david bowie

“There Is A Happy Land;” Is the youthful observances of the fleeting nature of happiness within our lifetimes, and the idea of a metaphysical place which children can retreat to when they’re feeling lonely. Reminiscent of “Castle on A Cloud” from Les Miserable in its concepts, it is seemingly told from a child’s point of view. It is stated that “Adults aren’t allowed there [in the ‘Happy Land’]” Which comes back to the idea of youthful innocence, and its ability derived from need to escape the dismal surroundings for somewhere nice. Perhaps adults simply cannot find the...

“The Laughing Gnome;” Has an eccentric charm about it, despite the dad-joke-esque character of the gnome jokes which it’s riddled with. The magic of “The Laughing Gnome” is actually in its absurdity. The sped-up voice of the gnome and the pointlessness so effortlessly encapsulated in this song gives it a wealth of appeal not only to the very young but to all those with a ripe sense of humour. The humour is not actually in the element of humour which the song provides through the gnome medium, but through the notion of implementing this technique - of speeding up sound- not to further...

A “Rubber Band;” indeed this song is. With a rounded, slightly mournful tone, the song tells the tale of a man’s frequency of visiting the park with his girl, where they listen to an out-of-tune band until the man goes off to fight in the war. The climax of the song describes the man’s anguish when he returns to find his girl “married to the leader of that band.” This dismal ending is forewarned por the doleful nature of the beginning of the song, which seemingly has no cause for woe.
The song has a pleasing turn of phrase and a rolling, curvaceous undertone to the backing track....