David Bowie - Life on Mars

[flip-flop]

In Bowie's Life on Mars there's the line "...Lennons on sale again..."

Anybody any idea what this means?

Was he referrring to John Lennon? And if so, in what context? (selling out possibly?).

[jenstar]

Could it be Lenin, rather than Lennon? I know all the lyrics sites say Lennon, but then they tend to all copy off each other anyway, so if one gets it wrong, they all do.

[dr john]

Worth remembering that Bowie is on record as saying that he never spent more than ten minutes writing the lyrics to any of his songs, and that he often used Burroughs' cut-up technique of shuffling words on pieces of paper. It probably doesn't mean anything - except what the listener brings to it.

[flip-flop]

Ahhhh, that never even occurred to me!!!

[flip-flop]

The Lenin thing - not the Burroughs thing (is that Burroughs as in The Naked Lunch?).

[mangetoute]

lennon and bowie were mates early on(70's),lennon did the riff on fashon so may be it was a reminder type thing.

[robbo82]

If only Ward-Minter hadn't swanned off to France yesterday, I'm sure he'd have been able to tell us.

[fotografics]

I think you'll find it's "Lenin's on sale again" since it makes sense in the context of...

Now the workers have struck for fame
Coz Lenin's on sale again.

Whereas "Lennon's on sale again" doesn't fit.

As for song lyrics I remember a couple of mags in the seventies which used to publish the lyrics, some getting them horrendously wrong.

[dr john]

Yes, 'Naked Lunch' William S Burroughs (though he stole the idea from the Dadaist Tristan Tzara).
God, I remember those Seventies lyrics mags - 'Words' was the worst offender as I recall.

[kempie]

"Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again"

The lyrics from the album "Hunky Dory" definitely refer to Lennon, not Lenin.

Both were proponents of Marxist ideals. The irony of Lennon, however, is that he was in many ways a commercial, capitalistic figure. Four months before the album "Hunky Dory" was recorded Lennon released his first post-Beatles solo album "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" containing the political anthem "Working Class Hero".

[fotografics]

I stand corrected...

as for those seventies mags, there was one called "Melody" and I remember another one (possibly "Words") who had Alice Cooper's "No more Mr Nice Guy" with lyrics like...

They said he's sick he's a scene
(They said he's sick, he's obscene)

The ribband sibby, he recognised me
(The Reverend Sydney, he recognised me)

I can't cloud my eyes
(My cat clawed my eyes)

etc. etc.

[steve @ home]

Misheard lyrics are a hoot.
My favourites are 'My ears are alight' Desmond Dekker
and 'you'll be dancing once again like a playful hen' ABBA

[romko]

"beelzebub has a devil for a sideboard........"