David Bowie obituary
Level 1 l Elementary
1 Quick quiz
Do the quiz. Then, scan the article to check your answers.
1. David Bowie was ... 3. Match the David Bowie albums with the year they
were released.
a. & a British singer, songwriter and actor.
1967 Black Tie White Noise
b. & a British painter and actor.
1975 Blackstar
c. & an American musician and artist.
1980 Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
2. What do these people have in common?
1993 David Bowie
" Ziggy Stardust
2016 Young Americans
" the Thin White Duke
Key words
2
Match the key words with the definitions below. Then, find them in the article to read them in context. The
paragraph numbers will help you.
disturbing go solo pioneer released single talents trailblazer
1. worrying or upsetting _________________________ (para 1)
2. someone who is the first to do something or to discover something _________________________ (para 2)
3. one of the first people to do something important that is later continued and developed by other people
_________________________ (para 2)
4. start to do something alone and not with others _________________________ (para 3)
5. when a musical record is made available for people to buy _________________________ (para 4)
6. the natural ability to do things well _________________________ (para 5)
7. a musical record with only one song on each side _________________________ (para 7)
award benefit chart commercially fundraising heyday tribute
8. the time when something is most successful or popular _________________________ (para 13)
9. in a way that is connected with making money _________________________ (para 13)
10. the activity of trying to persuade people or organizations to give money for something, especially a charity
_________________________ (para 14)
11. something you do to show respect for someone _________________________ (para 15)
12. a list showing the music that people have bought the most copies of _________________________ (para 16)
13. organized in order to make money for people or a charity _________________________ (para 17)
14. a prize or other reward that is given to someone who has done something special
_________________________ (para 19)
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 David Bowie obituary
Level 1 l Elementary
11 Bowie and his wife divorced in 1980. This was
David Bowie obituary
a year of more creative success, with a good
Adam Sweeting
album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps),
11 January, 2016
and its hit single, Ashes to Ashes. After this, he
played the title role in The Elephant Man on the
1 Until the end, David Bowie, who has died of
Broadway stage.
cancer, still surprised us. His latest album,
Blackstar, appeared on his 69th birthday on 8
12 He achieved a number 1 single with his 1981
January 2016. It showed that he hadn t stopped
partnership with Queen, Under Pressure. 1983
making challenging, disturbing music.
was the year in which he put his energy into the
album Let s Dance and his concerts. Let s Dance
2 Throughout the 1970s, Bowie was a trailblazer
turned Bowie into a global rock star 
of musical trends and pop fashion. He became
the album and its singles Let s Dance, China
a singer-songwriter, a pioneer of glam-rock, then
Girl and Modern Love all became huge
became involved in  plastic soul . He then moved
international hits.
to Berlin to create innovative electronic music.
13 The early 80s was the heyday of MTV. Bowie s
3 Bowie was born David Robert Jones in south
talent for making eye-catching videos increased
London. At 15, David formed his first band, the
his popularity and the six-month Serious
Kon-rads, but it was soon clear that David should
Moonlight tour attracted lots of people. It was to
go solo. David took the name Bowie so people
be the most commercially successful period of
wouldn t confuse him with Davy Jones of
his career.
the Monkees.
14 At the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley
4 Bowie s first album, released in June 1967, was
Stadium, Bowie was one of the best performers.
titled simply David Bowie. In July 1969, Bowie
Also, that year, he worked with Mick Jagger to
released Space Oddity, the song that would give
record the fundraising single Dancing in the
him his first big success. Timed to coincide with the
Street, which quickly went to number 1.
Apollo 11 moon landing, it was a top five UK hit.
15 A few days after he performed at the Freddie
5 The Man Who Sold the World was released in the
Mercury tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in
US in late 1970 and in the UK the following year.
April 1992, Bowie married the Somalian model
With its daring songwriting and hard-rock sound,
Iman and bought a home in New York.
it was the first album to really show his talents.
16 For the album Black Tie White Noise (1993), he
6 He followed it with 1972 s Hunky Dory, a mix of
included elements of soul and hip hop. It went to
wordy, elaborate songwriting. It was an excellent
the top of the UK album chart and gave him a top
collection that was not a great success. But
10 single, Jump They Say.
that all changed with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars later
17 Bowie performed at the Concert for New York
that year.
