“The 13th arrondissement welcomes David Bowie, Dancing in the Street!” wrote district mayor Jérôme Coumet on the online service X (formerly Twitter). He was referring to the hit that Bowie recorded with Mick Jagger.
The unusual honor for David Bowie was initiated by the district mayor, an avowed David Bowie fan. He also organized an exhibition regarding the British singer, who died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 69 and who shaped the British music scene in the 70s and also inspired the USA musically.
David Bowie had no special connection to Paris, but he interpreted several songs by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel in French. David Bowie Street is only 50 meters long and previously had no name.
David Bowie portrayed himself as the dazzling androgynous figure Ziggy Stardust and the stern-looking Thin White Duke. Around 140 million records were sold worldwide.
From 1976 to 1978 Bowie lived in West Berlin, where he produced three albums with electronic pioneer Brian Eno. In the 80s, Bowie’s successful streak continued with the hits “Let’s Dance”, “China Girl” and “Modern Love”. In 2004, Bowie suffered a blockage in his heart arteries while on tour in Germany and had an operation in Hamburg. He took a long break and then had a well-received comeback in 2013 with the album “The Next Day”.
