David Bowie: Why so famous?

David Bowie is one of Britain's most important musical artists. He was more influential than Elton John, more inventive than The Beatles, and far cooler than One Direction. Never heard of him? Turn on the news - his death today aged 69 is the biggest news story in the UK. But why is David Cameron making speeches about a dead pop star? Why is David Bowie so important?

Bowie didn't have a beautiful voice or a handsome face. He was a strange looking man with eyes that didn't match. But he was successful because, starting in the 1970s, he made music which seemed totally different and new. He was an innovator in so many ways. I'll tell you about some of them here.

1. The songs.

His sound was experimental and strange, but the songs were easy to like. The instruments take unexpected directions. The words describe strange fantasy worlds. I like a song called Five Years, it's about the end of the world-

"News guy wept when he told us Earth was really dying

Cried so much that his face was wet

Then I knew he was not lying."

2. His personas.

He wasn't David Bowie when he was on stage, he became a character. In 1972 he invented a persona called Ziggy Stardust and performed with a band called The Spiders From Mars. When he got bored of pretending to be Ziggy, he invented a new character, and then another. He was always re-inventing himself in this way. Other artists like Lady Gaga have copied this, but he was the first.

3. His gender-bending.

In 1970s Britain gays were hated, and homosexuality was illegal. David Bowie probably wasn't gay, because in later years he married a woman, but he didn't dress like a typical man. He wore make-up, and he kept people guessing about his sexuality. This was brave and revolutionary. Lots of today's artists are grateful to him for having the courage to be different.

4. His clothes.

If you click on this link you can see for yourself the many looks of David Bowie. Some of them seem ridiculous now, but the way he used fashion was very clever. He used his clothes to make himself look unique and daring. He didn't just write songs, he also changed the way he looked to match them. A London museum called The V&A made an exhibition of his clothes. Over a million people came to see them.

Britain is a small country, but British music is heard all over the world. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the British music scene is known for being inventive and exciting. David Bowie helped to make it that way. That's the reason why the street outside his birthplace is full of flowers, and the radio has been playing Bowie songs all day long. Click this link to hear my personal favourite.

Glossary

influential - copied and respected by other artists

inventive - creative, full of new ideas

an innovator - someone who invents new styles/ methods

a persona - a public face, similar to a 'mask' worn in public

gender-bending - copying the behaviors and styles of the opposite sex

news guy - news reader on TV

homosexuality - sex between two men (or two women)

ridiculous - very silly

daring - unafraid/ adventurous

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