David Bowie, whose many guises transformed rock in the ’70s as much as himself, is back in the game with a new single and an upcoming album after more than a decade since his last song.
Bowie, who turned 66 today (Jan. 8), marked the occasion with the release of “Where Are We Now?” a moody ballad written by Bowie and produced by Tony Visconti.
The album, titled The Next Day, will be released in March. A video for the song, directed by Tony Oursler, was also posted today on the singer’s website.
A spokesman for Bowie released the following statement: “Throwing shadows and avoiding the industry treadmill is very David Bowie despite his extraordinary track record that includes album sales in excess of 130 million, not to mention his massive contributions in the area of art, fashion, style, sexual exploration and social commentary. It goes without saying that he has sold out stadiums and broken ticket records throughout the world during this most influential of careers. In recent years radio silence has been broken only by endless speculation, rumor and wishful thinking ….a new record…who would have ever thought it, who’d have ever dreamed it!
The English singer and songwriter ushered in the era of glam rock in the 1970s, with the creation of his androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. He continued to evolve throughout the decade and took the United States by storm in 1975.
His singl “Fame” and the hit album Young Americans, both soared to No. 1 on the charts.
These days Bowie,”only performs when he “has something to say as opposed to something to sell. Today he definitely has something to say,” the statement continued.
But what? The song is somber and reflective; the video shot in black-and-white and color recalls the singer in Germany. Check it out below and let us know your thoughts. And, be sure to follow TheImproper on Twitter for the latest music updates.