Seven Years in Tibet (song)

"Seven Years in Tibet" was recorded between August and November 1996 during the Earthling studio sessions.[1] It started out as a Reeves Gabrels instrumental called "Brussels", which Bowie was not impressed with, but eventually Gabrels convinced Bowie to keep.[1] The song's working title was "Biscuit Lady" and its opening lines were from a hoax Internet article in which a woman, wounded by an exploding biscuit container, thinks the biscuit dough on her head are her brains leaking out of her skull.[1] Eventually, the song became a song about a "young Tibetan monk who's just been shot" after Bowie read some of the Dalai Lama's lectures.[1] Bowie chose the name of the song after reading the book Seven Years in Tibet (1952), and, although a movie of the same name that was also based on the book was also released in 1997, it had no relation to Bowie's song.[2] Bowie recorded a version of the song sung in Mandarin Chinese, with lyrics translated by Lin Xi and released with the name "A Fleeting Moment" in some territories.[2]

At Bowie's 50th Birthday Bash concert in January 1997, Bowie performed this song together with Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters.[2] Bowie played the song at GQ Awards in New York City on 15 October 1997, a performance which was later released on the live album LiveAndWell.com in 2000.[2]

The "Mandarin version" appeared on the bonus disc of the Digibook Expanded Edition of Earthling from 2004. In Hong Kong it was also released on a separate bonus disc that followed the release of Earthling in 1997.

"Seven Years in Tibet" peaked at number 61 in the UK,[3] and was the last number one song in Hong Kong before the Chinese takeover in June of 1997.[2]

All lyrics written by David Bowie, except "Seven Years in Tibet (Mandarin version)" by Lin Xi.
All music composed by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels, except "Pallas Athena (live)" by David Bowie.

• Producers:
  • David Bowie
  • Mark Plati (co-producer)
  • Reeves Gabrels (co-producer)

• Musicians:
  • David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone, samples, keyboards
  • Reeves Gabrels – programming, synthesizers, real and sampled guitars, vocals
  • Mark Plati – programming, loops, samples, keyboards
  • Gail Ann Dorsey – bass guitar, vocals
  • Zachary Alford – drum loops, acoustic drums, electronic percussion
  • Mike Garson – keyboards, piano

• Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (revised and updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
• O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. Repeater Books. ISBN 9781912248308.