Released January 23, 1976 Length 6:03 Writer(s) David Bowie | Genre Blue-eyed soul Label RCA Records | |
Recorded Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, September–November 1975 | ||
"Word on a Wing" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie in 1975 for the Station to Station album, where it appears as the closing track of the LP's first side.
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Bowie admits that the song was written out of a coke-addled spiritual despair that he experienced while filming the movie The Man Who Fell To Earth. In 1980 Bowie spoke of the song to NME, claiming "There were days of such psychological terror when making the Roeg film that I nearly started to approach my reborn, born again thing. It was the first time I'd really seriously thought about Christ and God in any depth, and 'Word on a Wing' was a protection. It did come as a complete revolt against elements that I found in the film. The passion in the song was genuine... something I needed to produce from within myself to safeguard myself against some of the situations I felt were happening on the film set."
During the time of recording this song Bowie began to wear a silver crucifix, which he continued to wear. Despite the lyrics claiming that he is 'trying hard to fit among your scheme of things' Bowie seems to be suspicious of having blind faith with regards to religion, exclaiming 'just because I believe don't mean I don't think as well, don't have to question everything in heaven or hell'. This suspicion seems to contradict the sentiment Bowie had while recording Golden Years, where is exclaimed 'I believe all the way'. Bowie later admitted that "there was a point when I very nearly got suckered into that narrow sort of looking... finding the cross as the salvation of mankind around the Roeg period".