When I Met You

Album: Lazarus (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This clattering rock track is one of four new tunes that David Bowie wrote for his musical, Lazarus. The song is a touching ode to having a life turned around by a special person. American jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin who played on the track told Mojo:

    "My general sense was that it kind of harked back to older Bowie - Tim Lefebvre (who played bass) might of said Lodger. Also, the acoustic guitar made me think of a kind of African highlife thing.

    Listening back to the demo of this, and reading his e-mails again, it's emotional. He had a beautiful way of describing things. 'The structure of When I Met You is sound but now we need to mess with it so we hear it from another angle. Put in a couple of passages in the corner (In darkness) and throw a small pen-light beam on the rest -like a PI scouting a motel room.' He's never saying something like, 'Can I have a bass drum on two or four? It's more these kind of images. If you read that to four different drummers you'd get four different responses. He would do that a lot, say these poetic things that were also an invitation for you to think, So, how do I realize that."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.