The Prettiest Star

Posted by Moonage | Filed under Sound

Now, song for song, in my own opinion, Bowie peaked from 1969 to about 1973 or so. He’s had some great to good songs since, but for sheer volume, those five years he cranked them out en mass. Now, the problem with that is that there is so much awesome content in that period that otherwise excellent songs got lost in the mix. To me one of the best of forgotten songs during that era was The Prettiest Star. Mixed in with The Jean Genie, Time, Panic in Detroit, Cracked Actor, and other songs that screamed for attention, The Prettiest Star was just a very simple, very beautiful song. It almost seemed to be a filler at the time. However, of all the songs on Aladdin Sane, The Prettiest Star probably had the most interesting history. I didn’t realize there even was a history to this song until today when I stumbled upon yet another Youtube viewer made movie where some guy was professing his love for his “prettiest star”, his girlfriend. That’s all fine and good, but the sound of the song caught me by surprise. Take a listen:

This wasn’t The Prettiest Star I grew up with. I thought I had heard every bootleg and version of every song he’s done. I was obviously wrong. In the discussion, they casually mention it’s the pre-Aladdin Sane version with Marc Bolan. How did I NOT know all this? I mean, I had memorized TeenageWildlife.com and all it mentioned there was it was written for Angie. Well, here’s the story according to Wiki.Following the success of Space Oddity in 1969, Bowie and Visconti went back to the studio to crank out another single. Visconti was insistent on using “London Bye Ta Ta”, Bowie had written another song he used to propose to Angie over the phone. That song was “The Prettiest Star”. At this time Bowie had become friends with Marc Bolan and therefore got Bolan to do the original guitar solos. Bowie won out over Visconti and released The Prettiest Star instead of London Bye Ta Ta. It reputedly sold about 800 copies and was forgotten. Bowie later re-recorded it for Aladdin Sane and Mick Ronson repeated the guitar work note for note. Now, this whole love story on youtube was getting a little stale. In order to have heard this version, they were probably 50-somethings. But, then it became clearer to me what was going on in an unlikely way. In the 2005 movie Kinky Boots they somehow got ahold of the original Bowie/Bolan version and feature it to a drag queen strutting the catwalk. Now, being as Kinky Boots is only a couple of years old, this means the lovers on Youtube are quite young and the joys of youthful love are being explored to the most appropriate Bowie song. All is perfect again.

The Prettiest Star is one of the songs I feature over there –>

Other than the Kinky Boots soundtrack, I have no clue where it could be found outside of bootlegs.

What it means is one of the clearest messages Bowie ever delivered in any song:

Cold fire, you’ve got everything but cold fire
You will be my rest and peace child
I moved up to take a place, near you

So tired, it’s the sky that makes you feel tried
It’s a trick to make you see wide
It can all but break your heart, in pieces

Staying back in your memory
Are the movies in the dark
How you moved is all it takes
To sing a song of when I loved
The Prettiest Star

One day though it might as well be someday
You and I will rise up all the way
All because of what you are
The Prettiest Star

Staying back in your memory
Are the movies in the past
How you moved is all it takes
To sing a song of when I loved
The Prettiest Star

One day though it might as well be someday
You and I will rise up all the way
All because of what you are
The Prettiest Star

It meant he thought he was going to hitch a ride on Angie’s stardom because she was so beautiful. Amazing how things don’t always work out like one predicts.

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Permalink | July 19th, 2007

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    • 7 Squawks to “The Prettiest Star”

    1. Cristin Squawked:
      July 19th, 2007 at 4:00 pm

      Can’t get your top video to load. I think the second one is a cool video. Slow. But cool. Until you get to the third picture and it’s a really lame amidst the other artsy ones. hehehe.

      I never get to “Prettiest Star.” I always repeat “Time” 4658202057x before it has a chance to come on.

    2. Moonage Squawked:
      July 19th, 2007 at 5:34 pm

      Well, that’s because there is no first video. Tee second one is the only one. Will try to fix that. The video itself is irrelevant. It’s the sound I’m displaying. This is not The Prettiest Star that followed Time.

    3. Cristin Squawked:
      July 19th, 2007 at 9:02 pm

      I know, but I’m a visual person too. I know it’s a different Prettiest Star. But the one on Aladdin Sane is the only one I’ve got so I’ve never really given the song much thought because I can’t get past Time because that’s so good. I do enjoy the version you showcase here much more.

    4. Moonage Squawked:
      July 19th, 2007 at 10:17 pm

      Not sure I like it better, it’s just very different even tho it’s the same. After hearing the version I’ve heard for 30 years, it was just very trippy hearing it different and knowing what I had heard most of my life wasn’t intended to sound the way it did originally. I usually prefer the originals because that’s what the artist had in mind in the first place.

    5. Cristin Squawked:
      July 21st, 2007 at 3:03 pm

      True.

    6. Nico Squawked:
      November 22nd, 2007 at 6:03 pm

      I totally agree with you about the the “sheer volume” of Bowie’s work from 1969 - 1973. I would include in that Pin Ups, which even though it contains no original Bowies still captures some essence of those records, with Ronno and most of the ‘Spiders’ on it, and showing the power of the musical vision (brought into focus with the indispensable Mick) even in the absence of David’s lyrics. After that, yes, there is some excellent stuff, especially over the next several albums. But it was that earlier period that “sold the world.” And I also agree about The Prettiest Star, one of my favorite songs ever. Such a delight when it comes on. Never heard this version before. THANK YOU! I always love Mick’s playing on that, including the tone of the guitar, and hearing this version with Marc Bolin somehow makes me love it even more! That’s Mick Ronson for you — always knew what to do, and the Marc’s original creation was just perfect. Overall I think the version on Aladdin Sane (possibly by fave Bowie CD) is better. But that’s OK. Thanks again. I will explore your site now!

    7. Moonage Squawked:
      November 22nd, 2007 at 9:49 pm

      Glad you’re enjoying the blog so far. I try to not so much blog on Bowie per se, but moreso what he affected. Obviously, he affected me. However, his talents were felt all over the music scene, and still is. Because of my mindset, I’ve never really dug that much into Pinups. Whereas his originality was what sold me, Pinups was his interpretations of others. I like his original stuff the most by far.

      As far as The Prettiest Star goes, it was just a piece of what I think is the most under-rated rock album of all time. It was panned to some degree because of the success of Ziggy, but in many ways I feel it was a superior album.

      And yeah, it really all started when he sold the world. That album proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder.

    Squawk like a pink monkey bird!