The music video for David Bowie’s “Lazarus” was the subject of much controversy after its release on January 7, 2016, three days before Bowie’s death. Many thought the video was a final gift from the great artist, a message of goodbye before his passing, while others argue that Bowie didn’t know his cancer was terminal during the making of this video so he couldn’t have known that “Black Star” would be his last album. Whatever the case, the “Lazarus” music video does seem like an ominous message of goodbye as we watch it, knowing what we know now.
The video opens up with a view of a wardrobe, the door slightly ajar. From the wardrobe creeps a dark figure shrouded in shadow, a mysterious man. The video then pans to Bowie, frail on a hospital bed, blinded by bandages. His first words are, “Look up here, I’m in heaven./I’ve got scars that can’t be seen./I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen./Everybody knows me now.” With these lines, it seems as if Bowie sending a message of his passing while reflecting on his own life and “drama” declaring his success “Everybody knows me now.”
The figure is now reaching for Bowie under the bed. As Bowie appears to almost float above the bed, he sings “Look up here, man/I’m in danger/I’ve got nothing left to lose/I’m so high it makes my brain whirl.” Once again, it appears as if Bowie is reflecting on his past, this time the darkness in his life, perhaps his regrets.
In the next scene, Bowie is standing, dressed in a full body suit like a dancer. By now there is no doubt in my mind that Bowie is telling his story as he sings, “By the time I got to New York/I was living like a king/ There I used up all my money/ I was looking for your ass.” Here, it seems Bowie is talking of his success, his popularity in the U.S and his mistakes, “There I used up all my money.” The one lyric I have pondered here is “I was looking for your ass.” Who is the “you” in this sentence? Is it another person? Or perhaps Bowie is talking about searching for his own self-discovery through his music and drug use. Everyone has heard how experimental Bowie was with his music, his looks, and his lifestyle. Perhaps this is his confession that his experimentation was due to seeking himself out, that at that time he didn’t truly know himself.
The next scene switches back and forth from Bowie back on the bed to him sitting at a desk writing. Showing Bowie writing could be indicative of a time when he was at the top, working to write song after song. The lyrics here are “This way or no way/You know I’ll be free/Just like that bluebird/Now ain’t that just like me.” These lines, like the first ones, seem to indicate that this was a message. That Bowie knew he was dying. Especially the lines, “This way or no way/ You know I’ll be free” has stirred some controversy among fans. The video ends with Bowie retreating into the same wardrobe in which the mysterious figure emerged at the beginning of the video.
This is the most powerful video I’ve ever watched. Much like David Bowie himself, it’s esoteric by design. So much so, that I had to watch the video three times before I showed much of a reaction and then that reaction happened to be crying over my computer screen finally able to mourn my childhood idol.
The man from the wardrobe could symbolize many things. It could be, as many have already speculated death lurking from under the bed. While I do not know if this video was meant to be a message from Bowie regarding his own passing it seems likely. I mean, the title of the video is Lazarus and the song begins, “Look up here/I’m in heaven.” But then again, Lazarus was risen from death, reborn in a way. So maybe this is how Bowie sees himself, as someone who has risen from death, reborn again and again. Maybe he’s also saying that death doesn’t have to be the end. However, I also think the mysterious man could symbolize the shadow lurking over Bowie, shadow of his successes, failures, and regrets. The song seems to be a look at Bowie’s life from above, from outside himself. I would expect nothing less from Bowie’s last message to the world.
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