10 Perfect Closing Songs In Rock History
3. Rock and Roll Suicide - David Bowie
How have we gotten this far into the countdown of these songs and are just now getting to the first proper concept album? Well, if we're talking more conceptual stuff though, The Starman is the best candidate, pretty much bringing the theatrical side of rock into the public eye almost singlehandedly with his Ziggy Stardust persona. Like all theatrical heroes though, the curtain eventually has to fall, and Rock and Roll Suicide does so in grand fashion.
After already being told of the earth's demise in five years time on the title track, this is the track where Ziggy is fully in the spotlight once the Spiders From Mars have abandoned him. Though the initial track starts off with Bowie sounding a bit jaded about his position, there's a much more hopeful ending as he tells us that we're not alone in this world.
If anything, this feels less like a stage piece towards the end and more like Bowie breaking the fourth wall of music. While it's easy to see him talking to all of Ziggy's followers, this feels more like an affirmation for the fans than anything else, that they still have a comrade in arms in Bowie who will stand by them no matter what. Although this kind of music may have seemed a little odd at the time, those oddities are your greatest strength. Now give Ziggy your hand as you walk into the future.