"Station to Station" is a song by English musician
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
. It was released in January 1976 as the title track and opener of his tenth studio album ''
Station to Station
''Station to Station'' is the tenth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 23 January 1976 through RCA Records. Regarded as one of his most significant works, the album was the vehicle for Bowie's performance person ...
'', as well as on a promotional
7-inch single
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...
in France the same month. Co-produced by Bowie and
Harry Maslin
Harry Maslin is an American record producer, recording/mixing engineer, and studio owner/designer.
In the mid-1970s, he engineered No. 1 hits for Barry Manilow (" Mandy"), and Dionne Warwick & The Spinners (" Then Came You"). As a producer, his c ...
, it was written and recorded at
Cherokee Studios
Cherokee Studios is a recording studio facility in Hollywood founded in 1972 by members of 1960s pop band The Robbs. Cherokee has been the location of many notable recordings by such artists as Steely Dan, David Bowie, Journey, The Cars, Foreign ...
in Los Angeles between September and November 1975. At over 10 minutes in length, it is Bowie's longest studio recording. Opening with a train-like noise, the song's first half is a slow march, built around an atonal guitar riff, while the second half takes the form of a
prog-
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
suite in a different key and tempo than the first. It has been characterised as
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
and is influenced by the German electronic bands
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
and
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...
.
Lyrically, the song introduces Bowie's sinister persona
the Thin White Duke
The Thin White Duke was the persona and character of the English musician David Bowie during 1975 and 1976. He is primarily identified with Bowie's 1976 album ''Station to Station'' and is mentioned by name in the title track, although Bowie h ...
, who became the mouthpiece for ''Station to Station'' and, throughout 1976, often the embodiment of Bowie himself. During the recording, Bowie was heavily dependent on drugs such as
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, which is referenced directly throughout. "Station to Station" also makes references to the
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
,
occultism
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...
,
gnosticism
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...
,
paranoia
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...
and other fixations that affected Bowie's mind at the time. The opening sound effect is a
red herring
A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question.
Red herring may also refer to: Animals
* Red herring (fis ...
meant to represent the
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
, along with a juncture connecting two different stages of his career; it combined the
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
of his previous album ''
Young Americans
''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...
'' with the experimental sound he would explore on his "
Berlin Trilogy
The Berlin Trilogy consists of three studio albums by English musician David Bowie: '' Low'', '' "Heroes"'' (both 1977) and '' Lodger'' (1979). The trilogy originated following Bowie's move from Los Angeles, California, to Europe to rid himsel ...
".
"Station to Station" has received acclaim from music critics and biographers, who have praised the performance of the band and Bowie himself. Retrospectively, it has been named one of Bowie's greatest songs and, like its parent album, is seen as the indicator of where his career was heading at the time. He performed the track throughout the
1976 Isolar Tour, often in character as the Thin White Duke, and continued to perform it on different tours throughout his career. It was remastered, along with its parent album, as part of the box set ''
Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)
''Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 23 September 2016, focused on the artist's "American Phase". A follow-up to the 2015 compilation '' Five Years (1969–1973)'', ''Who Can I ...
'' in 2016.
Composition
"Station to Station" was recorded at
Cherokee Studios
Cherokee Studios is a recording studio facility in Hollywood founded in 1972 by members of 1960s pop band The Robbs. Cherokee has been the location of many notable recordings by such artists as Steely Dan, David Bowie, Journey, The Cars, Foreign ...
in Los Angeles between September and November 1975. According to Emily Barker of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', Bowie "starved his body of all nutrients (besides
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
, red peppers, and
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
)" during the song's recording.
Bowie would recall later that he could not remember recording the album at all, saying "I have only flashes of making it." Author David Buckley states that Bowie's only memory of the sessions was "standing with
ead guitaristEarl Slick
Earl Slick (born Frank Madeloni in Brooklyn, New York, October 1, 1952) is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Robert Smith. He has also worked with other artists including John Waite, Tim ...
in the studio and asking him to play a
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
riff in the same key throughout the opening of 'Station to Station'."
