Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1971
Shadow Man (song)
Buy Shadow Man (song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'Shadow Man'" is a song written by David Bowie and first recorded in 1971, during the 'Ziggy Stardust' sessions. It was rerecorded by Bowie in 2000 and released for the first time in 2002.
The original recording date is uncertain. According to one Bowie scholar, an unfinished demo with vocal, guitar and drums was recorded at Trident Studios on 14 September 1971, and an earlier version may have been recorded along with "Rupert the Riley" on 23 April 1971. Another Bowie researcher states that the recording date of the song is 15 November 1971.Kevin Cann (2010). 'Any Day Now - David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974': p.231
In 2000, Bowie recorded the song for the planned but unreleased album 'Toy'. This version would later be included on the limited edition bonus disc of 'Heathen', and on the singles "Slow Burn" and "I've Been Waiting for You" and version 2 of the UK single "Everyone Says 'Hi'". It is also included on the 2014 compilation 'Nothing Has Changed'.
The song has been noted for its similarities to the Biff Rose song, 'The Man', the final featured on his 'Thorn In Mrs Roses Side' album, from which Bowie covered both Fill Your Heart, and Buzz The Fuzz.
Lyrics
According to artist Tanja Stark, the lyrics appear to be influenced by the insights of Carl Jung, the Shadow being a core archetypal concept in his depth psychology framework. Bowie described himself as Jungian in his relationship to the dream state, acknowledging Jung by name in the lyrics to Drive-In Saturday.
Jung wrote "...in spite of its function as a reservoir for human darknessor perhaps because of thisthe shadow is the seat of creativity. The lyrics to Shadow Man acknowledge this component of the psyche, recognizing its dual capacity, from a Jungian perspective to be foe or friend. In this framework, the 'girl up ahead who knows' in the lyric could represent the role of the anima.Stark, Tanja, (2015) Crashing Out with Sylvian: David Bowie, Carl Jung and the Unconscious in Deveroux, E., M.Power and A. Dillane (eds) David Bowie: Critical Perspectives: Routledge Press Contemporary Music Series (chapter 5) - https://tanjastark.com/2015/06/22/crashing-out-with-sylvian-david-bowie-carl-jung-and-the-unconscious/
References
Category:David Bowie songs
Category:Songs written by David Bowie
Category:1971 songs
Buy Shadow Man (song) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1971