Watch David Bowie’s Haunting Video For ‘Lazarus’ — ‘Look Up Here, I’m In Heaven’
David Bowie celebrated his 69th birthday and released his 28th and final studio album, Blackstar, which features seven tracks, on Friday, January 8, a day after he released the music video for his song, “Lazarus.”
He released the video for “Lazarus” on Thursday, January 7, three days before his death on Sunday, January 10, after losing an 18-month battle with cancer.
In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Tony Visconti, Bowie’s producer, who has worked with him since the 1960s, confirmed that the singer planned his final album with poignant lyrics as a “parting gift” to his fans and the world.
Bowie reportedly wrote all the seven tracks of the album Blackstar — which contain multiple allusions to death — while struggling with cancer. Of the seven tracks, “Lazarus” appears to be one he lavished most with attention as a message of his terminal condition.
The haunting lyrics to “Lazarus,” first released on December 17 on the Steve Lamacq Show on BBC 6 Music, reflect the singer’s preoccupation with his impending demise.
Following his death and news of his 18-month struggle with cancer, his fans will be viewing the lyrics and the video for “Lazarus” in a different light.
The poignant lyrics appear to have been used by the singer to say goodbye.
The title, “Lazarus,” appears taken from the biblical character, Lazarus of Bethany, whom Jesus raised to life days after he had died four days.
In the song Bowie says, “Look up here, I’m in heaven.”
He speaks of having “scars that can’t be seen,” and “being in danger,” with “nothing left to lose.” Yet, he has the assurance that he will become free, “just like that bluebird.”
Buttons placed on the bandage in place of eyes impart a haunting and deathly stare. His frail body beneath the covers appears bound to the bed.
He sings, “Look up here, I’m in heaven.”
Then he floats above the bed, his soul finally overcoming and transcending. A hand reaches out from below and he is transformed, supernaturally. And now, with what appears a new lease of life, he begins to dance in the hospital room.
He sings, “I’ve got scars that can’t be seen. I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen. Everybody knows me now.”
The singer then sits at a desk and writes furiously on a notebook with a skull placed in front of him as a sign of his imminent death.
Then, as the song rises to its climax, he returns to the dark closet, enters and shuts the door, as though saying farewell for the last time.
“Look up here, I’m in Heaven!
I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen,
Everybody knows me now
Look up here, man, I’m in danger!
I’ve got nothing left to lose
I’m so high, it makes my brain whirl
Dropped my cellphone down below
Ain’t that just like me?
By the time I got to New York
I was living like a king
Then I used up all my money
I was looking for your ass
This way or no way
You know I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Now, ain’t that just like me?
Oh, I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Oh, I’ll be free
Ain’t that just like me?”
According to Visconti, Bowie lavished creative effort on his last album as a “work of art.”
“He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way,” Visconti said. “His death was no different from his life — a work of Art.”
“He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift,” he continued. “I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn’t, however, prepared for it.”
“He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry,” he concluded.
“David Bowie died peacefully today [January 10] surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer,” a statement posted to his website said. “While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”
“Today is an awful day for all lovers of music. And the fact that David Bowie’s new album Blackstar was on course for number one this week, even before today’s terrible news, says everything about his continuing relevance — over 40 years since his first hit records,” Martin Talbot, Official Charts Company chief, said.
“We are expecting a huge surge for a wide range of Bowie albums in this week’s Official Albums Chart,” he continued. “Bowie made so many great albums, constantly reinventing himself that everyone has their own favorites and fans are clearly reminding themselves of his massive contribution to popular music by buying these great, iconic works.”
The cover of the album features a black star instead of the artist. The album, expected to top the charts, has received rave reviews.
[Image by Mark Jeremy/Wikimedia]