At over 10 minutes in length, "Station to Station" is Bowie's longest studio recording. Structurally, the song builds from a droning, guitar-driven introductory portion that mimics a train building up speed. Following the train noise, the band begins to enter, with percussion and keyboards playing chords in and out of key. What follows is, according to
Peter Doggett
Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980, when he joined the London-based magazine ''Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor ...
, a "slow, hypnotic instrumental march", led by an atonal guitar riff played by Bowie and Slick with syncopated accents across three bars in and one in .
The march lasts for more than three minutes before Bowie begins his vocals.
After several verses, at the five-minute mark, a thud of drums signals a change of tempo and key and the band erupts into what Alan Light of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' calls a "celebratory groove", which lasts for the rest of the track.
Doggett likens the section to a
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
suite by the 1970s bands
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
and
Jethro Tull. Like the album, the entire song encompasses
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
.
The train sound effect was created by Slick using
flangers and delay effects. The noise pans from right to left across the stereo channels before fading out using
feedback
Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled ...
, which Doggett likens to "disappearing into a tunnel". According to
Nicholas Pegg
Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, writer and director. Educated at Nottingham High School and graduating with a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Exeter, Pegg subsequently trained at the Guildford School of Acting.
Acti ...
, the effect "acknowledges" the influence of the 1974 album ''
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
'' by the German
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
band
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
, which begins with a car starting up and driving across the stereo speakers. Pegg believes another influence is from
Edgar Froese
Edgar Willmar Froese (; 6 June 1944 – 20 January 2015) was a German musical artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group Tangerine Dream in 1967. Froese was the only continuous member of the group ...
of the German electronic band
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...
, whom Bowie befriended during his "Berlin" years (1977–1979); Froese's 1975 album ''
Epsilon in Malaysian Pale'' also begins with a train sound effect. However, he notes that the train is a
red herring
A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question.
Red herring may also refer to: Animals
* Red herring (fis ...
in that it expresses what Bowie later called "the album's 'wayward spiritual search'". More specifically, it reinstates the "travelling metaphor" of earlier compositions: "the stations recall the 'new surroundings' of "
Rock 'n' Roll with Me
"Rock 'n' Roll With Me" is a power ballad written by David Bowie and Warren Peace and recorded in January 1974 that first appeared on Bowie's ''Diamond Dogs'' album, supposedly to address the artist's complex relation with his fans. A version r ...
"
rom_''Diamond_Dogs''.html" ;"title="Diamond_Dogs.html" ;"title="rom ''Diamond Dogs">rom ''Diamond Dogs''">Diamond_Dogs.html" ;"title="rom ''Diamond Dogs">rom ''Diamond Dogs'' and the "mountains on mountains" reprise the questing motifs of "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" [from ''David Bowie (1969 album), David Bowie'' (1969)] and ''The Man Who Sold the World (album), The Man Who Sold the World''." Bowie would later state, "the 'Station to Station' track itself is very much concerned with the
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
",
the series of 14 images depicting
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
's path to
his crucifixion, each symbolising a stopping-point for
prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
. Stuart Berman of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' supports this, saying: "the title track's momentous prog-
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
suite
..charts a course from spiritual void toward ecstatic religious reawakening."
It has been also described as "
Kraut
''Kraut'' is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as an ethnic slur for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for sauerkraut, a traditional Cen ...
-disco" by ''Rolling Stone''.
Another possible influence is guitarist
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
of the English rock band
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
. Page was a session musician on Bowie's earliest recordings and had been an occasional acquaintance ever since. During the same time Bowie became dependent on cocaine, Page had become dependent on
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
, which Pegg considered "even more fearful" than Bowie's addiction. Led Zeppelin's ''
Physical Graffiti'' was released in February 1975, months ahead of the ''Station to Station'' sessions. Pegg writes: "It's possible to discern in
Station to Station"a distinct flavour of the groove, tempo and sense of building tension created by the famous rising riff of ''Physical Graffiti''
's standout track '
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
'", an epic track that evokes a "troubled spiritual journey" through its music and lyrics.
