The Bewlay Brothers
Encyclopedia
"The Bewlay Brothers" is a song written by David Bowie
in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory
. The last track to be written and recorded for Hunky Dory, this ballad has been described as "probably Bowie's densest and most impenetrable song". Bowie himself supposedly told producer Ken Scott
that it was a track for the American market, because "the Americans always like to read things into things", even though the lyrics "make absolutely no sense". Reflecting on the song in 2008, Bowie wrote "I wouldn't know how to interpret the lyric of this song other than suggesting that there are layers of ghosts within it. It's a palimpsest
, then."
Bowie named his publishing company in the late 1970s Bewlay Bros. Music and used the name as a pseudonym for himself, Iggy Pop
and Colin Thurston
as producers of Pop's 1977 album Lust for Life
. The song was performed live for the first time on BBC Radio 2
in 2002.
have discerned a "gay agenda". The coda
features Bowie's voice distorted by varispeeding
; NME
critics Roy Carr
and Charles Shaar Murray
likened the effect to the Laughing Gnome
, but "in considerably more sinister guise".
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 1971 for the album Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
. The last track to be written and recorded for Hunky Dory, this ballad has been described as "probably Bowie's densest and most impenetrable song". Bowie himself supposedly told producer Ken Scott
Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
that it was a track for the American market, because "the Americans always like to read things into things", even though the lyrics "make absolutely no sense". Reflecting on the song in 2008, Bowie wrote "I wouldn't know how to interpret the lyric of this song other than suggesting that there are layers of ghosts within it. It's a palimpsest
Palimpsest
A palimpsest is a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped off and which can be used again. The word "palimpsest" comes through Latin palimpsēstus from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος originally compounded from πάλιν and ψάω literally meaning “scraped...
, then."
Bowie named his publishing company in the late 1970s Bewlay Bros. Music and used the name as a pseudonym for himself, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
and Colin Thurston
Colin Thurston
Colin Thurston was a British recording engineer and producer.Born in Singapore, Thurston played in bands in London before he "bluffed his way" into audio engineering...
as producers of Pop's 1977 album Lust for Life
Lust for Life (album)
Lust for Life is a 1977 album by Iggy Pop, his second solo release and his second collaboration with David Bowie, following The Idiot earlier in the year. As well as achieving critical success, it was Pop's most commercially popular album to date, and remains his highest-charting release in the UK...
. The song was performed live for the first time on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
in 2002.
Reception
Some commentators have also seen references in the song to Bowie's stepbrother Terry, a schizophrenic, while others such as Tom RobinsonTom Robinson
Tom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
have discerned a "gay agenda". The coda
Coda
Coda can denote any concluding event, summation, or section.Coda may also refer to:-Acronyms:* Calgary Olympic Development Association, the former name of the Canadian Winter Sport Institute, a non profit organization...
features Bowie's voice distorted by varispeeding
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:...
; NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
critics Roy Carr
Roy Carr
Roy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the late 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...
and Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
likened the effect to 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...
, but "in considerably more sinister guise".
Other releases
- It appeared in the Sound and Vision box set in 1989.
- An alternate mix was released as a bonus track on the RykodiscRykodiscRykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
CD release of Hunky Dory in 1990. - It was included in a self-selected compilation of favourite tracks titled ISELECTISELECTiSelect is a David Bowie compilation CD first released 29 June 2008 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland only....
in 2008.
Cover versions
- John HowardJohn Howard (singer-songwriter)John Howard is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and recording artist. With his February 1975 debut album Kid in a Big World , Howard emerged as a late voice of the glam-pop wave of the early 1970s...
on The Bewlay Brothers EP (Kid in a Big World, 2007) - ReplicantsReplicants (band)Replicants was a four-piece band, consisting of Ken Andrews, Paul D'Amour, Greg Edwards, and Chris Pitman, which has been on hiatus since 1996. The group has only released one album, a self-titled cover album, in 1995...
on ReplicantsReplicants (album)Replicants is the debut, and only album from Replicants. Despite a possible Blade Runner reference, the album is named Replicants as all songs are covers, and so could be called "Replicants" or "Replications".-Reception:...
(1995)