On 7th of January David Bowie released a new music video for his song "Lazarus", just three days before he passed away. The song that is now being regarded as an eerie message he tried to leave to the world!
If there is anybody that we can trust to push the boundary, it would be Bowie - in all his eccentric glory and larger than life persona! Losing the legend has only made the sudden pressing realization of human mortality dawn on me - but, when I went back to take a look at his parting gift to th world and his fans it reassured me that Bowie isn't going anywhere, the traces of his powerful soul will always be left behind in this world - in our minds, in every artist that has grown up listening to him, fuelled by him - Bowie is alive in us for ever for he is beyond just being a man or a person.
Going back to the video of Lazarus it becomes evident that this video is indeed the pinnacle of his creativity. It is him pushing the boundaries again - giving us a glimpse into the outworldly atmosphere he believes he is headed to. The video opens with a fragile Bowie lying on a hospital bed, blindfolded (what seems to me as a representation of the anticipation of death and anxiety of the other world). Soon he levitates over the bed as though ready to leave his bodily state and embrace his spiritual being.
He sings,
"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"
And, now that I know the song's significcance, and now that I know of the aftermath... the menaning behind it all becomes so much clearer to me than when I first heard the song or seen the video.
Of course, we all know him! He is David Bowie...and David Bowie isn't just a man. When as a 12 year old I first discovered his music, the music moved me. But, it was only as a 20 year old when I took a course on History of Rock that I understood him. His contribution to oddity, theatrical rock and his power beyond par. Now David Bowie for me, is a war cry, a revolution and a school of thought. Nobody can erase something like that from the world. And, Lazarus is a capsule which holds all that in a gist and a whole lot of lasts. The last video and the last goodbye!
"David Bowie wasn't just a musician, he will be remembered as an era... and I'm glad to have witnessed this era in person! "
