David Bowie - Suffragette City

First performance: 15/01/2016


Coverinfo

Bruce soundchecked the song once:
 
2016-01-15 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
 
Closed rehearsals. According to a Rolling Stone article, the band went through at least sides three and four of The River (and probably much more). The band also reportedly rehearses two David Bowie songs , Suffragette city aand changes, in preparation for a tribute, following his death on January 10.
 

Songinfo

"Suffragette City" is a song by David Bowie. It featured on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album in 1972, and was previously released as the B-side to the Starman single in April 1972. It was later issued as a single in 1976 to promote the Changesonebowie compilation in the UK, with the US single edit of "Stay" on the B-side. The single failed to chart. Recorded on 4 February 1972, towards the end of the Ziggy Stardust sessions, "Suffragette City" features a piano riff heavily influenced by Little Richard, a lyrical reference to the book and film A Clockwork Orange (the word "droogie," meaning "friend") and the sing-along hook "wham bam, thank you, ma'am!".
 
 
 

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

2016-01-16 - CONSOL ENERGY CENTER, PITTSBURGH

Bruce played the song ' Rebel Rebel'  as a tribute after David Bowie’s passing in 2016:
 
intro to the song:
 
"He supported our music way, way, way back in the early beginning. In 1973 he rang me up and I visited him in Philly where he was making the Young Americans record. He covered some of my music, It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City and Growin' Up, when he was a big supporter of ours. I took a Greyhound bus down to Philadelphia. That's how early it was. Anyway, we're thinking of him."
In 1973, Bowie was the first artist to cover Springsteen (Growin'up) with Ronny Wood on guitar, during the Diamond Dog sessions.   
 
Tweet:  
 
"Over here on E Street, we’re feeling the great loss of David Bowie. David was a visionary artist and an early supporter of our music. Always changing and ahead of the curve, he was an artist whose excellence you aspired to. He will be sorely missed.  - Bruce
 
 
  

Lyrics

Hey man, oh leave me alone you know
Hey man, oh Henry, get off the phone, I gotta
Hey man, I gotta straighten my face
This mellow thighed chick just put my spine out of place
Hey man, my schooldays insane
Hey man, my work's down the drain
Hey man, well she's a total blam-blam
She said she had to squeeze it but she then she
Oh don't lean on me man, 'cause you can't afford the ticket
I'm back on Suffragette City
Oh don't lean on me man
'Cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Is outta sight she's all right
Hey man, oh Henry, don't be unkind, go away
Hey man, I can't take you this time, no way
Hey man, droogie don't crash here
There's only room for one and here she comes, here she comes
Oh don't lean on me man, 'cause you can't afford the ticket
I'm back on Suffragette City
Oh don't lean on me man
'Cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Is outta sight she's all right
Oh hit me
Oh don't lean on me man, 'cause you can't afford the ticket
I'm back on Suffragette City
Oh don't lean on me man
'Cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Oh don't lean on me man, 'cause you can't afford the ticket
I'm back on Suffragette City
Don't lean on me man "cause you ain't got time to check it
You know my Suffragette City
Is outta sight she's all right
A Suffragette City, a Suffragette City
I'm back on Suffragette City, I'm back on Suffragette City
Ooo, Sufraggete city, ooo, Suffragette City
Oooh-how, Sufragette City, oooh-how, Sufragette City
Ohhh, wham bam thank you ma'am
A Suffragette City, a Suffragette City
Quite all right
A Suffragette City
Too fine
A Suffragette City, ooh, a Sufragette City
Oh, my Sufragette City, oh my Suffragette City
Oh, Suffragette
Suffragette