Lazarus (David Bowie song)

"Lazarus" is a song by English rock musician David Bowie. Released on 17 December 2015 as a digital download, it was the second single from his twenty-sixth and final studio album, Blackstar (2016). It is Bowie's last single to be released during his lifetime. The single received its world premiere on BBC Radio 6 Music's Steve Lamacq on the day of its release as a single.^[4] In addition to its release on Blackstar, the track is used in Bowie's off-Broadway musical of the same name.^[5] The official music video, directed by Johan Renck, was released on 7 January 2016, three days before Bowie's death.

"Lazarus"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Blackstar
Released	17 December 2015
Recorded	2015
Studio	The Magic Shop and Human Worldwide (New York City)
Genre	Jazz-rock^[1] gothic rock^[2] art rock^[3]
Length	6:22 (album version) 4:05 (video edit)
Label	ISO Columbia
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	David Bowie Tony Visconti
David Bowie singles chronology
"Blackstar" (2015) "Lazarus" (2015) "I Can't Give Everything Away" (2016)
Music video
"Lazarus" on YouTube

Bowie never performed the song live, but on 17 December 2015, Michael C. Hall appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, singing "Lazarus" to promote both the single's release and the musical running at New York Theatre Workshop starring Hall.^[6]

"Lazarus" was Bowie's first top 40 hit single on the Billboard Hot 100 in more than 28 years, landing at number 40 in the week after his death.^[7]

Billboard ranked "Lazarus" at number 40 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list.^[8] Pitchfork listed "Lazarus" on their ranking of the 100 best songs of 2016 at number 5.^[9] In the annual The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop mass critics poll of the year's best in music in 2016, "Lazarus" was ranked at number 8.^[10]

Lyrics and meaning

"Lazarus" is a swan song. According to Bowie's producer Tony Visconti, the lyrics and video of "Lazarus" and other songs on the album were intended to be a self-epitaph, a commentary on Bowie's own impending death.^[11][12][13] The song's reference to Lazarus has been interpreted as referring to Bowie's prediction of increased fame following his death.^[14]

Music video

 

Bowie in a deathbed, as depicted in the music video

The official music video for "Lazarus", featuring a shorter edit of the song lasting just over four minutes, was uploaded on 7 January 2016 to Bowie's Vevo channel on YouTube.^[15] The video was directed by Johan Renck (who also directed the music video for Bowie's previous single, "Blackstar") in November 2015; during the week of shooting, doctors reportedly informed Bowie the cancer was terminal and that they were ending treatment.^[16] The filming location was a studio in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.^[17] The video is shown in a 1:1 aspect ratio and prominently features Bowie, appearing with a bandage and buttons sewn over his eyes, lying on a deathbed. A director's cut exists restoring the original widescreen aspect.^[18]

The video finishes with Bowie retreating into a dark wardrobe. In the scenes featuring the wardrobe, Bowie is wearing a diagonally striped suit as seen on the back cover of the 1991 CD reissue of the Station to Station album, where he is pictured sitting on the floor drawing the kabbalistic Tree of Life.^[19][20] The Tree of Life is also referenced in the Station to Station lyrics, a "magical movement from Kether to Malkuth".^[21][22]

The video was nominated for three awards: Best Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Editing, at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.^[23]

Track listing

Digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lazarus"	6:22

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Blackstar liner notes.^[24]

Musicians

• David Bowie – vocals, guitar, mixing, production
• Tim Lefebvre – bass
• Mark Guiliana – drums
• Donny McCaslin – saxophone
• Ben Monder – guitar
• Jason Lindner – wurlitzer organ, keyboards

Technical personnel

• Tony Visconti – production, engineering, mixing engineer
• Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer
• Kevin Killen – engineering
• Erin Tonkon – assistant engineer
• Joe Visciano – assistant engineer
• Kabir Hermon – assistant engineer
• Tom Elmhirst – mixing engineer

Charts

Weekly

2015–16 weekly chart performance for "Lazarus"

Chart (2015–16)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[25]	72
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[26]	38
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[27]	10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[28]	45
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[29]	14
Finland Download (Latauslista)^[30]	22
France (SNEP)^[31]	35
Germany (Official German Charts)^[32]	77
Hungary (Single Top 40)^[33]	8
Ireland (IRMA)^[34]	48
Israel (Media Forest)^[35]	10
Italy (FIMI)^[36]	23
Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[37]	89
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)^[38]	35
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[39]	32
New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)^[40]	9
Poland (LP3)^[41]	1
Portugal (Hung Medien)^[42]	13
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[43]	83
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[44]	42
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[45]	16
UK Singles (OCC)^[46]	45
US Billboard Hot 100^[47]	40
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[48]	3
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[49]	17

