Original Performance: David Bowie
Written by: David Bowie
Written by: David Bowie
Versions:
- Sound And Vision (9:00)
CreditsDavid Campbell: Conductor
Beck Hansen: Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Stephanie Bennett: Harp
Lyrics:
Sound And Vision [Version (a)]:
Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision
About sound and vision
Blue blue electric blue
That's the color of my room where I will live
Blue blue
Pale blinds drawn all day
Nothing to do, nothing to say
Blue blue
I will sit right down
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
And I will sing
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Drifting into my solitude
Over my head
Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision?
Oh about sound and vision?
Blue blue electric blue
That's the color of my room where I will live
Blue blue
I will sit right down
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Blue blue blue
Sound and vision
Blue blue blue
Sound and vision
Blue blue blue
Sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision
About sound and vision
Blue blue electric blue
That's the color of my room where I will live
Blue blue
Pale blinds drawn all day
Nothing to do, nothing to say
Blue blue
I will sit right down
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
And I will sing
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Drifting into my solitude
Over my head
Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision?
Oh about sound and vision?
Blue blue electric blue
That's the color of my room where I will live
Blue blue
I will sit right down
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Blue blue blue
Sound and vision
Blue blue blue
Sound and vision
Blue blue blue
Sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision
The Song:
"Sound And Vision" is a David Bowie song, from his album Low. Beck covered it live once, but that was done for a specially recorded video.
Beck was asked to perform a classic song with "no limitations or restrictions" for the video. What was his response? To cover Bowie, using 157 musicians and a slowly rotating stage. In 2020, Beck reminisced about it, describing the idea to "create a massive orchestra in a sort of Busby Berkeley-style, so we had everything from gamelan to choirs to symphony orchestra, the Dap Tones, Brazilian samba percussion, heavy metal guitar players."
The whole thing was filmed in a special 360 degree way so you could immerse yourself in the performance with all the musicians on stage. It was sponsored by Lincoln cars as part of a campaign.
Beck's father conducted the orchestra, which also included two big choirs, his stepsister, a yodeler, xylophones, mandolins, a saw blade, Chinese percussion, various electronics, a marching band, and his own band.
As all that would imply, the end result is long and dramatic and intense and utterly sublime.
It appears the immersive video is offline now, but the more regular clip is here:
Beck never got to hear what Bowie thought of it before Bowie passed, but seems proud of it, calling it "extravagant and maybe ridiculous, but it was the perfect song to do something that ambitious."
"Sound And Vision" is a David Bowie song, from his album Low. Beck covered it live once, but that was done for a specially recorded video.
Beck was asked to perform a classic song with "no limitations or restrictions" for the video. What was his response? To cover Bowie, using 157 musicians and a slowly rotating stage. In 2020, Beck reminisced about it, describing the idea to "create a massive orchestra in a sort of Busby Berkeley-style, so we had everything from gamelan to choirs to symphony orchestra, the Dap Tones, Brazilian samba percussion, heavy metal guitar players."
The whole thing was filmed in a special 360 degree way so you could immerse yourself in the performance with all the musicians on stage. It was sponsored by Lincoln cars as part of a campaign.
Beck's father conducted the orchestra, which also included two big choirs, his stepsister, a yodeler, xylophones, mandolins, a saw blade, Chinese percussion, various electronics, a marching band, and his own band.
As all that would imply, the end result is long and dramatic and intense and utterly sublime.
It appears the immersive video is offline now, but the more regular clip is here:
Beck never got to hear what Bowie thought of it before Bowie passed, but seems proud of it, calling it "extravagant and maybe ridiculous, but it was the perfect song to do something that ambitious."