By Keith Walsh
Twenty-five years ago this week David Bowie released the single “Seven Years In Tibet” from his experimental electronic album Earthling. The tune is weird in some very interesting ways, both lyrically and musically. The surreal lyrics are just the beginning.
In the liner notes for the box set David Bowie, Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001), guitarist, songwriter and co-producer Reeves Gabrels describes the process of creation. For the lyrics, Bowie used some of the random techniques that he first employed on his late 70s collaborations with Brian Eno: Low, Heroes and Lodger.
When Bowie entered the vocal booth at New York’s Looking Glass Studio, Gabrels handed him a printout of an online newspaper article describing an event in which a ready-to-bake biscuit container exploded against a woman’s head outside a grocery store, in 100-degree weather. The woman thought she was a gunfire victim. The first verse includes the lines “Are you okay?/you’ve been shot in the head/and I’m holding your brains/the old woman said.” Bowie based the song on the novel of the same name, and reassigned the biscuit story to an incident in which a Tibetan Buddhist monk was shot.
As Gabrels explains: “‘Seven Years in Tibet” is a great example of David’s genius in re-contextualizing found objects and impromptu ideas to give them new and deeper meaning. He had a strong interest in Tibet, its history and struggles.”
To a “fairly dark loop” as Gabrels describes it, a drum pattern by Zach Alford was added, and melodically, Bowie wanted to do something reminiscent of Peter Green’s “Albatross.” The chords were found and the result is haunting and all kinds of strange. Pianist Mike Garson steps out of his comfort zone to play something close to a Farfisa organ sound. As Mark Plati, who co-produced the album with Gabrels explained: “This changed everything and took the song into exciting new territory. We were inspired all over again – especially David, who came up with ideas such as running his voice through a ring modulator.”
In a career of innovations, the work on “Seven Years In Tibet” and on Earthling as a whole stand out, and are now gaining renewed attention, as it should be.
Quotes from “Earthling Notes” by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati, 2021, from the David Bowie, Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) Box Set, available in CD and Vinyl formats, on Parlophone Records.
David Bowie dot com
Reeves Gabrels On Instagram
Reeves Gabrels On Facebook
Mark Plati dot com
Earthling On Spotify
Bowie On Synthbeat.com
finis
