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Heathen (Music)

 Heathen (Music)
type
TVTItem
 Heathen (Music)
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Heathen (Music)
 Heathen (Music)
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Heathen
 Heathen (Music)
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Heathen is the twenty-third studio album by David Bowie, released in 2002 through ISO & Columbia Records. The album reunites Bowie with longtime collaborator Tony Visconti for their first album together since 1980's Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps). Visconti would go on to produce all of Bowie's subsequent albums up until his death.Initially, Bowie had planned on releasing an album called Toy, which consisted mostly of re-recordings of his pre-Space Oddity material. However, the plan to release the album didn't come to fruition and the sessions led into the recording of Heathen insteadnote Toy would eventually see a release in November of 2021, five years after Bowie's passing. Although it's claimed that all songs featured on the album were written before the attacks of September 11 2001, it is widely agreed the events had an influence on the album.Sound-wise, the album continues the neoclassical brand of synth-heavy art rock that first appeared on 'hours...', but turns it in a more darker, brooding direction influenced not only by the September 11 attacks, but also Bowie's general anxieties about living in America as well as the success of Radiohead's similarly moody and electronic Kid A and Amnesiac earlier in the decade (Bowie himself was a fan of Radiohead).Heathen peaked at 14 on the Billboard charts, becoming Bowie's highest-selling album in the country since Tonight in 1984. The singles from this album are "Slow Burn", "Everyone Says 'Hi'" and "I've Been Waiting for You". Notably, none of these singles were released with a music video; Bowie, who was 55 at the time of the album's release, came to feel as if he had become too old to remain relevant on television, and decided to refrain from the music video format as a result. A video for "Slow Burn" was shot in August of 2002 however, and eventually saw release in 2011. Bowie would ultimately walk back on his statements and return to releasing music videos— all but two of which starred himself (and in the case of the second of those two he was only absent on account of being dead)— for his next (and last) three albumsnote that said, the music videos for The Next Day and ★ were primarily intended for viewing on YouTube rather than television; the music videos for Reality did indeed air on TV, though.Heathen is also notable for being one of only five albums in Bowie's discography (alongside Reality and reissues of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), and Let's Dance) to see release on the Super Audio CD format, with slightly longer versions of several songs plus four bonus tracks. Unlike the other four albums, this one only features a single Scarlet Book audio layer, with no Redbook audio layer, and as a result is the only one of the four Bowie SACDs to not be compatible with a standard CD player. To this day, the extended version of Heathen remains exclusive to the SACD release, with the extended songs and most of the bonus tracks not seeing further release on any reissues (despite the whole SACD version of the album being long enough to fit on a single Redbook-compliant Compact Disc uncut) or even compilations.Not to be confused with the Bay Area Thrash Metal band.
 Heathen (Music)
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2023-11-06T14:30:59Z
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2023-11-06T14:30:59Z
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Dropped link to DaveGrohl: Not a Feature - IGNORE
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 Heathen (Music)
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DBTropes
 Heathen (Music) / int_14beeefd
type
Darker and Edgier
 Heathen (Music) / int_14beeefd
comment
Darker and Edgier: Compared to 'hours...', Heathen is much more dour in both lyrical and musical tone. While Bowie testified that the songs had been written before 9/11, he admitted that the nationwide mood afterwards affected the bleak tone of the final product (heightened by the fact that he lived in New York City).
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Heathen (Music) / int_14beeefd
 Heathen (Music) / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Heathen (Music) / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: Subverted with "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship"— the lyric in the song is "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spacecraft"
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 Heathen (Music) / int_23330a99
type
Immediate Self-Contradiction
 Heathen (Music) / int_23330a99
comment
Immediate Self-Contradiction: The lines "and nothing has changed; everything has changed" in "Sunday".
 Heathen (Music) / int_23330a99
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Heathen (Music) / int_23330a99
 Heathen (Music) / int_23b0d78
type
Title Track
 Heathen (Music) / int_23b0d78
comment
Title Track: "Heathen (The Rays)".
 Heathen (Music) / int_23b0d78
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Heathen (Music) / int_23b0d78
 Heathen (Music) / int_2719ab04
type
Special Guest
 Heathen (Music) / int_2719ab04
comment
Special Guest: Lisa Germano provides violin parts throughout the album. Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater provides keyboard parts throughout the album. Kristeen Young provides both backing vocals and piano parts throughout the album. Tony Levin of King Crimson plays fretless bass on "Slip Away". Pete Townshend of The Who plays guitar on "Slow Burn". Dave Grohl plays guitar on "I've Been Waiting for You".
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Heathen (Music) / int_2719ab04
 Heathen (Music) / int_28cd01ca
type
Disappeared Dad
 Heathen (Music) / int_28cd01ca
comment
Disappeared Dad: "Everyone Says 'Hi'" is about a boy struggling to accept that his father had passed away, thinking his father was this instead; according to Bowie, the song was inspired by his mother's passing in 2001.
