Lazarus

In his downtime from his recording sessions for Blackstar, David Bowie was working on his off-Broadway musical Lazarus, a sequel of sorts to his cult classic movie The Man Who Fell to Earth where he played the lead Thomas Jerome Newton. The show opened in New York in December 2015 and this is the only song from the production that is also on the album. Speaking to the New York Times, the musical's director Ivo van Hove said: "Lazarus focuses on Newton as he remains on Earth, a man unable to die, his head soaked in cheap gin, and haunted by a past love."

Lazarus is a character in the Gospel of John that was restored to life four days after his death by Jesus Christ. It is not clear why Bowie referenced the Biblical name in the song title (the word "Lazarus" doesn't appear in the lyrics). Maybe it is a metaphor for the resurrection of the Thomas Jerome Newton character or possibly Bowie was reflecting on the revival of his own career with the release of 2013's The Next Day after years of self-imposed silence.

New York sax player Donny McCaslin is key to the sound of Lazarus. He recalled to The Sun: "I was listening to the song that's now called 'Lazarus,' which is probably the second or third one we recorded. I remember hearing that 'the sax had a prominent role', which is a line that David had written." "Hearing him sing it was emotional because I was like, 'Oh my goodness!' There he is and there I am."