Lyrics
![The Thin White Duke 76](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/The_Thin_White_Duke_76.jpg)
"Station to Station" introduces Bowie's persona
the Thin White Duke
The Thin White Duke was the persona and character of the English musician David Bowie during 1975 and 1976. He is primarily identified with Bowie's 1976 album ''Station to Station'' and is mentioned by name in the title track, although Bowie h ...
, a sinister figure who became the mouthpiece for ''Station to Station'' and, often throughout 1976, for Bowie himself.
The persona was noticeably darker than Bowie's previous characters, being described as "a mad aristocrat", an "amoral zombie", and "an emotionless ''
Aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
'' superman". For Bowie himself, the Duke was "a nasty character indeed". The lyrics themselves contain very cryptic messages and direct references, including to the 13th century Jewish mystical system known as the
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
and
gnosticism
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...
.
Bowie would later claim in 1997: "All the references within
Station to Station"have to do with the Kabbalah." Doggett believes the main themes of the track are magic, the arts of legendary musicians, both real and fictitious, the Kabbalah's mythical account of progress from
Kether
Keter ( he-a, כֶּתֶר, Keter.ogg, link=yes, ''Keṯer'', lit. " crown") also known as Kether, is the topmost of the sephirot of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Since its meaning is "crown", it is interpreted as both the "topmost" of the Se ...
to
Malkuth
Modern: ''Malḵūt'' , Tiberian: ''Malḵūṯ'' , Ashkenazi: ''Malḵūs'' , 'kingdom'), Malkhut Malkhuth or Malchus is the tenth of the sephirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It sits at the bottom of the Tree, below Yesod. This sephirah ...
, love and cocaine. Doggett further argues: "just as
he_''he_''Hunky_Dory''_track">Hunky_Dory.html"_;"title="he_''Hunky_Dory">he_''Hunky_Dory''_track"Quicksand_(David_Bowie_song).html" "title="Hunky_Dory''_track.html" ;"title="Hunky_Dory.html" ;"title="he ''Hunky Dory">he ''Hunky Dory'' track">Hunky_Dory.html" ;"title="he ''Hunky Dory">he ''Hunky Dory'' track"Quicksand (David Bowie song)">Quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...
" offered a catalogue of avenues open to the inquisitive imagination of David Bowie circa 1971, so "Station to Station" present a more confused medley of the themes that were haunting his nightmares in the final weeks of 1975."
The Duke introduces himself by saying "the return of the Thin White Duke/throwing darts in lovers' eyes." Darts, or arrows, are interpreted to be a symbol of direction revealing the dynamic of the True Will. Doggett argues that aside from the Thin White Duke, another duke was at the heart of the action: Prospero, the Duke of Milan and protagonist of William Shakespeare's play ''The Tempest''. He writes that Prospero, like the Thin White Duke, is a "master of magic", who can control elements while "lost in my agiccircle", as well as cast spells over "lovers' eyes" (mirroring throwing darts), as Prospero does with his daughter
Miranda and her lover
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
over the course of the play. Fixation with the English
occultist
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
is evident in such phrases as "
white stains
''White Stains'' is a poetic work, its title based on male masturbation, written by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley under the pseudonym "George Archibald Bishop". It was published in 1898 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
''White Stains ...
", the name of a book of poetry by Crowley, who was previously mentioned by Bowie on "Quicksand". Once the song changes into the prog-disco section, the lyrics become brighter. Punctuated by the refrain "It's too late", Bowie enters a landscape of "mountains and sunbirds". Themes in this section include drug use, as presented in the lyrics "It's not the side effects of the cocaine/I'm thinking that it must be love", which he sings in a joyous tone. Light writes that other themes present on the track are "
paranoia
Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...
and odd fixations" that were present in Bowie's mind at the time.
