“I would like to do something rivetingly new and, uh, earth shattering,”
-David Bowie (days before the release of Lodger)
Lodger album. Personal photograph by author. 2016.
Released in 1979, Lodger is Bowie’s thirteenth studio album.
The final album in Bowie’s Berlin trilogy, Lodger, serves as one of his most underrated works; the entire album was a collaboration with producer Brian Eno. Lodger was the first project where Bowie and Eno worked on every single track from scratch, making Lodger the most literally experimental album of Bowie’s career (Grahm).
Pre- Release
In a memorable radio interview held a few days before the release of Lodger, Bowie discussed how science fiction can impact an individual’s identity. While sharing his thoughts, the interview is interrupted by a dog barking. Bowie looked at the dog and stated, “I know it’s a bore, darling” (Powell). Triggering the thought of how too much seriousness can be boring, Bowie proceeded to go on a lengthy world tour, Isolar II.
Style
Throughout much of the album, certain elements from Eno can be detected. Lodger reflects a much different theme than any of Bowie’s other albums. Described as having more of a pop element, Lodger is lighter than most and lacks instrumentals that previous albums displayed yet still contains worldly inspired sounds. This new style goes to show how Bowie consistently (and for the most part successfully) was able to reinvent himself and still captivate millions of listeners.
Listen to the new style in “Boys Keep Swinging”.
Release of Lodger
David Bowie’s persona during the release of Lodger seemed to be one of his most accessible characters. He had flaws and petty thoughts, it was a character people could relate to (Powell). Despite the relativity of the persona, Lodger collected a stream of poor reviews and did not achieve as much success as Low and Heroes. Rolling Stone even described it as Bowie’s weakest album.
How Lodger Fits Into “The Berlin Trilogy”
One of the reasons why this album fits into “The Berlin Trilogy,” is because Brain Eno appears just as he appeared on the previous albums that were apart of the trilogy. It also “contains faint echoes of Bowie’s life at 155 Hauptsraße” in Berlin (Seabrook 222). However, this would be the last album they would collaborate on for a couple years due to creative differences – “each had a very different idea about the kind of record that they wanted to make” (Seabrook 227).