Bowie Receives Lukewarm Response In Italy

David Bowie may be a big hit on Wall Street, but his stock is low in Italy. The Thin White Duke's current trans-Atlantic tour isn't faring too well; his first two Italian shows only sold to one-sixth of capacity. Some sources attribute the sparse turnout to his high ticket price (about $25 U.S.). Others claim the problem lies in the fact that Bowie must contend with several other big name musicians such as David Byrne and Sinead O'Connor who are also presently on tour in Italy.

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

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