(Level: C1 / Upper-Intermediate to Advanced / ***)
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| David Bowie Photo credit: francemusique.fr |
You are going to watch a music video of David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes.
Before watching:
The following notes and words could be useful:
A few notes about David Bowie and the song:
David Robert Jones, known as David Bowie was born on 8
January 1947 in Brixton, South London.
He
began his career in 1963 and "Space Oddity" became his first top-five
entry on the UK Singles Chart after
its release in July 1969.
He
had had a fight in 1962 with a schoolmate which resulted
in his peculiar left eye condition: a permanently dilated pupil, the colour of
which is different from his right eye.
He became famous in 1969 with Space Oddity*, the initial part of his Glam rock period.
He released in 1980 his very
successful album Scary Monsters (and
Super Creeps) including the very famous Ashes to Ashes.
He released in 1981 the hit Under Pressure co-written by and
performed with Queen.
He released a truly commercial hit, Let’s Dance, in 1983 which went to number
one in the USA and the UK.
He sang in duet with Mick Jagger on Dancing in the Street** in 1985.
He released albums in the 1990s highly
influenced by soul, jazz, hip-hop, alternative rock and drum and bass music.
He also appeared in films. In The
Man who Fell to Earth (1976), Bowie
played the role of an alien, in Merry
Christmas, Mr Lawrence (1983), he was a major, a prisoner of war in a
Japanese internment camp, in The Hunger (1984
- along with Catherine Deneuve and Susan
Sarandon), he was a vampire...
In the
noughties and a bit after, Bowie had been absent for at least 10 years before returning with
his 2013 album The Next Day.
He died of liver cancer on 10 January
2016 at his home in New York City, two days after his 69th birthday
and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).
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| Picture credit: en.wikipedia.org |
Ashes to Ashes
-One of Bowie’s number one hits.
-Musically the song was notable for its delicate
synthetic string sound (with a guitar synth, i.e. the combination of a guitar
and a synthesizer) and its complex vocal
exercise.
-Regarded as Bowie's most sophisticated sonic work.
-The video clip was also iconic because it was full of
scenes based on solarisation with images recorded on a negative or on a
photographic print wholly or partially reversed in tone. Dark areas appear
light and vice versa.
-The song and its video also denoted the singer’s
plaintive mood of the time
Vocabulary
the shrieking: les cris
I ain't got = I haven't got
a junkie: un camé / drogué
funky: froussard (funk: frousse / peur)
strung out in heaven's high: perché en haut dans le ciel
While watching:
Watch the song and then find the missing part in it.
You can find the video by clicking HERE
Watch, listen and find the missing parts
........................................ a guy that’s been
In such an early song
I’ve heard a rumour from ground control
Oh no, don’t say it’s true
They got a message from the action man
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
I’ve loved all I’ve ............................................
Sordid details following
The shrieking of nothing is .....................................
In such an early song
I’ve heard a rumour from ground control
Oh no, don’t say it’s true
They got a message from the action man
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
I’ve loved all I’ve ............................................
Sordid details following
The shrieking of nothing is .....................................
Just pictures of jap girls in synthesis and I
Ain’t got no money and I ain’t ......................................
But I’m hoping to kick but the planet it’s glowing
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
Time and again ..................................
I’ll stay clean tonight
But the little green wheels ........................................
Oh no, not again
I’m stuck with a valuable friend
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
One flash of light but no smoking pistol
I never done good things
I never done bad things
I never did anything ......................................, woh-o-oh
Want an axe to break the ice
Wanna come down right now
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
Ain’t got no money and I ain’t ......................................
But I’m hoping to kick but the planet it’s glowing
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
Time and again ..................................
I’ll stay clean tonight
But the little green wheels ........................................
Oh no, not again
I’m stuck with a valuable friend
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
One flash of light but no smoking pistol
I never done good things
I never done bad things
I never did anything ......................................, woh-o-oh
Want an axe to break the ice
Wanna come down right now
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
When you are finished, you can check your answers.
Do you remember a guy that’s
been
In such an early song
I’ve heard a rumour from ground control
Oh no, don’t say it’s true
They got a message from the action man
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
I’ve loved all I’ve needed love
Sordid details following
The shrieking of nothing is killing
Just pictures of jap girls in synthesis and i
Ain’t got no money and I ain’t got no hair
But I’m hoping to kick but the planet it’s glowing
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
Time and again I tell myself
I’ll stay clean tonight
But the little green wheels are following me
Oh no, not again
I’m stuck with a valuable friend
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
One flash of light but no smoking pistol
I never done good things
I never done bad things
I never did anything out of the blue, woh-o-oh
Want an axe to break the ice
Wanna come down right now
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
In such an early song
I’ve heard a rumour from ground control
Oh no, don’t say it’s true
They got a message from the action man
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
I’ve loved all I’ve needed love
Sordid details following
The shrieking of nothing is killing
Just pictures of jap girls in synthesis and i
Ain’t got no money and I ain’t got no hair
But I’m hoping to kick but the planet it’s glowing
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
Time and again I tell myself
I’ll stay clean tonight
But the little green wheels are following me
Oh no, not again
I’m stuck with a valuable friend
I’m happy, hope you’re happy too
One flash of light but no smoking pistol
I never done good things
I never done bad things
I never did anything out of the blue, woh-o-oh
Want an axe to break the ice
Wanna come down right now
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major tom’s a junkie
Strung out in heaven’s high
Hitting an all-time low
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
My mother said to get things done
You’d better not mess with major Tom
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