Year-end

2016 year-end chart performance for "Lazarus"

Chart (2016)	Rank
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)^[50]	68

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Worldwide	17 December 2015	Digital download	ISO Columbia
Italy^[51]	18 December 2015	Contemporary hit radio	Columbia

See also

• Lazarus of Bethany
• Rich man and Lazarus

References

1. "The best songs of 2016". Daily Times. 16 December 2016. from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
2. West, Michael J. (11 January 2016). "Review: David Bowie's "Blackstar"". JazzTimes. from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
3. Gallucci, Michael (16 January 2019). "The Best Song From Every David Bowie Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
4. "David Bowie launches trailer of new single Lazarus". The Guardian. 14 December 2015. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
5. Brandle, Lars (18 December 2015). "David Bowie Shares New Song 'Lazarus': Listen". Billboard. from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
6. Matthew Strauss (18 December 2015). "Michael C. Hall Performs David Bowie's "Lazarus" on "Colbert"". Rolling Stone. from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
7. Gary Trust (19 January 2016). "David Bowie Scores First Top 40 Hot 100 Single Since 1987 With 'Lazarus'". Billboard. from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
8. "Billboard's 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 12 December 2016. from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
9. "The 100 Best Songs of 2016". Pitchfork. 12 December 2016. from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
10. "PAZZ+JOP 2016". Village Voice. 25 January 2017. from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
11. Cooper, Leonie (11 January 2016). "How David Bowie told us he was dying in the "Lazarus" video". NME. from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
12. "David Bowie: Was Lazarus Bowie singing his epitaph?". BBC. 11 January 2016. from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
13. "David Bowie's last release, Lazarus, was "parting gift" for fans in carefully planned finale". the Telegraph. 11 January 2016. from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
14. "David Bowie dead: Swansong "Lazarus" takes on poignant new meaning in lyrics and music video | the Independent | the Independent". Independent.co.uk. 11 January 2016. from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
15. "David Bowie – Lazarus". YouTube. 7 January 2016. from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
16. "When Bowie knew he was dying". adelaidenow.com.au. from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
17. "David Bowie's last days: an 18-month burst of creativity". The Guardian. 15 January 2016. from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
18. "David Bowie – Lazarus (Widescreen Version)". davidbowienews.com. 13 August 2016. from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
19. "Rykodisc Reissue CD Station to Station 1991"". CDandLP. 3 August 1991. from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
20. "David Bowie Station to Station publicity photo". Tumblr. 10 January 1976. from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
21. "Bowie's last single said to feature tribute to Kabbalah". Times of Israel. 27 January 2016. from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
22. "Never Before Published Photos Reveal Clues Bowie Left Before His Death". The Huffington Post. 11 April 2016. from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
23. French, Megan (26 July 2016). "David Bowie Receives Four Posthumous 2016 VMA Nominations". US Weekly. from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
24. Blackstar (album liner notes). David Bowie. ISO Records. 2016.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
25. Ryan, Gavin (16 January 2016). "ARIA Singles: Justin Bieber "Love Yourself" Spends 6th Week at No 1". Noise11. from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
26. "David Bowie – Lazarus" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
27. "David Bowie – Lazarus" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
28. "David Bowie – Lazarus" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
29. "David Bowie Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
30. "David Bowie: Lazarus" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
31. "David Bowie – Lazarus" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
32. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Offizielle Deutsche Charts". from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
33. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
34. ". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
35. . Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
36. "David Bowie – Lazarus". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
37. "David Bowie Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
38. "David Bowie – Chart history". Billboard Mexico Ingles Airplay for David Bowie. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
39. "David Bowie – Lazarus" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
40. "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
41. (in Polish). LP3. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
42. "Portuguesecharts - David Bowie - Lazarus". portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
43. "David Bowie – Lazarus" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
44. "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
45. "David Bowie – Lazarus". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
46. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
47. "David Bowie Scores First Top 40 Hot 100 Single Since 1987". Billboard. from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
48. "David Bowie Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
49. "David Bowie Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
50. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016" 13 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
51. "David Bowie – Lazarus Radiodate". radioairplay.fm. 19 December 2015. from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2016.

Sources

• O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. London: Repeater Books. ISBN 978-1-91224-836-0.
• Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.