So, sorry for the temporary hiatus!  I’ve been enjoying summer fun with my five year old, but now it’s time for back to school and back to Bowie!!

Rubber Band is the third track on Bowie’s debut album.  It tells the story of a man who has returned home from a tour of duty to find that the girl he left behind has moved on to another man, a band leader.  A Deram press release described it as “a love story without a happy ending.”  And although Deram also described it as “a happening song,” Rubber Band was not a hit.  This is unsurprising to me, as it is an unconventional rock song.  In fact, it does not sound very rock ‘n roll at all.  With the tuba leading the musical score, it sounds more like something you would hear from a marching band.  But this is what makes Bowie so great.  He wasn’t concerned about writing hit rock songs.  Even from this early stage, he was doing his own thing, telling his own stories in his own way.

There are a few things that I love about this song.  First, like all of the songs on this album, Bowie is unabashedly British.  He sings about eating scones and drinking tea!!  I find it incredibly charming.  The other thing I love about this song is the ending.  At the end, Bowie wails just to emphasize how distraught he is about losing his love.  Then he whines, “I hope you break your baton.”  There is something very endearing about David Bowie throwing a temper tantrum.  It makes him seem human, even though we all know that he has always been something more.

Listen.