Song Development
The song was written about the pollution and destruction of the planet by industry (Bowie has cited hearing of the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986 as the genesis of the lyric). In an 1987 interview, Bowie said the song "deals with the idea that someone in one's own community could be the one responsible for blowing up the world." Bowie also stated at the time that it was his favorite song from the album, and later put the song on his list of all-time favorites by including a newly-recorded version of the song (the "MM Remix") on his iSelect album.
Read more about this topic: Time Will Crawl
Famous quotes containing the words song and/or development:
“In winter, when the fields are white,
I sing this song for your delight—”
—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)
“As long as fathers rule but do not nurture, as long as mothers nurture but do not rule, the conditions favoring the development of father-daughter incest will prevail.”
—Judith Lewis Herman (b. 1942)