New Bowie Auction Reveals Original “Starman” Lyrics
The original lyric sheet for “Starman,” the David Bowie favorite from his The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust… album, is going up for auction — and reveals some very…
3rd July 1973: David Bowie performs his final concert as Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. The concert later became known as the Retirement Gig.
Photo by Express/Express/Getty ImagesThe original lyric sheet for "Starman," the David Bowie favorite from his The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust... album, is going up for auction -- and reveals some very different words from those we know so well.
A couple of the more noticeable changes include: "Some cat was layin' down/Some get it on rock 'n' roll, he said" was originally "Some cat was layin' down some rock 'n' roll/Lotta soul, he said;" and "Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phrase haze" was initially "Came back on a wave of phase."
The single sheet of lyrics, which comes with a certificate of authenticity, goes on the block November 4 via Julien's auctioneers and is expected to fetch up to $6,000.
Starman was the first single released from the Ziggy Stardust album and hit No. 10 on the U.K. charts and also went Top 10 in France, Spain and Israel. It replaced a planned cover of Chuck Berry's "Round And Round" on the album.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
