10 Perfect Anti Rock Star Songs
3. Fame - David Bowie
John Lennon wasn't the only one that was getting tired of the superficial side of what rock and roll could be. Since David Bowie had always been a pinup star in the headlines for his outlandish outfits, there comes a point where the press almost starts treating you more like an alien than an actual human being. That kind of treatment has the potential to swallow you, and you wouldn't blame Bowie for flipping genres with the song Fame.
As much as Young Americans is meant to be a retro throwback to the sounds of soul music that Bowie loved as a kid, the album closer is something a bit more introspective, talking about the mixed feelings that come with reaching the top of the mountain. After hitting upon the idea of fame, you can hear Bowie dissecting the idea that most people have in their heads about the limelight, thinking that all of their dreams will be answered in the limo and then coming up empty at the end of everything.
Since all your dreams came true and you still feel empty, it's no wonder why you start to feel a bit jaded after a while. And it wasn't just Bowie hitting on that idea either, given the fact that John Lennon was at the studio when they were tracking it and suggested the idea of fame as a jumping off point for the lyrics. A song like this may have seemed shallow at first, but both Bowie and Lennon know a thing or two about the consequence of fame, and there's a lot more baggage to it than you might think.