New David Bowie Video: Love is Lost


The beginning opens with a lot of clapping which could be alluding to Lady Gaga's recent attempt at a song called "Applause", but I don't know for sure.  The puppets in the video allude to Bowie's past work, (obviously), and the DIY atmosphere to the video could be what Bowie means by "Love is Lost", as in the professional filming and lighting, the elaborate costumes, the big name actors and the special effects are the only reasons we love a video and not for the real content such as the singer's words and message.  As for why the human Bowie is in the bathroom and washing his hands might be because he is saying he is through with dressing up his meanings and "washing his hands" of it, like Lady MacBeth.  The scene is the opposite to the one he shot in his video "Thursday's Child" where he was with a young woman and a large decorated apartment; now he is alone, in a small bare bathroom.

He speaks of his beginning where everything is new: "Your country’s new, your friends are new/ Your house, and even your eyes are new/ Your maid is new, your accent, too/ But your fear is as old as the world.”  And it's as if he is now thinking back to all his characters now portrayed as hollow scary puppets, seeing them in an awful, remorseful light.  He is looking at his fame, asking himself "What have you done?"
The puppets are the Thin White Duke and the clown from "Ashes to Ashes" and at one point, the Thin White Duke is holding the hollowed-eyed clown as if he were dead and his work is dead.

In the hallway, the Thin White Duke holds a sign of "Love" while the human Bowie is down the hall disappearing in the dark with a sign of "Lost."  I think Bowie is also sad that he is getting older.

"But you refuse to talk": A reference to him not giving interviews or concerts?
I can't quite decide what Bowie means by "What have you done?"  Is it referring to his past?  Or is it to his present?  

I really hope he doesn't believe that he never should have done any of the things he has, or that his work and legacy is dead and are know just puppets left in an attic, because he has inspired so many people and will continue.  Bowie did a very good job making this video sad and despairing.  I feel for him.

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