Peanuts In My Pocket

Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesdays, my weekly series where I rank personal favorites across music, film, books, and more. This week, I’m focusing on David Bowie, a shape-shifting icon who challenged convention and helped me do the same.

Taught to Fear Bowie

I remember staying with my grandparents as a kid when David Bowie appeared on a TV show. I was captivated by the spectacle of a strangely dressed man strutting across the stage, belting out a song I can’t remember now. My grandpa immediately turned off the TV and said something like, “That crap shouldn’t be allowed on television.”

He told my parents. That landed me in a church meeting with a youth pastor, where I was warned about the evils of rock and roll. Naturally, this made me seek out Bowie all the more.

My Top 10 David Bowie Songs

1. Ashes to Ashes – A brilliant, melancholy revisit of Major Tom. This one haunted me from the first time I heard it. The production still sounds futuristic.
2. Life on Mars? – A surreal, emotional masterpiece. The piano, the vocals, the way it builds; this one always stops me in my tracks.
3. Space Oddity – The first Bowie song I really knew. It’s eerie, theatrical, and strangely intimate. Major Tom felt real to me.
4. Moonage Daydream – Pure glam-rock chaos. The line “I’m an alligator” still makes me smile. This song is a burst of wild, weird confidence.
5. Under Pressure (with Queen) – I didn’t even know it was Bowie at first. Now I hear his voice and instantly feel the urgency. That bass line is iconic for a reason.
6. Starman – This is the one I think he was singing on TV that night at my grandparents’. It’s an invitation to dream bigger and stranger.
7. Heroes – Maybe the greatest love song never written as one. It always makes me feel like I can rise above anything, if even just for one day.
8. I’m Afraid of Americans – Angry, dark, and unsettling. I discovered this song later, but it hit hard. It still feels relevant today given what we are all going through.
9. Rebel Rebel – That riff! This song is defiance set to music. It became a kind of personal anthem for a while.
10. Changes – A song about evolution that never stops evolving. It feels like a life companion. I hum it when I need a reminder to keep going.

Closing Thoughts

David Bowie remains one of my favorite artists, someone I admire, even in death. His impact on music is unquestionable, but his impact on me started with curiosity and led to rebellion. Bowie helped me question authority, reject dogma, and embrace beauty in all its strange forms.

That’s one hell of a personal legacy.

🎧 Listen on Spotify: Top 10 David Bowie Songs