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Heathen (Music) / int_28cd01ca
 Heathen (Music) / int_34f6774c
type
Concept Album
 Heathen (Music) / int_34f6774c
comment
Concept Album: Generally believed to be one by fans and analysts. A recurring theme on the album is the decay of human society; among others, topics covered on Heathen include an imprisoned man spiraling into psychotic obsession, overly-nostalgic people retreating from the world around them in fear of modernity, a man mourning a failed relationship, and a boy processing the news of his father's death.
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 Heathen (Music)
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Heathen (Music) / int_34f6774c
 Heathen (Music) / int_41744454
type
Spelling Song
 Heathen (Music) / int_41744454
comment
Spelling Song: In "Cactus", the P-I-X-I-E-S chant in the bridge is changed to D-A-V-I-D.
 Heathen (Music) / int_41744454
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1.0
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Heathen (Music) / int_41744454
 Heathen (Music) / int_5b47f992
type
Monochromatic Eyes
 Heathen (Music) / int_5b47f992
comment
Monochromatic Eyes: Bowie is depicted with a pair of glowing, metallic eyes on the front cover; Bowie biographer Nicholas Pegg claims that the effect was intended to resemble a fish's eyes, alluding to the ichthys in first-century Christianity.
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Heathen (Music) / int_5b47f992
 Heathen (Music) / int_5df06b20
type
Religion Rant Song
 Heathen (Music) / int_5df06b20
comment
Religion Rant Song: "A Better Future" is a "Hate the God" variant, featuring Bowie threatening God that he'll stop believing in Him if He doesn't ensure, well, a better future for mankind.
 Heathen (Music) / int_5df06b20
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 Heathen (Music)
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Heathen (Music) / int_5df06b20
 Heathen (Music) / int_74149c93
type
Epic Rocking
 Heathen (Music) / int_74149c93
comment
Epic Rocking: The 6 minute "Slip Away". "Safe" on the SACD release comes close, being just seven seconds short of the 6-minute mark.
 Heathen (Music) / int_74149c93
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Heathen (Music) / int_74149c93
 Heathen (Music) / int_74e34bb
type
Singer Namedrop
 Heathen (Music) / int_74e34bb
comment
Singer Namedrop: "Cactus" spells out "David" during the bridge.
 Heathen (Music) / int_74e34bb
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Heathen (Music) / int_74e34bb
 Heathen (Music) / int_75f626a5
type
Nostalgia Filter
 Heathen (Music) / int_75f626a5
comment
Nostalgia Filter: The primary theme of "Slip Away".
 Heathen (Music) / int_75f626a5
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Heathen (Music) / int_75f626a5
 Heathen (Music) / int_786bf97f
type
Real Life Writes the Plot
 Heathen (Music) / int_786bf97f
comment
Real Life Writes the Plot: In an interview with The Daily Beast, Bowie stated that the album's broodingly introspective tone was influenced by his feelings working at Allaire Studios in Shokan. The studio was built on a mountaintop, and the surrounding rural environment was so overwhelmingly breathtaking that it put him in a reflective mood throughout production. Bowie stated that "Everyone Says 'Hi'" was inspired by his mother's death in 2001.
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Heathen (Music) / int_786bf97f
 Heathen (Music) / int_792b66e2
type
Periphery Demographic
 Heathen (Music) / int_792b66e2
comment
Coney Island is name-dropped in "Slip Away", itself a tribute to The Uncle Floyd Show (an American variety show that ran from 1974 to 1998 and was surprisingly popular among rock musicians).
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Heathen (Music) / int_792b66e2
 Heathen (Music) / int_8657c5
type
Rhyming Title
 Heathen (Music) / int_8657c5
comment
Rhyming Title: "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship".
 Heathen (Music) / int_8657c5
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Heathen (Music) / int_8657c5
 Heathen (Music) / int_87ab7f69
type
Sharp-Dressed Man
 Heathen (Music) / int_87ab7f69
comment
Sharp-Dressed Man: The album cover portrays him as this, although the Monochromatic Eyes do make him creepy.
 Heathen (Music) / int_87ab7f69
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 Heathen (Music) / int_87ab7f69
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 Heathen (Music)
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Heathen (Music) / int_87ab7f69
 Heathen (Music) / int_8a24c94e
type
Studio Chatter
 Heathen (Music) / int_8a24c94e
comment
Studio Chatter: An unidentified voice giving a count-off can be faintly heard in the intro to "I Would Be Your Slave".
 Heathen (Music) / int_8a24c94e
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Heathen (Music) / int_8a24c94e
 Heathen (Music) / int_b24ce4b2
type
Rearrange the Song
 Heathen (Music) / int_b24ce4b2
comment
Rearrange the Song: "Slip Away" (formerly "Uncle Floyd") and "Afraid" were initially recorded for Toy and are included in the version that leaked in 2011. Both songs were both re-recorded for Heathen, and consequently are omitted from the finalized 2021 release of Toy. While the two versions of each song sound fairly similar enough to one-another, "Slip Away" removes "Uncle Floyd"'s lengthy intro consisting of sampled audio from The Uncle Floyd Show, presumably due to copyright issues. On the SACD release, the bonus track "Conversation Piece" is a re-recording of a B-Side from 1970, specifically that for the original version of "The Prettiest Star" (which itself was re-recorded for Aladdin Sane nearly 30 years before this album). The original version of "Conversation Piece" would eventually be retroactively incorporated into Space Oddity for its 50th anniversary remix in 2019.
