★ (Blackstar)
David Bowie * Track #1 On ★ (Blackstar)
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★ (Blackstar) by David Bowie
Release Date
Performed by
David BowieWrited by
David BowieAbout
“★” (pronounced “Blackstar”) is perhaps Bowie’s most experimental work since 1977’s Low. It contains several total shifts in instrumentation, but whilst images of death crop up repeatedly, the lyrics are abstruse and there are no obvious clues to any story unifying the fragments.
It is the titular...
★ (Blackstar) Lyrics
[Intro]
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes
[Refrain 1]
On the day of execution, on the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes
Ah-ah-ah
[Refrain 2]
Ah-ah-ah
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes
Ah-ah-ah
[Verse 1]
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
[Verse 2]
How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
(I'm not a gangstar)
[Chorus 1]
I can't answer why (I'm a blackstar)
Just go with me (I'm not a filmstar)
I'ma take you home (I'm a blackstar)
Take your passport and shoes (I'm not a popstar)
And your sedatives, boo (I'm a blackstar)
You're a flash in the pan (I'm not a marvel star)
I'm the Great I Am (I'm a blackstar)
[Verse 3]
I'm a blackstar, way up, on money, I've got game
I see right, so wide, so open-hearted pain
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
[Verse 4]
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a star's star, I'm a blackstar)
[Chorus 2]
I can't answer why (I'm not a gangstar)
But I can tell you how (I'm not a flam star)
We were born upside-down (I'm a star's star)
Born the wrong way 'round (I’m not a white star)
I'm a blackstar,I'm not a gangstar
I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar
I'm not a pornstar, I'm not a wandering star
I'm a blackstar, I’m a blackstar
[Refrain 1]
In the villa of Ormen stands a solitary candle
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
[Refrain 2]
On the day of execution, only women kneel and smile
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes, your eyes
Ah-ah-ah
[Outro]
★ (Blackstar) Q&A
Who wrote ★ (Blackstar)'s ?
★ (Blackstar) was written by David Bowie.
Who produced ★ (Blackstar)'s ?
★ (Blackstar) was produced by David Bowie & Tony Visconti.
When did David Bowie release ★ (Blackstar)?
David Bowie released ★ (Blackstar) on Sun Nov 08 2015.
What did David Bowie say about "★ (Blackstar)"?
Saxophonist Donny McCaslin has claimed that the song was written about ISIS, though other reports denied this.
Bowie himself released no comment, and Tony Visconti remained similarly coy.
What's been said about the video?
The bizarre music video was directed by John Renck, who used the song as the theme music for crime show The Last Panthers.
Critical reaction to the video was mixed. It was praised by Pitchfork as an “intensely creepy” video that “begins in space and gets crazy”; the Daily Telegraph compared it to “...
What was the critical reaction to the song like?
The reaction to the song itself was firmly positive. Mojo described the song’s blend of rock and jazz influences as “exciting and adventurous”, while Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described how it “carries the listener along with it as it conjures up an atmosphere of mounting dread”.