Produced in collaboration with Ken Scott, this song was originally recorded by Bowie (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016) in the summer of 1971 and released on 17 December of that year as part of his Hunky Dory album (Trident / RCA).
The brothers’ related banter…
John: Can I read you a short poem?
Hank: Yeah. OK, do that.
John: Hank, in honor– last week we talked about David Bowie’s death, it’s now been like six weeks since David Bowie died, but I’ve just now gotten the poem together. This is actually lyrics from David Bowie’s song Eight Line Poem, I thought I’d read today in honor of the great David Bowie.
(Reads song)
John: Eight Line Poem, by David Bowie
Hank: It’s like David Bowie knew that we were gonna need a short poem for today and so he was like. “You know, well, it’s the 70’s. In about 40 years, somebody’s gonna need an eight line poem, and so I’ll write you one, boom.”
John: Well we appreciate it, David Bowie, and all of your other gifts to our broken and only humanity as well.
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Click to read poem
The tactful cactus by your window
Surveys the prairie of your room
The mobile spins to its collision
Clara puts her head between her paws
They’ve opened shops down West side
Will all the cacti find a home
But the key to the city
Is in the sun that pins
the branches to the sky
John Green Reads Poetry 