10 Weirdest Rock Songs Ever Made

Not too much has been said regarding David Bowie's debut album, and the Thin White Duke probably wanted to keep it that way. Given how much his musical first steps were indebted to the world of vaudevillian music, it would have been hard to sell someone like that and take them seriously in the modern age. While we got our first glimpse at the true Bowie on Space Oddity, we did have the bones of something sinister on Please Mr. Gravedigger.

Compared to the rest of the album it accompanies, this closing track is more sound design than actual song, with Bowie reciting this poem a cappella over the sounds of what might be a storm hanging overhead. The poetry itself almost reads like a disturbing piece of horror, as Bowie might be a ghost speaking to his undertaker about how to properly take care of his body once he expires.

Granted, it's a bit hard to take seriously with Bowie's lackadaisical approach to singing and the fact that he may have been nursing a head cold if his vocal inflections are any indication. Still, this was probably the first time we got to see Bowie as a true original willing to wax poetic in order to suit his needs. Ziggy Stardust may have still been in the stratosphere, but this was a decent way to make first contact.