Always Crashing in the Same Car

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"Always Crashing in the Same Car" is a song by David Bowie for his album Low from 1977.

The song's lyrical content expresses a frustration of making the same mistake over and over. The narrator of the song recounts driving at high speed in circles around a hotel garage, cautiously checking for danger, yet still inevitably crashing. The improbability that this accident could occur multiple times in one car and the implication of mystery through the color synonymous with the name "Jasmine," a character in the song, suggests that the song itself might be a dream sequence. Such content is introspective of Bowie's previous cocaine addiction amongst other things, as this song was recorded during Bowies retreat from his life in the USA in order to clean himself up.

There are two verses to the piece, however, three were planned. In the studio, Bowie sang a third verse in a Bob Dylan style, however, given Bob Dylan's recent motorcycling accident and the song's subject matter, the band soon considered such a move to be too crass, and Bowie calmly asked for Tony Visconti to delete the verse from the recording.

The song features the use of synthesizers and treatments to bring Bowie's for the most part calm vocals over the sound of the band. A long guitar solo completes the song.

[edit] Live versions

Bowie and Reeves Gabrels performed an all acoustic version of the song for the radio station WRXT in Canada October 16, 1997.
A live version recorded at BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000 was released on the bonus disc following the first releases of Bowie at the Beeb. This version contains an extended opening featuring acoustic guitar.

[edit] Cover versions

King Black Acid - Crash Course for the Ravers - A Tribute to the Songs of David Bowie (1996)
Silent Order - Goth Oddity - A Tribute to David Bowie (1999)
Ultramar - Web site release