Cryptic Bowie Songs for the Obsessed! Quiz

Answer: Changes

"Changes" is one of David Bowie's best known songs. It was originally released on his 1971 album, "Hunky Dory". The 'B' side to the single, released in 1972, was called "Andy Warhol"

Answer: Time

"Time" is one of my favourite Bowie tracks. I used to have to listen to it with the volume turned right down though because of a rather rude line which my mother would not have appreciated! Bowie wrote "Time" in 1972 in New Orleans during his 'Ziggy Stardust' tour.

Answer: Heroes

"Heroes" was co-written by Brian Eno in 1977 in Berlin where Bowie was living at the time. It tells the uplifting tale of two lovers living in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. It has been used in many television commercials and the music magazine 'Uncut' voted it number one in its 30 Greatest Bowie Songs poll in 2008.

Answer: Uncle Arthur

A rather whimsical track from the album, "David Bowie" released in 1967 by Deram records:

"Strikes the bell for 5 O'clock,
Uncle Arthur closes shop.
Screws the tops on all the bottles,
Turns the lights out, locks it up.
Climbs across his bike and he's away,
Cycles past the gasworks, past the river
Back to mother, it's another empty day..."

Answer: Under Pressure

"Under Pressure" is a great song by David Bowie and supergroup Queen. In 1981 it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. It was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux.

Answer: Kooks

On 30th May, 1971, David Bowie's (then) wife, Angie gave birth to the couple's son Duncan (Zowie). Bowie wrote this song for him in the style of Neil Young who he was listening to when he heard the news that he had become a father. English band The Kooks took their name from this song.

Answer: Ziggy Stardust

Another hugely popular Bowie song, "Ziggy Stardust" was recorded in 1972 on the RCA Records label. It has been covered many times, most notably by Def Leppard, Hootie and the Blowfish, Fox and Bauhaus.

Answer: Station to Station

From the 1976 album of the same name, Bowie's "Station to Station" is the only song to mention his persona The Thin White Duke;

"The return of the thin white duke,
Throwing darts in lover's eyes.
Here are we, one magical moment, such is the stuff
From where dreams are woven...."

Answer: Drive in Saturday

"Drive in Saturday", from the album "Aladdin Sane" (1973) is a futuristic song set in a post-apocalyptic world. It tells the story of the inhabitants watching old pornographic movies in an attempt to remember how to reproduce! The song reached number three in the UK Singles Chart.

Answer: China Girl

"China Girl" from David Bowie's 1983 album was written both by Bowie and Iggy Pop. First appearing on Pop's album, "The Idiot", it did not attract much attention as Pop, although influential in the music industry, was not a mainstream artist. Iggy Pop was facing bankruptcy at the time so Bowie decided to re-release it to help his old friend and collaborator financially.

Answer: Fashion

"Beep-Beep!"

"Fashion", from Bowie's widely acclaimed 1980 album "Scary Monsters (and Super
creeps)" was produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti. By reaching number 70 in the American charts, it gave Bowie his first chart single there for four years!

Answer: Song for Bob Dylan

"Oh, hear this Robert Zimmerman,
I wrote a song for you,
About a strange young man called Dylan,
With a voice like sand and glue.
Some words of truthful vengeance,
They could pin us to the floor,
Brought a few more people on
And put the fear in a whole lot more...."

"Song for Bob Dylan" is David Bowie's gentle tribute to one of his early heroes and is another track from his 1971 album, "Hunky Dory"

Answer: The Man Who Sold the World

Thought by many to be a song by the group, Nirvana, "The Man Who Sold the World" was actually written by David Bowie and is from the album of the same name. Other artists to cover this 1974 classic include Lulu, Midge Ure and Simple Minds.

Answer: Five Years

Released in 1972, "Five Years" tells of the protagonist's reaction when he hears that the earth has only five years left to exist. It was produced by Bowie and Ken Scott on the RCA Records label.

"Pushing through the market square, so many mothers sighing,
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in.
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying,
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying,
I heard telephones, opera house, favourite melodies,
I saw boys, toys, electric irons and T.V.s,
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare,
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there.
And all the fat-skinny people, and all the tall-short people,
And all the nobody people, and all the somebody people,
I never thought I'd need so many people."

Answer: Life on Mars

In 1986, BBC 2 listeners voted David Bowie's 1973 single, "Life on Mars?" his best song of all time. It has been covered numerous times and, mainly because of a British television show of the same name, re-entered the UK Singles chart nearly thirty years later at number 55.