David Bowie - The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty) Lyrics

Garson's dissonant notes on piano in the outro...pure beauty

What a fabulous album from a fabulous artist

Outsider very much.

I’ll tell ya why this is an underrated album - it’s too dark for most people, they can’t go there, it’s too unpleasant for them. Whereas people like us, are drawn in.

Well said.

It needs investing patience. The album seems to try to shake off the listener like a mechanical bull: the melody shifts between instruments or even is entirely between them, the songs take sharp turns, Bowie chants with his deep talking voice and does not drop any "yeah!"s.



And that was at a time when people still bought albums and were willing to invest the time to access something they had already paid for. I doubt it is possible to recreate that rewarding experience today, when every song has to be a single.

This album got pretty much slated by critics. Why?

It's not really that immediately catchy overall.

I agree with Picnicl, it's definitely an acquired taste. I used to hate continuing this album once "A Small Plot of Land" (easily one of the best songs there are out there) ended, but now I really enjoy going a bit close to the half.


It's clearly something that grows on you on how eerie, how unique, and how just strange it sounds.

@Gustavo Valladares ​ Gustavo Valladares And several of the best songs on there don't even seem to fit the dark concept of the album in a massive way- Hallo Spaceboy, Thru These Architect's Eyes. Those 2 songs are more Buddha of Suburbia or Earthling. The latter would suit Black Tie White Noise very well. I might make an alternative Outside album sometime. Some songs from Reality, The Next Day and Blackstar would fit it. They are bound to - Bowie intended to make 5 albums to do with the Outside concept all the way up to the mlillenium. There's about 5 albums worth of unused material from the Leon sessions anyway but most is listless compared to what's on the album.

That cyclical guitar riff and muted drums sound so cool together. The sprinkling of vocals, piano, and rest are the icing on the wonderful tasty cake.

I shake
And stare at the sun
Till my eyes burn
I shake
At the mothers brutal vermin
I shake
And stare at the watery moon
With the same desire
As the sober Philistine
And I shake
(Turn and turn again)
Worm, the pain and blade
Turn and turn again

The screw
Is a tightening Atrocity
I shake
For the reeking flesh
Is as romantic as hell
The need
To have seen it all
The Voyeur of Utter Destruction
As beauty
I shake
Turn and turn again
I shake
Turn and turn again
I shake [x3]

Research has pierced
All extremes of my sex
Call it a day
Call it a day
Needle point life
Blinds the will to be next
Call it a day [repeat]
Today

Thank you for the Lyrics...I love this song. The album is an underrated masterpiece...

The cut up technique is very obvious in this song.

In "The Birth of Tragedy" Nietzsche describes the feelings brought on from tragedy:


" We are really for a brief moment primordial being itself, feeling its raging desire for existence and joy in existence; the struggle, the pain, the destruction of phenomena now appear necessary to us, in view of the excess of countless forms of existence which force and push one another into life, in view of the exuberant fertility of the universal will."


This is most definitely the subject matter of Voyeur.


"The screw Is a tightening Atrocity I shake For the reeking flesh Is as romantic as hell The need To have seen it all The Voyeur of Utter Destruction As beauty"


The line most definitely describes the same feeling that Nietzsche experienced. Perhaps "the same desire as the sober Philistine" describes Nietzsche himself.

This one slips through the filters, even for those that have discovered the majesty of 1. Outside, pure class, texture well before Thom and his crew.............dge dge!

Bowie's music had pretty rich textures dating back to his work with Iggy Pop in 76's "The Idiot," Radiohead is overrated.

@Rainy Nothing quite like this album though; I must listen to The Idiot more, thanks. Radiohead are overrated, but have some spikes of quality. In this barren landscape, I'll take it.

One of my favorites from Outside which I think is his most underrated album.

it's top tier Bowie for me, if you cut the Segues and Wishful Beginnings

"Research has pierced all extremes of my sex, call it a day" ... amazing

Imo this is one of his best songs. My personal favorite.

Sorry...gonna have to listen again to capture the lyrics....too blown away by instrumentals first time around.

I say First