DAVID BOWIE’S ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN LYRICS FOR ‘STARMAN’ UP FOR AUCTION ON SEPT 27th

A page of graph paper, with handwritten lyrics by David Bowie for ‘Starman’. Likely written circa January 1972. With amendments (spelling errors crossed out) and additions (“Cho! Cho!” – to indicate choruses) also by Bowie. The page measures 299mm x 208mm. A second hand has written ‘Bowie Lyrics’ to the right side of the page. Very good condition.

Starman would be the lead single from ‘The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust…” and the group’s appearance on Top Of The Pops for the song is widely recognised as being a pivotal moment in David Bowie’s rise to global superstardom.

Provenance

The ‘Starman’ lyric sheet dates to the final recording sessions for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – released in June 1972. The lyric was given personally by David Bowie at Trident Studio to the original owner, with a few other pages of original lyrics, some of which didn’t survive. They were needed so that the music publisher and management could prepare the lyric sheet printed on the album’s inner record bag. They were purchased by the present owner in the early 1980s and loaned to the V&A in 2013. It remained with the exhibition for five years as it toured the World between 2013 and 2018 and was displayed in London (the only time David Bowie saw the exhibition), Toronto, São Paulo, Berlin, Chicago, Paris, Melbourne, Groningen, Bologna, Tokyo, Barcelona and New York.