You gave your soul to every bedsit room,” but implying that he’d gone astray, “We lost your train of thought, Ask your good friend Dylan if he’d gaze a while down the old street.” Bowie dedicated “Queen Bitch” to the Velver Underground, “some V.U White Light returned with thanks.” It’s a rocker shining with Mick Ronson’s guitar and looks ahead to “Suffragette City” on Ziggy Stardust. “The Bewlay Brothers” closes the album. Its purposely obscure lyrics make it difficult to relate to, but Bowie would continue to confound us throughout his career.

Hunky Dory is the moment in time when Bowie finds his voice. It’s a collection of different musical styles and sets the stage for his extraordinary creative run in the early-mid 70s – Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane, and Diamond Dogs. After the glam years, he would continue to reinvent himself. Bowie explored soul, R&B, electronica, ambient, experimental, cinematic, pop, and new wave. And finally, the stunning revelations of Blackstar with his jazz band. It was with Hunky Dory that David Bowie truly started his odyssey.

D² Rating ◼◼◼◼◩

Trivia ? – What was David Bowie’s most successful album?

Answer: Let’s Dance (containing a cover of Iggy Pop’s “China Girl” and the classic “Cat People (Putting out Fire”), highlighted previously in these pages on the memorable songs in movies post.