Dog Man Star - Music and Lyrics

Music and Lyrics

Writing for The New York Times, Neil Strauss said, "Dog Man Star looks back to the era when glam-rock met art-rock, with meticulously arranged songs sung with a flamboyance reminiscent of David Bowie and accompanied by anything from a 40-piece orchestra to an old Moog synthesizer." The Bowie influence was still a major element of Suede's sound, however, unlike their debut, Suede focused on a darker and more melodramatic sound. As they were on Suede, Anderson's lyrics were influenced by his heavy drug use, citing William Blake as a big influence on his writing style. He became fascinated with his use of visions and trance-like states as a means of creation. Anderson claims that much of the torn, fragmented imagery on songs like "Introducing the Band" and B-side, "Killing of a Flashboy" were the result of letting his subconscious take over. "Introducing the Band" was a mantra he wrote after visiting a Buddhist temple in Japan.

Anderson wrote the eulogy "Daddy's Speeding", about a dream involving taking drugs with the late American actor James Dean. The song uses white noise and feedback effects in its finale. Lead single "We Are the Pigs" depicts Anderson's visions of Armageddon and riots in the streets. The song also features horns that are reminiscent of those used in the theme music from Peter Gunn. The track "Heroine", with the refrain, "I'm aching to see my heroine", also has a celebrity influence, paying homage to Marilyn Monroe, while evoking Lord Byron. "She Walks in Beauty", the song's opening line, is the title of a Byron poem.

Dog Man Star explores themes such as solitude, paranoia and self-loathing. The latter theme being reflected in the ballad "The Wild Ones", an ode to a relationship being slowly lost. Anderson's girlfriend Anick was the inspiration behind the song, along with "The Asphalt World" and "Black or Blue". The latter is a song about racial intolerance. "This Hollywood Life" is the most aggressive song on the album, the NME wrote that "a record so couched in earth-shacking drama probably needs at least one spittle-flecked tantrum."

"New Generation" is an upbeat affair and, according to The Independent, "a reminder that they can still play sleek rock'n'roll". One writer noted that "few bands could make such a sexual, illicit poem appear to bounce like a pop anthem". The melancholic piano ballad "The 2 of Us" explores similar themes of regret and doubt and features a bawu solo before the song's crescendo. David Sinclair of Q described how the sad, bored housewife from Suede's earlier song "Sleeping Pills" reappears in "The 2 of Us" as well as Dog Man Star's closing track "Still Life". An early concept that was originally planned for Suede, "Still Life" features the 72-piece Sinfonia of London orchestra. It was notable for its premiere at the 1993 Glastonbury Festival, though this rendition was a stripped down version consisting of vocals and acoustic guitar.