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Heathen (Music) / int_b24ce4b2
 Heathen (Music) / int_c2c4e614
type
B-Side
 Heathen (Music) / int_c2c4e614
comment
On the SACD release, the bonus track "Conversation Piece" is a re-recording of a B-Side from 1970, specifically that for the original version of "The Prettiest Star" (which itself was re-recorded for Aladdin Sane nearly 30 years before this album). The original version of "Conversation Piece" would eventually be retroactively incorporated into Space Oddity for its 50th anniversary remix in 2019.
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Heathen (Music) / int_c2c4e614
 Heathen (Music) / int_c3ae004a
type
Re-Cut
 Heathen (Music) / int_c3ae004a
comment
Re-Cut: The SACD release features slightly longer versions of "Sunday", "Slip Away", "Slow Burn", "I've Been Waiting For You", and "5:15 The Angels Have Gone", which combined with the added bonus tracks pushes the album up to a total runtime of 71:08 (compared to the standard edition's 52:08).
 Heathen (Music) / int_c3ae004a
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Heathen (Music) / int_c3ae004a
 Heathen (Music) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Heathen (Music) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: "Sunday"— and by extension the album— opens with a stuttering synth riff that audibly recalls that of "Everything in Its Right Place", the opening track to Radiohead's Kid A. Bowie was a noted fan of the group. Carrying over from the Pixies' version, the D-A-V-I-D chant in the bridge of "Cactus" is a shout-out to a similar technique used by T. Rex (who Bowie had previously name-dropped in "All the Young Dudes", the song Bowie wrote for Mott the Hoople). Coney Island is name-dropped in "Slip Away", itself a tribute to The Uncle Floyd Show (an American variety show that ran from 1974 to 1998 and was surprisingly popular among rock musicians). The first pre-chorus of "Afraid" includes the line "I believe in Beatles," referencing the infamous line "I don't believe in Beatles" in John Lennon's solo song "God". "I Would Be Your Slave" does this for Labyrinth: "I Would Be Your Slave" also lyrically alludes to "Footprints in the Sand", a famous Christian allegorical poem depicting God carrying a man during the darkest moments in his life, represented by two trails of footprints on a beach occasionally turning into one. Yes, Ziggy Stardust was named in tribute to The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, who Bowie covered with "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship".
 Heathen (Music) / int_c75df49a
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Heathen (Music) / int_c75df49a
 Heathen (Music) / int_cff53786
type
Cover Version
 Heathen (Music) / int_cff53786
comment
Cover Version: Three of them pop up in this album, the latter two of which were originally intended for inclusion on the never-released Pin Ups sequel Bowie-ing Out: "Cactus" (The Pixies) "I've Been Waiting for You" (Neil Young) "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship" (The Legendary Stardust Cowboy)
 Heathen (Music) / int_cff53786
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Heathen (Music) / int_cff53786
 Heathen (Music) / int_d68c925d
type
Creator Provincialism
 Heathen (Music) / int_d68c925d
comment
Creator Provincialism: "Slip Away" is deeply rooted in Bowie's adopted home of New York City. The main characters of Bones and Oogie were puppets on The Uncle Floyd Vivino Show, which was a huge deal in the tri-state area but fell apart when it attempted to go national. There's also a reference to the New York Yankees, although this is more accessible to the general public.
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Heathen (Music) / int_d68c925d
 Heathen (Music) / int_dbc664dd
type
Album Title Drop
 Heathen (Music) / int_dbc664dd
comment
Album Title Drop: Averted with "Heathen (The Rays)".
 Heathen (Music) / int_dbc664dd
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Heathen (Music) / int_dbc664dd
 Heathen (Music) / int_ef9a1b88
type
BassoProfundo
 Heathen (Music) / int_ef9a1b88
comment
Basso Profundo: Bowie reaches the lowest point of his voice register, a G1, in "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship".
 Heathen (Music) / int_ef9a1b88
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Heathen (Music) / int_ef9a1b88
 Heathen (Music) / int_f3cf057b
type
Fading into the Next Song
 Heathen (Music) / int_f3cf057b
comment
Fading into the Next Song: "Slip Away" segues directly into "Slow Burn". Also, "5:15 the Angels Have Gone" segues directly into "Everyone Says 'Hi'", which in turn segues into "A Better Future".
 Heathen (Music) / int_f3cf057b
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Heathen (Music) / int_f3cf057b
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Heathen (Music)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Heathen (Music)
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British Music / int_40098a46
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Content Leak / int_40098a46
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Greatest Hits Album / int_40098a46
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Progressive Rock / int_40098a46
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Self-Remake / int_40098a46
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