| "Quicksand" | ||||
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| Song by David Bowie from the album Hunky Dory | ||||
| Released | 17 December 1971 Rykodisc Reissue 30 January 1990 |
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| Recorded | Trident Studios, London April 1971 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 5:03 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Writer | David Bowie | |||
| Producer | Ken Scott, David Bowie | |||
| Hunky Dory track listing | ||||
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"Quicksand" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory. This ballad features multi-tracked acoustic guitars and a string arrangement by Mick Ronson. Producer Ken Scott, having recently engineered George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass, attempted to create a similarly powerful acoustic sound with this track.[1]
Lyrically the song, like much of Bowie's work at this time, was influenced by Buddhism, occultism, and Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the Overman.[2] It refers to the magical society Golden Dawn and name-checks one of its most famous members, Aleister Crowley, as well as Heinrich Himmler, Winston Churchill and Juan Pujol (codename: Garbo).[3]
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NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have described it as "Bowie in his darkest and most metaphysical mood",[2] while a contemporary review in Rolling Stone remarked on its "superb singing" and "beautiful guitar motif".[4]
Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
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