At different points Bowie declares "the European canon is here", which Doggett believes is a "pretentious way" of summarising Bowie's interest in Kraftwerk and
Brechtian
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
theatre; he also notes the word 'canon' could be interpreted "at a stretch" as the word 'cannon'.
Release and reception
"Station to Station" was released as the opening title track to Bowie's tenth studio album
of the same name on 23 January 1976.
The song was also released as a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
, with the catalogue number 42549 A, in January 1976 in France by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
, with a shortened duration of 3:40 and "
TVC 15
"TVC 15" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on his 1976 album ''Station to Station''. RCA Records later released it as the second single from the album on 30 April 1976. The song was recorded in late 1975 at Cherokee Studios i ...
" as the B-side.
The single version begins at the central section of the song with the drums just prior to the "once there were mountains..." lyric. The single edit appears on the 2010 Deluxe Edition of ''Station to Station'' and on ''Re:Call 2'', as part of the 2016 box set ''
Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)
''Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 23 September 2016, focused on the artist's "American Phase". A follow-up to the 2015 compilation '' Five Years (1969–1973)'', ''Who Can I ...
''.
The full track was remastered, along with its parent album, and released on the same box set.
The song has been acclaimed by music critics, who have praised the performance of the band and Bowie himself. Nicholas Pegg described it as "Scintillatingly performed and gorgeously produced, it represents one of the high watermarks in his studio work." He further praises Bowie's vocal performance and Earl Slick's guitar contributions. Dave Thompson of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
calls the guitar work "fabulous" and makes the argument that the track could be the most "evocative" song Bowie ever wrote.
Doggett writes that what saves the track from "utter obscurity" and his audience from "alienation" was the music itself. Alex Needham of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', in a review declaring ''Station to Station'' his favorite album, calls the track "monumental", adding that "Bowie blasts away his immediate Philly soul past and speeds into a more experimental future over 10 totally exhilarating minutes".
Needham also found it impressive that the song did not "overshadow" the rest of the album, which he believes shows "how much Bowie was on fire".
In a review of the live album ''
Glastonbury 2000
''Glastonbury 2000'' is a live album by English musician David Bowie. It was recorded during his Sunday night headline slot at the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 2000. The album marks the first time the full video and audio of the performance a ...
'' in 2018, Sean T. Collins of ''Pitchfork'' calls the track a "teutonic-occult behemoth" and a highlight of the album. He felt the main section's "off-kilter groove" and the "barreling ''braukeller'' climax" were made for performing live.
He continued, "hearing Bowie croon Kabbalistic jargon like 'one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth' to
massive crowd serves as a helpful reminder that he remained, even then, one of the weirdest people ever to achieve festival-headlining success".
In 2018, the writers of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' listed "Station to Station" as Bowie's 24th greatest song.
In a list of Bowie's 50 greatest songs,
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
of ''The Guardian'' ranked the song third, calling the shift into its second section as "possibly the single most thrilling moment in his entire catalogue."
In 2021, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 400 in their updated list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Legacy
Buckley describes "Station to Station" as heralding "a new era of experimentalism" for Bowie. Along with the rest of the album, the song presented the new direction Bowie was taking in his career, from the
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
of ''
Young Americans
''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...
'' to the experimental sound of his "
Berlin Trilogy
The Berlin Trilogy consists of three studio albums by English musician David Bowie: '' Low'', '' "Heroes"'' (both 1977) and '' Lodger'' (1979). The trilogy originated following Bowie's move from Los Angeles, California, to Europe to rid himsel ...
". In 2001, Bowie said, "As far as the music goes, ''
Low'' and its siblings were a direct follow-on from the title track
f ''Station to Station'' It's often struck me that there will usually be one track on any given album of mine, which will be a fair indicator of the intent of the following album."
Needham from ''The Guardian'' similarly writes that with the lyrics "the European cannon is here", Bowie fully announces what was to come.
Doggett writes: "Here was Bowie's first nod of recognition to the so-called ''
motorik
Motorik is the 4/4 beat often used by, and heavily associated with, krautrock bands. Coined by music journalists, the term is German for "motor skill". The motorik beat was pioneered by Jaki Liebezeit, drummer with German experimental rock band ...
