All the Madmen (song)
Encyclopedia
"All the Madmen" is a song written by David Bowie
in 1970 for the album The Man Who Sold the World, released later that year in the U.S.
and in April 1971 in the UK
. One of a number of tracks on the album dealing with insanity
, it has been described as depicting "a world so bereft of reason that the last sane men are the ones in the asylums".
and recorder
, creating an atmosphere that Bowie biographer David Buckley called "childlike dementia", before transforming into a heavy rocker featuring electric guitar
by Mick Ronson, augmented by Moog synthesizer
. It ends with the chant "Zane zane zane, ouvrez le chien", the latter phrase literally meaning "open the dog" in French
and alluding to a sentence of Thus Spoke Zarathustra
: "Thy wild dogs want liberty; they bark for joy in their cellar when thy spirit endeavoureth to open all prison doors."
The production of the song also made use of varispeed
vocals, which Bowie had first employed – though only for comic effect – on "The Laughing Gnome
" in 1967. Bowie has said that the song was written for and about his half brother, Terry, a schizophrenic and inmate of Cane Hill
mental institution (pictured on the original U.S. cover of The Man Who Sold the World) until his suicide
in 1985. The lyrics include references to lobotomy
, the tranquilliser Librium and EST, or Electroshock Therapy
, a controversial treatment for some types of deep depression and mental illnesses.
in edited form as a promo single (featuring the same song on both sides) in the U.S. in December 1970, prior to Bowie's promotional tour there in early 1971. An official release, featuring "Janine" from his previous album Space Oddity
as the B-side, was planned but shelved. In June 1973 RCA Records
, who had re-released the song's parent album the previous year, issued "All the Madmen" as a single in Eastern Europe
, backed with "Soul Love
" from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
.
Bowie performed the song live on his 1987 Glass Spider tour
, though it was not included on the video release
from the concerts. Along with "After All", from the same album, "All the Madmen"'s "gothic melodrama" has been cited as a significant influence on such bands as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure
and Nine Inch Nails
.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
in 1970 for the album The Man Who Sold the World, released later that year in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in April 1971 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. One of a number of tracks on the album dealing with insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
, it has been described as depicting "a world so bereft of reason that the last sane men are the ones in the asylums".
Music and lyrics
The track opens with acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitar
A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
and recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, creating an atmosphere that Bowie biographer David Buckley called "childlike dementia", before transforming into a heavy rocker featuring electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
by Mick Ronson, augmented by Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
. It ends with the chant "Zane zane zane, ouvrez le chien", the latter phrase literally meaning "open the dog" in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and alluding to a sentence of Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885...
: "Thy wild dogs want liberty; they bark for joy in their cellar when thy spirit endeavoureth to open all prison doors."
The production of the song also made use of varispeed
Pitch shift
Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval are called "pitch shifters" or "pitch benders".-Pitch/time shifting:...
vocals, which Bowie had first employed – though only for comic effect – on "The Laughing Gnome
The Laughing Gnome
"The Laughing Gnome" is a song by David Bowie. A pastiche of songs by one of Bowie's early influences, Anthony Newley, it was originally released as a novelty single on Deram Records in 1967, the track consisted of the singer meeting and conversing with the creature of the title, whose sped-up...
" in 1967. Bowie has said that the song was written for and about his half brother, Terry, a schizophrenic and inmate of Cane Hill
Cane Hill
Cane Hill was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. Built to care for patients in the eastern part of Surrey, remote from the Springfield and Brookwood Asylums, it opened in 1882 as the Third Surrey County Lunatic Asylum. Following a gradual winding down of...
mental institution (pictured on the original U.S. cover of The Man Who Sold the World) until his suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1985. The lyrics include references to lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
, the tranquilliser Librium and EST, or Electroshock Therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
, a controversial treatment for some types of deep depression and mental illnesses.
Release and aftermath
The second track on The Man Who Sold the World, "All the Madmen" was released by Mercury RecordsMercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in edited form as a promo single (featuring the same song on both sides) in the U.S. in December 1970, prior to Bowie's promotional tour there in early 1971. An official release, featuring "Janine" from his previous album Space Oddity
Space Oddity (album)
-Release history:-7" open reel tape releases:There was only one release of Space Oddity on open reel, in 1972 duplicated by Magtec, North Hollywood, CA 91605. This is a high speed 7.5 ips release...
as the B-side, was planned but shelved. In June 1973 RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, who had re-released the song's parent album the previous year, issued "All the Madmen" as a single in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, backed with "Soul Love
Soul Love
"Soul Love" is a song written by David Bowie in for the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars .-Live versions:* A version recorded at the Philadelphia Spectrum, in April 1978, was released on Stage...
" from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
.
Bowie performed the song live on his 1987 Glass Spider tour
Glass Spider Tour
In 1987, David Bowie embarked on The Glass Spider Tour in support of the album Never Let Me Down alongside famed guitarist Peter Frampton. The tour was named after the album track "Glass Spider." The concert tour was the most ambitious by Bowie up to that date, surpassing the Serious Moonlight Tour...
, though it was not included on the video release
Glass Spider
Glass Spider is a video album by David Bowie, recorded during the 1987 Glass Spider Tour at Sydney Entertainment Centre.-Release details:...
from the concerts. Along with "After All", from the same album, "All the Madmen"'s "gothic melodrama" has been cited as a significant influence on such bands as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
and Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
.
Other releases
As well as its 1973 release as a single in Eastern Europe, the song appeared on the Russian compilation Starman in 1989.Cover versions
- Alien Sex FiendAlien Sex FiendAlien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
– Goth Oddity - A Tribute to David Bowie. A remix called "Padded Cell mix". - Jeannie LewisJeannie LewisJeannie Lewis is an Australian musician and stage performer whose work covers many different styles such as folk, jazz, Latin, blues, opera, rock, fusion. Her music often includes a strong social consciousness and she is capable of making very strong political statements in her work.-Early...
– Till Time Brings Change (1980)
Links
- All The Madmen review at ICELIA