The phrases change frequently throughout the song. The line “I never lose control” becomes “We never lose control” in the first chorus, to convince himself that everything is okay.
The song ends on an ambiguous note, with the narrator telling his audience that in front of them is a ‘man who sold the world’. Though it seems unrecognizable at first, the narrator learns that this strange aspect is part of him.
Another interpretation is that the narrator is initially running from an identity he hates. But later, when it became clear that this terrifying self was, in fact, his only true identity, he decided to accept that unsatisfying idea.
No matter which interpretation one prefers, the song is a great example of how people desperately search for personal identity, and how difficult but perhaps necessary it is to embrace all the different aspects of oneself.
Through lyrics, music, mood and rhythm, Bowie captures the dread, unease and ambiguity of this experience.
This article was written for Stripe, a special publication of bdnews24.com, focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.