This is about the struggle to find solace in love and religion. It has also been suggested this song contemplates the old adage "The more things change the more they stay the same." Explaining how he remained a force in pop music for so many years, Bowie sings, "It's not really work it's just a power to charm."
Bowie said this song's call-and-response vocal arrangement "all comes from Little Richard." A defining moment in Bowie's childhood was when his dad came home with a copy of "Tutti Frutti."
This sounds very similar to Elton John's "I'm Still Standing." They were both recorded around the same time and Bowie nor John were aware of each other's song.
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