City in October 2001, where he joined Paul
7 This time, Bowie appeared as Ziggy Stardust, a McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, the Who and
science-fiction character  an intergalactic Elton John in a benefit show six weeks after the
glam-rock star visiting planet Earth. The hit 9/11 attacks.
single Starman brought instant success for
18 During his Reality tour in 2004, Bowie had chest
the album.
pains while he was performing in Germany and
8 Everything Bowie touched turned to gold. He had needed emergency surgery in Hamburg.
his first UK number 1 album with Aladdin Sane
19 He saw the medical emergency as a warning and
(1973), which included the hit singles The Jean
started to slow down. In February 2006, he was
Genie and Drive-in Saturday.
given a Grammy lifetime achievement award. He
9 His interest in funk and soul music could be was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
heard on the album Young Americans (1975), in 1996.
which included the single Fame (with John
20 The Next Day (2013) was his first album of new
Lennon as a guest singer).
songs in ten years. It included the single Where
10 With the album Station to Station (1976), Bowie Are We Now? The album went to the top of the
turned himself into a new character, the Thin charts in Britain and around the world. In 2014,
White Duke. Bowie was given the Brit Award for Best British
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 David Bowie obituary
Level 1 l Elementary
Male  he was the oldest person to get 22 " David Bowie (David Robert Jones), singer,
the award. songwriter and actor, born 8 January, 1947; died
10 January, 2016
21 He leaves behind his wife, Iman, their daughter,
Alexandria, his stepdaughter, Zulekha, and his © Guardian News and Media 2016
son, Duncan, from his first marriage. First published in The Guardian, 11/01/16
Biographical information
3
Answer the questions about David Bowie s life with information from the article.
1. Where was David Bowie born and in what year?
2. What was Bowie s birth name?
3. Why did he change his name?
4. What was the name of his first band?
5. What style of music is he most connected with?
6. How many children did he have?
4 Summary
Use some of the key words from task 2 to complete the summary of the article.
David Bowie s last album, Blackstar, was _______________________(1) just three days before he died. It showed
that he could still surprise us and make challenging, _______________________(2) music.
Bowie had many musical and artistic _______________________(3). During his career, Bowie was a
_______________________(4) of musical trends and pop fashion, and a _______________________(5) of
glam-rock.
His most _______________________(6) successful period was in the early 1980s. He had a number 1 hit
_______________________ (7) with Queen, another _______________________ (8) hit single with Mick Jagger,
released two popular albums and went on tour. This was also the _______________________ (9) of MTV, which
showed Bowie s eye-catching music videos.
Soon after, he performed at a _______________________ (10) concert for Freddie Mercury and he married
Iman, a model from Somalia. They bought a home together in New York. In New York, he performed at the
_______________________ (11) show for the victims of the 9/11 attack.
In 2006, Bowie received a Grammy lifetime achievement _______________________ (12) and, in 2011, he was
given the Brit Award for Best British Male. He was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016
NEWS LESSONS / David Bowie obituary / Elementary
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 David Bowie obituary
Level 1 l Elementary
5 Word fields
a. Complete the word wheels with words from the article that the author used to describe Bowie s
songwriting and his styles of music.
elaborate electronic disturbing funk glam-rock wordy
daring hard rock hip hop innovative plastic soul challenging soul
Words describing
Bowie s music
Bowie s
styles
songwriting
b. Use some of the words to talk about other musicians.
6 Discussion
We all know that music is strongly connected with memories.
" Do you connect any of Bowie s music with particular memories or periods of your life?
" What music do you connect with your childhood and youth?
7 Webquest
See photos of some the David Bowie s key looks (including Ziggy Stardust) here:
www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2016/jan/11/david-bowie-key-looks-pictures
See pictures from his life and career here:
www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2016/jan/11/david-bowies-life-and-career-in-pictures
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016
NEWS LESSONS / David Bowie obituary / Elementary
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 David Bowie obituary
Level 1 l Elementary
KEY
1 Quick quiz 4 Summary
1. a 1. released
2. They are characters created by David Bowie. 2. disturbing
3. David Bowie (1967) 3. talents
Young Americans (1975) 4. trailblazer
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) 5. pioneer
Black Tie White Noise (1993) 6. commercially
Blackstar (2016) 7. single
8. fundraising
2 Key words 9. heyday
10. tribute
1. disturbing 11. benefit
2. trailblazer 12. award
3. pioneer
4. go solo
5 Word fields
5. released
6. talents
Bowie s songwriting: challenging, disturbing,
7. single
innovative, daring, wordy, elaborate
8. heyday
9. commercially
Bowie s music styles: glam-rock, plastic soul,
10. fundraising
electronic, hard rock, funk, soul,
11. tribute
hip hop
12. chart
13. benefit
14. award
3 Biographical information
1. in South London; in 1947
2. David Robert Jones
3. so people wouldn t confuse him with Davy Jones of
the pop group the Monkees
4. the Kon-rads
5. glam-rock
6. two of his own, Duncan and Alexandria, and a
step-daughter, Zulekha
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2016
NEWS LESSONS / David Bowie obituary / Elementary
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FROM WEBSITE
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CAN BE DOWNLOADED