Blackout
David Bowie · Stage [1978]
Your lips cut a smile on your face
Your scalding face
To the cage, to the cage
She was a beauty in a cage
Too, too high a price
To drink rotting wine from your hands
Your fearful hands
Get me to a doctor's I've been told
Someone's back in town the chips are down
I just cut and blackout
I'm under Japanese influence
And my honour's at stake
The weather's grim, ice on the cages
Me, I'm Robin Hood and I puff on my cigarette
Panthers are steaming, stalking, screaming
If you don't stay tonight
I will take that plane tonight
I've nothing to lose, nothing to gain
I'll kiss you in the rain
Kiss you in the rain
Kiss you in the rain
In the rain
Get me to the doctor
Get me off the streets (get some protection)
Get me on my feet (get some direction)
Hot air gets me into a blackout
Oh, get me off the streets
Get some protection
Oh get me on my feet (wo-ooh!)
While the streets block off
Getting some skin exposure to the blackout (get some protection)
Get me on my feet (get some direction, wo-ooh!)
Oh get me on my feet
Get me off the streets (get some protection)
In a *?* second *?*
Blackout - David Bowie
David Bowie's "Blackout" serves as a pivotal track on the 1978 album *Stage*, marking a distinct shift in his musical direction during the Berlin Trilogy era. Recorded in the post-punk and new wave landscape, the song features a driving, repetitive bassline and a minimalist arrangement that contrasts sharply with the theatrical flamboyance of his earlier work. The recording captures Bowie's experimentation with electronic textures and his willingness to embrace darker, more industrial sonic palettes. Released alongside other significant works from this period, the track exemplifies his ability to deconstruct pop structures while maintaining a compelling rhythmic intensity. It stands as a testament to his ongoing evolution as an artist, bridging the gap between his glam rock origins and the avant-garde influences that would define his later career. The song remains a notable example of Bowie's engagement with the emerging sounds of late 1970s Europe.