I Can't Give Everything Away
| "I Can't Give Everything Away" | ||||||||||
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| Single by David Bowie | ||||||||||
| from the album Blackstar | ||||||||||
| Released | 6 April 2016 | |||||||||
| Format | Digital download | |||||||||
| Recorded |
2015 at The Magic Shop and Human Worldwide Studios (New York, New York) | |||||||||
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| Writer(s) | David Bowie | |||||||||
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| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"I Can't Give Everything Away" is a song by English musician David Bowie. The song was released as a posthumous single on 6 April 2016, also acting as the third and final single from Bowie's twenty-fifth studio album, Blackstar.[1] The track was written by Bowie and produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti.
Prior to issue as a posthumous single, "I Can't Give Everything Away" peaked at number 45 on the Swiss Hitparade chart; number 141 on the UK Singles Chart; and number 142 on the French Singles Chart.
Critical reception
"I Can't Give Everything Away" received positive reviews from critics. Sam Richards of NME called the song "a serene, lilting number",[2] while Ben Skipper of the IB Times labeled it as a "beautiful and moving farewell".[3] Neil McCormick of The Telegraph called the song an "epic closing track", commenting that "Bowie sounds like he is grappling with his own mystery: 'Seeing more and feeling less / Saying no but meaning yes / This is all I ever meant / That's the message that I sent.'"[4]
Music video
On April 6, 2016 an animated lyric video was released, created by Jonathan Barnbrook, Blackstar's designer. Barnbrook’s touching visualization of “I Can’t Give Everything Away” is a tribute inspired by ★’s closing number, created by someone who played an integral role in the album’s visual identity and presentation. As he said:
“This is really a very simple little video that I wanted to be ultimately positive,” Barnbrook says. “We start off in the black and white world of ★, but in the final chorus we move to brilliant colour, I saw it as a celebration of David, to say that despite the adversity we face, the difficult things that happen such as David’s passing, that human beings are naturally positive, they look forward and can take the good from the past and use it as something to help with the present. We are a naturally optimistic species and we celebrate the good that we are given.”
"I Can't Give Everything Away" impacted radio worldwide and was playlisted at BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, Absolute and Radio X in the UK.
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
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| France (SNEP)[5] | 142 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[6] | 45 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] | 141 |
| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[8] | 39 |
References
- ↑ Young, Alex (6 April 2016). "David Bowie's longtime artist releases beautiful posthumous video for "I Can't Give Everything Away"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ↑ Richards, Sam (8 January 2016). "David Bowie - 'Blackstar' Review: The NME Verdict". NME. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ↑ Skipper, Ben (11 January 2016). "David Bowie's final song I Can't Give Everything Away is a poignant and beautiful farewell". International Business Times. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ↑ McCormick, Neil (8 January 2016). "David Bowie, Blackstar, review: 'extraordinary'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – David Bowie – I Can't Give Everything Away" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – David Bowie – I Can't Give Everything Away". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ↑ "Chart Log UK - New Chart Entries - 16.01.2016". zobbel.de. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ↑ "David Bowie – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for David Bowie. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- David Bowie official website
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