"...when he knew he was dying..." That still hits hard.

I agree! What a well-thought-out tribute to a man who, let's face it, broke the mold when he landed here. He was ALWAYS a step ahead of every trend. Every single one. And a master at marketing (I do a fair bit myself). He was charismatic and compelling. Some performers own the stage when they perform. You know who they are. They are big...huge personalities like Bowie. I am thinking of other very charismatic musicians such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Chaka Khan, The Wilson sisters (Ann & Nancy), Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Tori Amos, Jim Morrison, Robert Plant, Stevie Nicks, Diana Ross, Beyonce, and many others who could only DREAM of the longevity of David Bowie. When you see these people on the TV screen or better yet at a concert you can not look away. They are fascinating to watch! They stir emotions in their lyrics, their passionate performances and their musical interpretation. And yes! We have The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and The Who but if you'll notice they are still doing the same thing they did when they first started. Through the years they have been doing the same songs (or songs that are created with the same three notes, and a formula, so that it might as well be the same songs), the same dress, the same stage moves, same makeup, same hairstyle, even! And there is nothing wrong with that. But artists generally want to stand out, be progressive and move people. David Bowie was all that. Bowie was constantly updating his image, creating a new look and sound, and collaborating even when others said it couldn't or shouldn't be done. He was a master. He blew me away with Lazarus. I still cannot bear to listen to the entire LP. I'll pick up a song here or there. He was absolutely brilliant until the very end. And a class act too. How many of us would have the forethought to imagine and do the work for Lazarus in our last days? I cannot even imagine.

That would probably explain why he couldn’t hit that high note at the end of the song. I was a bit sad not hearing it.

Yeah, I remember reading his biography... at his worst, he was pretty much only eating peppers. My dad, who is the biggest Bowie fan I know, said around that time was when he just looked so unwell.

...but still WOW! You said it all. ✌

He's my favorite too.

And just how do you know for sure how coked up he was? Were you there?

He is a David bowie expert 🤣🤣🤣

He was ill here.

No, Bowie was heavy into those arrangements too.

@@bobwoolerOriGinalI read tthat it was the first time Bowie we used background singers on an album. I'm sure he had input but he relied on Luther Vandross to do the majority of the background R&B vocals, as many artists have done.

@@lamusiclover2264 Yeah, you're obviously right, LV arranged the harmonies all the way through, but footage from the Stigma studio sessions suggests Bowie had big input on where and how he wanted the bacing vox to be. (what do you mean by " the first time (...) *we* used background singers on an album?)

@@bobwoolerOriGinal It was a typo...I fixed it.

@@bobwoolerOriGinal yes you can see video footage of him referring to and writing notes for the vocal harmonies on Nacho Video and the Cracked Actor film. It was a collaboration of talent but he was the “conductor” of sorts.

Duke, not dude.

Please listen to the album version of this song. Try Golden Years, also; there is rapping going on here!

Bowie arranged the backing vocals. There’s fly in the wall film footage of him referring to his notes and explaining what he wanted to his backing vocalists. It’s in Nacho Video and the Cracked actor documentary. Obviously it was a collaboration of great talents and I’m sure they must have improvised but he directed how he wanted it to sound.

Was it? Maybe I should check out more of his performances. I don’t think I’ve seen enough of his performances to compare his vocals. This was my first time actually watching him perform something. I like the song too.

@@awordfrompresidentpat1985 There is not a lot of footage of Bowie doing this song live (I read because he did not care for it but I find that hard to believe). I recommend you check out the studio version - it is sublime. ☺️🤗👏