'' sound of
Krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...
, as the ominous,
Wagnerian
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
strains of the early segments of the song were succeeded by the propulsive dance rhythms of the finale. Only a churl would have worried that the theme of this cathartic moment was that it was too – suggesting that the spiritual journey might be only just beginning."
Live versions
"Station to Station" was the opening number throughout the
1976 Isolar Tour. A performance from this tour was included on the
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''
Live Nassau Coliseum '76
''Live Nassau Coliseum '76'' is a live album by David Bowie recorded on 23 March 1976 during Bowie's Isolar Tour in support of the album ''Station to Station''. The recording was first released in September 2010, as part of special and deluxe e ...
'', which was released as part of the 2010 Deluxe Edition of ''Station to Station'', in the 2016 box set ''Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', and as a standalone album in 2017.
The song was subsequently performed on the
Stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
(1978),
Serious Moonlight (1984),
Sound+Vision (1990),
Summer 2000, and
A Reality (2003–2004) tours. Performances from the Stage Tour have been released on ''
Stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
'' (1978) and ''
Welcome to the Blackout'' (2018). The ''Stage'' version was also featured in the
Uli Edel
Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as Last Exit to Brooklyn (film), ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and ''Body of Evidence (1993 film), Body of Evidence.''
His ''Ra ...
film ''
Christiane F.'' (1981), where Bowie, lip-synching to his 1978 recording, made an appearance as himself performing the song at a concert. An edit of this version was released on the film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
. A performance from the Serious Moonlight Tour was included on the live album ''Serious Moonlight (Live '83)'', which was part of the 2018 box set ''
Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
''Loving the Alien (1983–1988)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 12 October 2018. A follow-up to the compilations ''Five Years (1969–1973)'', ''Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', and ''A New Career in a ...
'' and released as a standalone album in 2019.
Bowie's performance of the song at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2000 was released in 2018 on ''
Glastonbury 2000
''Glastonbury 2000'' is a live album by English musician David Bowie. It was recorded during his Sunday night headline slot at the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 2000. The album marks the first time the full video and audio of the performance a ...
''.
Track listing
All songs written by David Bowie.
;7" French promotional single
# "Station to Station" – 3:40
# "
TVC 15
"TVC 15" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on his 1976 album ''Station to Station''. RCA Records later released it as the second single from the album on 30 April 1976. The song was recorded in late 1975 at Cherokee Studios i ...
" – 4:40
Personnel
Personnel per ''Rolling Stone'' and David Buckley.
*
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
– lead vocals, acoustic guitar, production
*
Earl Slick
Earl Slick (born Frank Madeloni in Brooklyn, New York, October 1, 1952) is a guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Robert Smith. He has also worked with other artists including John Waite, Tim ...
– lead guitar
*
Carlos Alomar
Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garso ...
– rhythm guitar
*
George Murray – bass
*
Roy Bittan
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthe ...
– piano,
organ
*
Dennis Davis
Dennis Davis (August 28, 1949 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie, playing on ten albums - including seven successive studio albums - during the singer's classic mid- and late ...
– drums
*
Warren Peace
Geoffrey Alexander MacCormack, better known as Warren Peace, is an English vocalist, composer and dancer best known for his work with David Bowie in the 1970s.
Musical career
A long-time friend of Bowie since their schooldays in Bromley, Peace ...
–
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
, backing vocals
*
Harry Maslin
Harry Maslin is an American record producer, recording/mixing engineer, and studio owner/designer.
In the mid-1970s, he engineered No. 1 hits for Barry Manilow (" Mandy"), and Dionne Warwick & The Spinners (" Then Came You"). As a producer, his c ...
–
melodica
The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...
, production
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Station To Station (Song)
British disco songs
British progressive rock songs
David Bowie songs
1976 songs
Songs written by David Bowie
Song recordings produced by David Bowie