History Music / TheManWhoSoldTheWorld

* UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar: The then-current setting of "Running Gun Blues".

* SpeechBubble: The cowboy from the cartoon cover has one. According to artist Michael Weller, it originally read "ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR ARMS". US Mercury censored this because they thought it was a drug reference; when the album was released, the bubble was left blank.

* GratuitousFrench: The closing chant of "All the Madmen" is "Zane, Zane, Zane/Ouvre le chien" (which translates into "Unleash the dog").

And it wouldn't be the last time. Bowie's next release, ''Music/HunkyDory'', may have been LighterAndSofter musically (if not lyrically), but it was the apocalyptic themes and often brutal sound of this album that pointed the way forward to ''[[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars Ziggy Stardust]]'', ''Aladdin Sane'' and ''Music/DiamondDogs''. To quote Carr & Murray again: "This is where the story ''really'' starts."

* AxCrazy: The narrator of the [[BlackComedy darkly humorous]] "Running Gun Blues" is a demented soldier who won't get a cease fire get in the way of a good killing spree.

** "Black Country Rock" is an AffectionateParody of Bowie's FriendlyRival Music/MarcBolan.

* LyricSwap: In "The Supermen", the first two repetitions of the chorus end "So softly a supergod cries". In the third instance, [[spoiler:it's changed to ""So softly a supergod ''dies''"]].

If this is true, then Bowie's mind must have been an even more interesting and unpredictable place than usual when he was writing these songs, because his wedded bliss certainly didn't show in the lyrics. As Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray describe the subject matter in ''Bowie: An Illustrated Record'': "Assassins, madmen, occultists, deranged computers, dormant elder gods, children possessed of secrets beyond their parents' imaginings and a plunge into a new polysexual imagery compunded the blow struck by the album's startling cover... the new Bowie was dealing in strange and disturbing commodities."

And it wouldn't be the last time. Bowie's next release, ''Music/HunkyDory'', may have been LighterAndSofter musically (if not lyrically), but it was the apocalyptic lyrics and often brutal music of this album that pointed the way forward to ''[[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars Ziggy Stardust]]'', ''Aladdin Sane'' and ''Music/DiamondDogs''. To quote Carr & Murray again: "This is where the story ''really'' starts."

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Appears in "After All" when the narrator tells us to "BE-lieve in nothing".

* AxCrazy: The narrator of the [[BlackComedy darkly humorous]] "Running Gun Blues" is a demented soldier who won't get peace get in the way of a good killing spree.

* {{Doppelganger}}: This is what the TitleTrack ''may'' be about.

* OnlySaneMan: The theme of "All the Madmen".

* RecordProducer: Tony Visconti, producing an entire Bowie album for the first time and doubling on bass.

''The Man Who Sold the World'' is Music/DavidBowie's third album, recorded in April and May of 1970 and issued that November--in America, at least. (The British release was delayed until April 1971 due to [[ExecutiveMeddling executives]] at Mercury Records, Bowie's then-current label, fretting about the singer posing in "a man's dress" on the cover photo.)

* DarkerAndEdgier: Than most of Bowie's previous work. Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray noted that "The vision Bowie presents here is one of unrelieved chaos and terror (The only respite is hanging out in Black Country Rock)".

* {{Doppelganger}}: This is what the TitleTrack ''seems'' to be about.

If this is true, then Bowie's mind must have been an even more interesting and unpredictable place than usual when he was writing these songs, because his wedded bliss certainly didn't show in the lyrics. As Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray describe the subject matter in ''Bowie: An Illustrated Record'': "Assassins, madmen, occultists, deranged computers, children possessed of secrets beyond their parents' imaginings and a plunge into a new polysexual imagery compunded the blow struck by the album's startling cover... the new Bowie was dealing in strange and disturbing commodities."

* DarkerAndEdgier: Than most of Bowie's previous work.

* AxCrazy: The narrator of the [[BlackComedy darkly humorous]] "Running Gun Blues" is a soldier who won't get peace get in the way of a good killing spree.

* UsefulNotes/BritishAccents: As usual, Bowie's native accent is frequently evident. However, things really get interesting on "The Supermen", where he babbles about "mountain magic", "powers weird by mystics taught" and "nightmare dreams no mortal mind could hold" in a deranged Cockney accent that makes the whole affair even stranger.

* OnlySaneman: The theme of "All the Madmen".

Oh, and Music/{{Nirvana}} did a CoverVersion of the TitleTrack, leading some younger fans to [[CoveredUp falsely assume]] that they were the ones who wrote it.

''The Man Who Sold the World'' is Music/DavidBowie's third album, recorded in 1970 and issued that November--in America, at least. (The British release was delayed until April 1971 due to [[ExecutiveMeddling executives]] at Mercury Records, Bowie's then-current label, fretting about the singer posing in "a man's dress" on the cover photo.)

