Where the Fuck Did Monday Go?
The very question that titles this post, is the same one brought about by Bowie himself in the hauntingly beautiful “Girl Loves Me,” from his final album Blackstar. This song quickly became one of my favorites, as he experiments with the mixture of English, Nadsat, and Polari languages, and loose, or free form of instrumentation. Although the central theme of the song is (of course) realised as the passage or loss of time, Bowie manages to incorporate subjects of other inspiration into the number, even if only for a moment. Tony Visconti, coproducer for the Blackstar album and longtime friend of David’s, mentions the influence of experimental rapstar Kendrick Lamar during the album’s creative process, and -as the ever so pansophic annotators at genius.com will have you know- such influence is reflected ‘unfittingly’ in the following lyrics: “Real bad dizzy snatch making all the omeys mad - Thursday/Popo blind to the polly in the hole by Friday.” Truthfully, in translation, one could understand this lyric to be reflective of time’s past. Bowie lived a full life, reaching a status of critical fame and affluence, and it is a wide-known fact that he explored his own personal interests as they came. No matter his intent in lyricising the first verse as narration of the week’s passing days, the mortal irony of this song, as driven by the question “Where the fuck did Monday go?,” is what staticizes the enigma of his character.
We now know that the Blackstar album was carefully constructed and delivered, with special consideration for the amount of time David Bowie was expecting to live due to an intense battle with cancer in secret. Of course, many wonder many things regarding his sickness, his absence from award shows, special events, and the limelight in general, but my fascination lies within his performance. It’s incredible to me, the way he proceeded to write, record, and deliver his final album, remaining true to his own signature art form. Bowie believed wholeheartedly in the idea of total collaboration. From the experimentation with different sounds, lingos and genres, to the marriage of musical and visual art, he was always exploring the different ways in which he could express his feelings, his self. His ability as portrayed in the creation of Blackstar is nearly incomparable, and his professional strength, legendary. David Bowie is an immovable figure in the history of music and art, and will be an inspiration to artists until the end of time.
