TheCompanion

Home ¦ Index ¦ FAQ ¦ Encyclopaedia ¦ Timeline ¦ Songs ¦ Gallery ¦ E-mail

Soul Love

Side One: Five Years / Soul Love / Moonage Daydream / Starman / It Ain't Easy
Side Two: Lady Stardust / Star / Hang On To Yourself / Ziggy Stardust / Suffragette City / Rock n Roll Suicide

Albums:  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars (1972) and Stage (1978)

Singles: Soul Love

Time: 3:33

Background

As "Five Years" fades out the beat for the second song on THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (1972) starts.  "Soul Love" was performed live only on the 2^nd US Ziggy Stardust Tour in 1973, during the whole 1978 Stage tour and for the first two Serious Moonlight shows in 1984.   It was recorded at Trident Studios in November 1971.

Mick Ronson also recorded a country and western version of this song called "Stone Love (Soul Love)" in 1975 which saw commercial release as a bonus track in 1990.

Analysis

The song documents the various kinds of love, the inevitable nature of each and the relationships between them: Stone Love (gravestone love for the departed); New Love (romantic love) and Soul Love (a religious love).

"For me, 'Soul Love' is an amazing love song without being too sugary. It isn't boy-meets-girl, jealousy, betrayal, sort of thing - it wasn't normal. It was a spiritual kind of love song, so I have a lot of respect for how he kept it in that kind of a concept. I didn't really know what it was about, but the concept is about a love of a person and a love of the spiritual side of man, which is my personal take on it. Might not be what he meant, but that's how I have always felt about it." - Woody Woodmansey

"Not really much to say about this as there is very little unusual about any of the recording" - Ken Scott.

Soul Love (Bowie) Stone love - she kneels before the grave Her brave son - who gave his life to save the slogan That hovers between the headstone and her eyes For they penetrate her grieving New love - a boy and girl are talking New words - that only they can share in New words - a love so strong it tears their hearts To sleep - through the fleeting hours of morning Love is careless in its choosing - sweeping over cross a baby Love descends on those defenceless Idiot love will spark the fusion Inspirations have I none - just to touch the flaming dove All I have is my love of love - and love is not loving Soul love - the priest that tastes the word and Told of love - and how my God on high is All love - though reaching up my loneliness evolves By the blindness that surrounds him Love is careless in its choosing - sweeping over cross a baby Love descends on those defenceless Idiot love will spark the fusion Inspirations have I none - just to touch the flaming dove All I have is my love of love - and love is not loving Li, li, li, li, li, li....

---This page last modified: 14 Jan 2019---