The album came at a critical time in Bowie's life and career. He'd recently had his first hit with "Space Oddity", but his failure to follow it up made it look like he'd be a OneHitWonder. But Bowie was as forward-thinking as ever, as he left behind the Music Hall-influenced sound of his first album and the FolkRock of his second album in favor of a HardRock[=/=]HeavyMetal hybrid that recalled Music/{{Cream}} and Music/BlackSabbath. Indeed, ''TMWSTW'' introduced the first version of the band that eventually became known as [[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars the Spiders from Mars]].[[note]]Guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick "Woody" Woodmansey were already on board; the temporary bassist was producer Tony Visconti, who would soon be replaced by Trevor Bolder.[[/note]] Also, Bowie had recently married his first wife Angela, and reportedly spent a lot of time with her during the writing and rehearsal sessions. According to Peter Doggett's ''The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s'', "...at the last possible moment, Bowie would reluctantly uncurl himself from the sofa on which he was lounging with his wife, and dash off a set of lyrics."

* UsefulNotes/BritishAccents: As usual, Bowie's native accent is frequently evident. However, things really get interesting on "The Supermen", where he babbles about "mountain magic", "powers weird by mystics taught" and "nightmare dreams no mortal mind could hold" in a deranged Cockney accent that makes the song even stranger.

** "After All" resembles the work of Creator/BertoltBrecht and KurtWeill.

* ShoutOut: Kahlil Gibran is mentioned in "The Width of a Circle".
* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "After All", which you could mistake for a lullaby if you ignore the lyrics.

* UsefulNotes/BritishAccents: As usual, Bowie's native accent is frequently evident. However, things really get interesting on "The Supermen", where he babbles about "mountain magic", "Powers weird by mystics taught" and "Nightmare dreams no mortal mind could hold" in a deranged Cockney accent that makes the song even stranger.

If this is true, then Bowie's mind must have been an even more interesting place than usual when he was writing these songs. As Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray describe the subject matter in ''Bowie: An Illustrated Record'': "Assassins, madmen, occultists, deranged computers, children possessed of secrets beyond their parents' imaginings and a plunge into a new polysexual imagery compunded the blow struck by the album's startling cover... the new Bowie was dealing in strange and disturbing commodities."

* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "After All"

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Not the titular characters of "The Supermen"; these omnipotent immortals (a la Creator/HPLovecraft's Elder Gods) lead "tragic endless lives" and consider themselves "chained to life". [[spoiler:When one of them finally dies at the end of song, it's definitely an EsotericHappyEnding.]]

The album came at a critical time in Bowie's life and career. He'd recently had his first hit with "Space Oddity", but his failure to follow it up made it look like he'd be a OneHitWonder. But Bowie was as forward-thinking as ever, as he left behind the Music Hall-influenced sound of his first album and the FolkRock of his second album in favor of a HardRock[=/=]HeavyMetal hybrid. Indeed, ''TMWSTW'' introduced the first version of the band that eventually became known as [[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars the Spiders from Mars]].[[note]]Guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick "Woody" Woodmansey were already on board; the temporary bassist was producer Tony Visconti, who would soon be replaced by Trevor Bolder.[[/note]] Also, Bowie had recently married his first wife Angela, and reportedly spent a lot of time with her during the writing and rehearsal sessions. According to Peter Doggett's ''The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s'', "...at the last possible moment, Bowie would reluctantly uncurl himself from the sofa on which he was lounging with his wife, and dash off a set of lyrics."

And it wouldn't be the last time. Bowie's next release, ''Music/HunkyDory'', may have been LighterAndSofter musically (if not lyrically), but it was the apocalyptic lyrics and often brutal music of this album that pointed the way forward to ''Ziggy Stardust'', ''Aladdin Sane'' and ''Music/DiamondDogs''. To quote Carr & Murray again: "And this is where the story ''really'' starts."

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Not the titular characters of "The Supermen"; these omnipotent immortals (a la Creator/HPLovecraft's Elder Gods)

The album came at a critical time in Bowie's life and career. He was prepared to leave the Music Hall-influenced sound of the first album and the FolkRock of the second album behind in favor of a HardRock[=/=]HeavyMetal hybrid. Indeed, ''TMWSTW'' introduced the first version of the band that eventually became known as [[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars the Spiders from Mars]].[[note]]Guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick "Woody" Woodmansey were already on board; the temporary bassist was producer Tony Visconti, who would soon be replaced by Trevor Bolder.[[/note]] Also, he had recently married his first wife Angela, and reportedly spent a lot of time with her during the writing and rehearsal sessions. According to Peter Doggett's ''The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s'', "...at the last possible moment, Bowie would reluctantly uncurl himself from the sofa on which he was lounging with his wife, and dash off a set of lyrics."

And it wouldn't be the last time. With its apocalyptic lyrics and often brutal music, ''The Man Who Sold the World'' marks the first appearance of the Bowie who would go on to create ''Ziggy Stardust'' and ''Music/DiamondDogs''.

* BreatherEpisode: "Black Country Rock" is considerably LighterAndSofter than anything else on the album.

The album came at a critical time in Bowie's life and career. He was prepared to leave the Music Hall-influenced sound of the first album and the FolkRock of the second album behind in favor of a HardRock[=/=]HeavyMetal hybrid. Indeed, ''TMWSTW'' introduced the first version of the band that eventually became known as [[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars the Spiders from Mars]]. Also, he had recently married his first wife Angela, and reportedly spent a lot of time with her during the writing and rehearsal sessions. According to Peter Doggett's ''The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s'', "...at the last possible moment, Bowie would reluctantly uncurl himself from the sofa on which he was lounging with his wife, and dash off a set of lyrics."

If this is true,