God Knows I’m Good

28 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment

by ladygarfunkel in 60's Music Tags: David Bowie

Somewhat bizarrely, some historians don’t consider Space Oddity a ‘proper’ David Bowie album and don’t discuss it. Originally titled David Bowie in 1969, it was renamed, partly because the song Space Oddity became his first hit, and partly because his previous album had also been titled David Bowie (which to add to the confusion was then re-released as Images, and then The Deram Anthology, among other titles). It’s understandable that the 1967 David Bowie isn’t considered properly David Bowie enough. Sounding nothing like his earlier, David Jones-era efforts (which were pretty generic stuff) or what we’ve come to think of as proper David Bowie music, it’s kind of a one-off novelty album, distinguished by some brilliant songs but marred by embarrassments like The Laughing Gnome and Please Mr Gravedigger. Understandably, Bowie fans not inclined towards music-hall tastes like to pretend that one doesn’t exist. But Space Oddity doesn’t deserve to be dismissed. Besides having a breakthrough and enduring classic in the title track, it’s also the missing link between it’s oddball predecessor and the proper Man Who Sold the World. While Cygnet Committee finds Bowie in full on apocalyptic mode and Letter to Hermione is one of his most forthright love songs, God Knows I’m Good and Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud are purely fictional narratives closer to his earlier mode, being somewhat morally simplistic stories about the generally shitty nature of humanity (a lifelong favorite theme).