Velvet Goldmine (song)
Encyclopedia
"Velvet Goldmine" is a song written by David Bowie
and recorded during the The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
sessions in 1971. However, it did not make it to the album and was eventually released as the B-side to the UK rerelease of "Space Oddity" in 1975. Bowie originally wrote the song as a rather adult description of him making out
with another man. Social pressures, combined with an only-half-hearted interest in the material, resulted in Bowie rewriting the song to be slightly more ambiguous. The song title inspired the name of Velvet Goldmine
the film. Despite being originally only released as a B-side, this song has become very popular amongst fans and has been released on at least one "best of" compilation.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and recorded during the The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
sessions in 1971. However, it did not make it to the album and was eventually released as the B-side to the UK rerelease of "Space Oddity" in 1975. Bowie originally wrote the song as a rather adult description of him making out
Making out
In human sexuality, making out is a sexual euphemism of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used synonymously with the terms necking, heavy petting, and hooking up to refer to non-penetrative sex, though "hooking up" is also used in some cultures to imply casual sex.-History:The...
with another man. Social pressures, combined with an only-half-hearted interest in the material, resulted in Bowie rewriting the song to be slightly more ambiguous. The song title inspired the name of Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 British/American drama film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes. The film tells the story of a pop star based mainly on David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' character and is set in Britain during the days of glam rock in the early 1970s.Sandy Powell received another Academy...
the film. Despite being originally only released as a B-side, this song has become very popular amongst fans and has been released on at least one "best of" compilation.
Other releases
- It was released as picture discs in both the RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Life Time picture disc set and the Fashion Picture Disc Set. - In 1990 it was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc CD release of Ziggy StardustThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
. It also appeared on the 30th Anniversary Reissue bonus disc in 2002. - The compilations Rare (1983) and The Best of 1969/1974The Best of 1969/1974The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 is an album by David Bowie, released by EMI in 1997. The US release of the album was pulled from the stores because of a large number of inaccuracies in the credits and liner notes. This album was also included as the first disc of the compilation The Platinum...
(1997) both feature "Velvet Goldmine".