P: I’ve loved these lyrics for a long time.

From the first, the concept of making a song in the form of a conversation between an astronaught and a control centre is amazing.

D:Yes, I agree. I think so too.

P: It’s genius.

David Bowie is often praised for
his fashion and the way he dresses.

For some reason, he doesn’t seem to get as muchpraise as a songwriter.

I think it is very strange.

D: Peter, as an Australian, you think so too?

P: Yes, I do.

Of course David Bowie is a really well-respected person, and I think he is put up as being a great man.

But it’s usually about that kind of
fashion and that kind of taste.

Those things come up a lot.

But somehow, even with such amazing lyrics, songs, and technique, he’s not appreciated in this way very much.

It’s strange.

D: Maybe.

P: I especially like

in this second verse,

, my favorite part is,

“The paper wants to know
whos shirts you wear”

I like it a lot.

D: It’s good.

P: The newspaper wants to know
what shirt you’re wearing.

Yes.
It’s such an amazing everyday thing.

I love the way the song does this.

D: Yes,

It’s not, “The papers want to
know WHAT shirts you wear”.

“WHO’s shirts”.

P: “Want to know what shirts you
wear” – “Who’s shirts you wear”

Well, it doesn’t really change the meaning.

D: Oh, really?

P: “What shirts”?

No. Do you think it changes the nuance?

D: “What kind of shirts”,
so they may be asking

the color, or the pattern

But with “Whose”

Which company’s shirt is this?

or

What team’s

P: Oh, “team”?

D: For example, I looked up
the lyrics on a website.

If you’re British, it could be about the soccer team.

So, like you’re asking which team you’re a fan of. 

Some people seem to interpret it in a different way.

P:Okay.

I hadn’t really thought about that.

D: Then I guess, that might be hard to read into it?

P:No, but when you put it that way

D: Only “when you put it that way”?

P: Well, it’s possible.

That’s one way to look at it.

It depends on how you interpret it.

D: So,

Bowie’s being ironical

or satirical

on the media

I’ve read things like that.

P: Yes, well, either way, it’s really about how the media wants to know the specifics about what the astronaut is wearing.

They want to know what kind of everyday routine he has. Wouldn’t you say?

And I think these lyrics do a great job of demonstrating that.

It’s often said “Show, don’t tell”.

That’s one expression.

So when you write something, you shouldn’t talk about something, you should “show” it.

I think this is a good example.

So this sentence is saying this guy is incredibly famous.

Everyone wants to know everything about that person.

But it doesn’t use “I’m famous” or “You’re famous”.

Instead of writing, “I want to know everything about you.”

It writes “The paper want to
know who’s shirts you wear.”

I think it really “shows” it well.

Moving on…Wasn’t this
difficult to translate?

“You really made the grade.”

D: You have succeeded

Is that okay?

P: I think so.

D: You’ve made it.

P: “You’ve really made the grade.”

D: “You’ve really made it.”

P: I think it’s a bit of
an unusual expression.

I don’t hear it so much.

“You’ve really made the grade.”

D: Okay.

P: Well, it’s not that I’ve never heard it.

But it’s rare.
D: So people don’t use it much?

P: People don’t say that very often.
D: Okay.

P: I wonder why he used this expression.

“Ground Control to Major Tom,
you’ve really made the grade”.

D: It’s not a rhyme, is it?

P: There’s no Rhyme either.

Why did he go out of his way to use this?

D: But in a peculiar way.

Grade. It’s unrelated.

P: “The paper want to know who’s shirts you wear.

Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare

And here too, “Where” and “Dare”.

D: “Where” and “Dare,” yes.

but

P: The other thing I think is a
little more difficult is

“Planet Earth is blue and
there’s nothing I can do.”

D: yes. 

P: I think this “Blue” has two meanings.

D: Okay.

P: The meaning of “sad” and the normal meaning of “Blue”, the color “Blue”.

But no matter what you do you’re going to lose that meaning.

D: Oh, so, if you
see this phrase, you see both meanings.

P: Yes.
I thought it was kind of clever.

When I first heard it.

“Planet Earth is blue and
there’s nothing I can do.”

It can’t be helped.

The earth is sad.

D: Oh, the Earth?

P: But there’s nothing we can do about it.

D: “The Earth is Blue”? It’s not
that “I’m feeling blue”?

P: No, no. I think he’s
saying the planet earth is, it’s both blue, the color is blue.

But it’s also, “planet earth is
sad and there’s nothing I can do”

So you could leave this phrase as is…
D: Yes, you could. As for me i never thought of that until you told me about it just now. For the first time.

“So it gives that impression”, is what I thoughts.

P: But you can also use Blue in Japanese.

D: Yes, you can. Yes, “Blue” has become a Japanese word.

P: “Planet earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do”

And it rhymes again, doesn’t it?

“Blue, and there’s nothing I can do”.

P: This “Tin Can” is also interesting.

“For here am I, sitting in a Tin Can”.

Because I’m sitting in this tin can.

What did you think?

D: So…

His

As I say below, should we call it “emptiness”?

I think it’s a reflection of that.

P: Yes, it is.

The description is interesting again.

D: Really it’s a huge machine,
but it’s just a Tin Can

P: Yes.
At the same time.

Yes.

D: Bowie, played in a
band called “Tin Machine”.

This is a little off topic, but

P: He played in a band called Tin Machine?

D: I think it was around 1990. Tin Machine

They didn’t sell very well though.
P: Okay.

I haven’t heard that all.
D: Okay.

So

the spaceship’s a big machine.

To him it’s a Tin Can. He’s, what do you call it? Turning it into a Tin Can.

P: Okay let’s continue.