http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbpMpRq6DV4 As great a songwriter as he was - and is - David Bowie wasn't averse to doing cover versions if he liked the story the song told - he did a whole album of them on 'Pin Ups'. But he's never recorded as beautiful version of someone else's music as this - he completely owns this song. 'Wild is the wind' is tender, brittle and pleading it's about how fragile love can be and the singing and music are a perfect match for the words, his voice sounds like it's completely cracked with grief, doubt and hope and the band hang on his every word, just check the way he walks into the room in the video. This is the story of a pair of lovers who are vulnerable to the whims of the elements, and as a result have no control over their own fate - "Like the leaf clings to the trees, oh my darling, cling to me, for we're like creatures in the wind, and wild is the wind" Bowie has written many a masterful study of love and heartbreak - I'd run out of space if I were to list them all here, but this was a perfect song for him, a slow burner yes, but once you're hooked by it, it's irresistible, which of course is the whole point of the song.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash