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David Bowie — TVC 15
Album: Station to Station
Avg rating:
7.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 749









Released: 1976
Length: 5:22
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh

Ohh
Up every evening 'bout half eight or nine
I give my complete attention to a very good friend of mine
He's quadraphonic, he's a, he's got more channels
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five
I brought my baby home, she, she sat around forlorn
She saw my T V C one five, and then baby's gone, she
She crawled right in, oh my
She crawled right in my
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five
Oh, so demonic, oh my T V C one five

Maybe if I pray every, each night I sit there pleading
"Send back my dream test baby, she's my main feature"
My T V C one five, he, he just stares back unblinking
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five
One of these nights I may just
Jump down that rainbow way, be with my baby, then
We'll spend some time together
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five
My baby's in there someplace, love's rating in the sky
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five

Transition
Transmission
Transition
Transmission

Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five

Maybe if I pray every, each night I sit there pleading
"Send back my dream test baby, she's my main feature"
My T V C one five, he, he just stares back unblinking
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five
One of these nights I may just
Jump down that rainbow way, be with my baby, then
We'll spend some time together
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five
My baby's in there someplace, love's rating in the sky
So hologramic, oh my T V C one five

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh

Transition
Transmission
Transition
Transmission

Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Comments (105)add comment
Ever since the COVID subvariant XBB 1.5 came out, I've been hearing this song in my head, except singing it as "XBB 15". 
Oh Bowie, you will always be my first love!  
 Proclivities wrote:

Did he ever get her out of the TV set?  The song doesn't make it clear.

 
Unless something changed after the song.... "My baby's in there someplace" should clarify things for you.  
I've always loved this song...and I can never hear it without thinking of James Woods and Debbie Harry in the mad movie Videodrome.
 Proclivities wrote:

Did he ever get her out of the TV set?  The song doesn't make it clear.

 
It's a real cliffhanger!
 Grammarcop wrote:

Story I heard is that Bowie was inspired to write this after Iggy tried to crawl into a TV set during a drug-fueled hallucination. Iggy thought his girlfriend was trapped inside the set. 

 
Did he ever get her out of the TV set?  The song doesn't make it clear.
So nice when The Thin White Duke mixed androgyny, disco, and New Orleans Prof Longhair style Boogie. Ah, the 70s.
Loved this song and album during Bowie's "thin White Duke" tour, which I was fortunate to catch one of his concerts.  Film clip during/opening show included scene from Luis Buñuel's " Un Chien Andalou" where eyeball gets sliced open. Kinda set one on edge for the show! 
 treatment_bound wrote:

So what your saying is it was just another run-of-the-mill day with Dave & Ig back in the mid-70's?

 
Pretty much.
 Grammarcop wrote:

Iggy thought his girlfriend was trapped inside the set. 

 
So what your saying is it was just another run-of-the-mill day with Dave & Ig back in the mid-70's?
 squidish wrote:
Love ode to a television...makes me hop up and down.  {#Bananajumprope}

 
Story I heard is that Bowie was inspired to write this after Iggy tried to crawl into a TV set during a drug-fueled hallucination. Iggy thought his girlfriend was trapped inside the set. 
 primm wrote:
GREAT ALBUM AND GREAT SONG ! SAW THIS TOUR WITH THE EARL SLICK BAND BACKING , OUTSTANDING !

 
i'm jealous
GREAT ALBUM AND GREAT SONG ! SAW THIS TOUR WITH THE EARL SLICK BAND BACKING , OUTSTANDING !
Such a fun, lively, interesting song. The E Street Band's Roy Bittan really shines on the piano here.
i'm digging this
Brilliant in every way
he was a mark of an era
Freshman in college
new album by Bowie
the black and white cover
only a few songs?!?!

Life. Changed. 
 Zep wrote:
bowie iggy claus venture brothers
Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Brian Eno (l to  r) 

 
Pretty sure it's Iggy, Bowie & Klaus Nomi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Nomi  
Great  song from a fine album. 
Love ode to a television...makes me hop up and down.  {#Bananajumprope}
 DaidyBoy wrote:

This was definitely the one I had, UK release.  Didn't enjoy the album much then, oddly.  Probably still in awe of his earlier stuff.

 
The cover of my album as well.

From the movie - "The Man Who Fell To Earth"


Nice to hear something besides "Golden Years" off this album.  THANKS, RP!


Blast From The Past


 bendame wrote:

No, no,no... Iggy Pop, David Bowie and klaus Nomi. 
 
Klaus Störtebekker, Klaus Barbi and Santa Klaus - I say!
The honky-tonk piano makes this a song from  another time, I hardly remember!
this was great on saturday night live. It got a good intro from the late Don Pardo. the dog was priceless
 Zep wrote:

Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Brian Eno (l to  r)
 

 
No, no,no... Iggy Pop, David Bowie and klaus Nomi. 
For me, this Bowie's best album, and he had other gems.  For those who saw his movie Man Who Fell to Earth, this seems almost like its forgotten soundtrack to me.
This is simply one his best efforts, evah !
....thank you RP.  I haven't heard this in years and years....love TVC one five!!  {#Whipit}
 Zep wrote:

Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Brian Eno (l to  r)
 

 
Where can I get that graphic please...
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Album: Lodger? . . . no . . .
 
The cover on the left is as it appeared (in Canada anyway) when the album came out in '76.
The CD eventually came out with the wider, colour shot (on the right). Perhaps this was the original British cover?

 
This was definitely the one I had, UK release.  Didn't enjoy the album much then, oddly.  Probably still in awe of his earlier stuff.
I heard that TVC15 was the registration plate on his car..
 Zep wrote:

Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Brian Eno (l to  r)
 

 
Correction: That's supposed to be Klaus Nomi on the right.
I have always thought of this album as being the soundtrack to Bowie's movie turn in The Man Who Fell to Earth.  I like the movie and album very much.
 ballyhairs wrote:

I wish I didn't click on your provided link, that was disgusting to see {#Headache} bah


 

Sez the guy who goes by the name "ballyhairs".
 CamLwalk wrote:
bowie iggy claus venture brothers

 
Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Brian Eno (l to  r)
 
 unclehud wrote:
Rockin' out and dancing ... and dancing and rockin' out!  TRANSMISSION!

(edit a few weeks later)  Some folks are asking about meaning.  It's Bowie, so who knows?  Tripping while watching 15 TVs? Or while watching TV channel 15? Or maybe TVC 15 was printed on the blotter paper/pill.  You want meaning?  Try interpreting this line, and watch the video video link below:  "One of these nights I may just jump down that rainbow way, be with my baby..."  Does that help?  Didn't think so.
 
Rainbows are used on test patterns. He mentions "test" elsewhere in the lyrics, which are very strange. 

 
Rockin' out and dancing ... and dancing and rockin' out!  TRANSMISSION!

(edit a few weeks later)  Some folks are asking about meaning.  It's Bowie, so who knows?  Tripping while watching 15 TVs? Or while watching TV channel 15? Or maybe TVC 15 was printed on the blotter paper/pill.  You want meaning?  Try interpreting this line, and watch the video video link below:  "One of these nights I may just jump down that rainbow way, be with my baby..."  Does that help?  Didn't think so.
Station To Station is one of the best albums of the seventies.
 cosmiclint wrote:

A clip of the performance you are referring to is here. It also features Boys Keep Swinging, with the marionette effect. Pretty cool.

 

I remember seeing this - so very great. Now and then.

Thanks for the blast from the past!
 jinxie1266 wrote:
This song is on Station to Station, not Lodger. Just sayin'.
 
Hey, Winnipeg! One Great City! ;-)
This song is on Station to Station, not Lodger. Just sayin'.
Haven't heard this one in ages.
 sans wrote:
TVC15 meaning?
Bowie himself hasn't been able to shed any light on their meaning beyond a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
 
You need more meaning? LMAO. It's about a drug trip. Logic, plot, thematic structure, motifs...they don't really apply. 

Iggy Pop was tripping at Bowie's home about his girlfriend and the TV set. Bowie just fleshed the story out. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVC_15 

David has admitted that there are whole years of life that he can't remember. I think he mostly blames cocaine.  I'm impressed that he put out such good stuff despite doing that crap. 
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Album: Lodger? . . . no . . .
  David Bowie - Station To Station (EMI 1999 24 Bit Remaster)
The cover on the left is as it appeared (in Canada anyway) when the album came out in '76.
The CD eventually came out with the wider, colour shot (on the right). Perhaps this was the original British cover?
 
This came up in the Golden Years discussion thread. According to the Wikipedia article for the Station to Station album, Bowie felt the sky in the colour still from Man Who Fell To Earth looked too artificial, so he had it cropped and printed in black and white for the album cover. When Rykodisc reissued Bowie's catalogue in the early 1990s they used the full sized, colour version of the still.

 cosmiclint wrote:

A clip of the performance you are referring to is here. It also features Boys Keep Swinging, with the marionette effect. Pretty cool.
 




That was cool, thanks.


Album: Lodger? . . . no . . .
   https://www.nme.com/themes/default/static_images/years/albums/1976/02.jpg
The cover on the left is as it appeared (in Canada anyway) when the album came out in '76.
The CD eventually came out with the wider, colour shot (on the right). Perhaps this was the original British cover?



someone tap the arm, the needle is stuck.
Station to Station remastered re-release out in the US on the 28th.

If you don't own it already - it's a must.
 Cynaera wrote:
A skin-tight dress with a bulge?  It hurt my brain. Bowie has done a lot better stuff than this.  {#Tongue-out}
  agree!


 Cynaera wrote:
A skin-tight dress with a bulge?  It hurt my brain. Bowie has done a lot better stuff than this.  {#Tongue-out}
 
You strike me as pretty picky here. And you don't really specify the precise nature of your objection to that lyric, anyway. What's yer beef?

Bill and his song/artist connections.  From Bowie's Queen Bitch

I'm up on the eleventh floor
And I'm watching the cruisers below
He's down on the street
And he's trying hard to pull sister Flo


A skin-tight dress with a bulge?  It hurt my brain. Bowie has done a lot better stuff than this.  {#Tongue-out}
 Peace_tode wrote:


One of my favs as well. From a very good album.
 
From a perfect album.

As we used to have fun singing

Oh my TVC fifteen. 


Oh hell yes!
 cosmiclint wrote:

A clip of the performance you are referring to is here. It also features Boys Keep Swinging, with the marionette effect. Pretty cool.

 
That was an interesting little trip down memory lane.

Sold my Station to Station vinyl record in a garage sale last weekend.  Got 50 cents per album.  Sold my turntable for $ 10.  Glad to get rid of all that shit.  Gave away the albums that didn't sell.  All MP3 or CD now.

happy now


 cosmiclint wrote:

A clip of the performance you are referring to is here. It also features Boys Keep Swinging, with the marionette effect. Pretty cool.
 
Genius.
 ballyhairs wrote:
Whats with this medicine story every time this song is on?

{#Stupid}
 
Mr Toad after first seeing a car.

Beep beep.    {#Lol}
 cosmiclint wrote:

A clip of the performance you are referring to is here. It also features Boys Keep Swinging, with the marionette effect. Pretty cool.

 
I wish I didn't click on your provided link, that was disgusting to see {#Headache} bah

 hilsy wrote:
When I was a kid back in the '70s, I stayed up late one Saturday night and Bowie performed this as his second song. I was half falling sleep so the weirdness was magnified for me when he had a little toy dog open its mouth to show a small TV. Anybody else see that performance?

 
A clip of the performance you are referring to is here. It also features Boys Keep Swinging, with the marionette effect. Pretty cool.

Whats with this medicine story every time this song is on?

{#Stupid}
wow, that was neat. it was repeated.
 peter_james_bond wrote:

.....mr_toad......mr_toad...did you forget something? Your medicine mr_toad, you must take your medicine. Yes Mr  Bowie loves the earth and everything and he loves you too. The people of earth are not going anywhere mr_toad....now you have a lie down.

This is also one of my favorite Bowie tunes.
 
Dude, you are famous - Bill just read your post on the air!
bowie iggy claus venture brothers
I usually like Bowie, and this song is no exception. {#Good-vibes}
i usually like bowie, but this sucks
I made TVC 15 the sail number on my dinghy in 1979, and nobody knew what it was about.  I was way cool back then, eh?  Not so much anymore, according to my grown kids.
YEAH!  This brings back lots of memories. of my twentys.  We used to call my friend's 72 Cadillac El Dorado TVC15.

 hilsy wrote:
When I was a kid back in the '70s, I stayed up late one Saturday night and Bowie performed this as his second song. I was half falling sleep so the weirdness was magnified for me when he had a little toy dog open its mouth to show a small TV. Anybody else see that performance?

 
YES!   I think it was on SNL!  As I recall, Brian Eno, or someone that looked like Brian Eno was with him - and both looking pretty wierd.  That was the night I decided that I liked Bowie.

It sounds like a song that got cut from Rocky Horror in the first round of cuts.
My favorite Bowie tune!  Sweeeeeet!!!
I remember this as the highlight of a Bowie concert I saw "back a few years" — there was a wall of tall, thin lights behind the stage — like 20' high — and to accent the song, especially on the "oh ohs," they would flash on and off.  Ok, so it loses something in the translation but it was just an incredible spectacle.  Not to mention the guy can sing, and this is one of my personal faves. 
 mr_toad wrote:
david bowie loves earth and everything on it,,,, I could be wrong??? maybe he should tell us!!!!!!!  maybe he already has!!!!! but it sounds so nice so nice mmmmmmmmmmm  people of earth are you ready to blast off??  are u ready ?? are u ready ?? really ready??
 
.....mr_toad......mr_toad...did you forget something? Your medicine mr_toad, you must take your medicine. Yes Mr  Bowie loves the earth and everything and he loves you too. The people of earth are not going anywhere mr_toad....now you have a lie down.

This is also one of my favorite Bowie tunes.
david bowie loves earth and everything on it,,,, I could be wrong??? maybe he should tell us!!!!!!!  maybe he already has!!!!! but it sounds so nice so nice mmmmmmmmmmm  people of earth are you ready to blast off??  are u ready ?? are u ready ?? really ready??
 Ja300Mes wrote:
I always liked this song - one of those that survived the overplaying on commercial radio and still comes out sounding good.
 
What world did you live in that overplayed this song on commercial radio?! I'd like to move there.

I dated a TVC13. It was indeed unlucky for me to date that older model.
 Panama_Floyd wrote:
Thanks, Bill. My favorite Bowie tune, and no one around here had ever heard of it. I was beginning to think I dreamed the whole thing....
 

One of my favs as well. From a very good album.
I always thought it was a love song to Dave's transvestite robot he was dating at the time.

Teryt wrote:
TVC15 seemd like a referrence to the "Man who fell to Earth." In it, he watched a wall of 15 color TVs at once.



wow, boys keep swingin'!
TVC15 seemd like a referrence to the "Man who fell to Earth." In it, he watched a wall of 15 color TVs at once.
Thanks, Bill. My favorite Bowie tune, and no one around here had ever heard of it. I was beginning to think I dreamed the whole thing....
When I was a kid back in the '70s, I stayed up late one Saturday night and Bowie performed this as his second song. I was half falling sleep so the weirdness was magnified for me when he had a little toy dog open its mouth to show a small TV. Anybody else see that performance?
Oh ohhh
CCinSB wrote:
The song was inspired by Iggy Pop who, during a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
Misterfixit wrote:
You guys ... with all your drug-related info ... hah! The REAL story is that it is about his car that broke down on the way to a concert. Transition Transmission Transition Transmission "Transmission" as in a five speed ...
There wasn't any five speed transmission cars back in the mid seventies. Let alone cars with one five ones. Oh. You keed, you keed! Maybe he was on his bicycle?
You guys ... with all your drug-related info ... hah! The REAL story is that it is about his car that broke down on the way to a concert. Transition Transmission Transition Transmission "Transmission" as in a five speed ...
I always liked this song - one of those that survived the overplaying on commercial radio and still comes out sounding good. There used to be a car running around my town with the license plate \"TVC15 OO\" - no doubt a huge Bowie fan there. I would often wonder how many people didn\'t get it when they saw it.
More interesting is the fruit of random browsing starting with the TVC 15 seed: (click here) sans wrote:
TVC15 meaning? Bowie himself hasn't been able to shed any light on their meaning beyond a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
TVC15 meaning? Bowie himself hasn't been able to shed any light on their meaning beyond a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
One of his best!
CCinSB wrote:
The song was inspired by Iggy Pop who, during a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
seriously? that would fit.. what great times they were.
CCinSB wrote:
The song was inspired by Iggy Pop who, during a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
ROFL.
My God, I haven't heard this in years..
The song was inspired by Iggy Pop who, during a drug-fuelled period at Bowie's LA home, hallucinated and believed that the television set was swallowing his girlfriend.
I know some of you hate it when people post lyrics, but I couldn't help myself this time: Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh Ohh Up every evening 'bout half eight or nine I give my complete attention to a very good friend of mine He's quadraphonic, he's a, he's got more channels So hologramic, oh my T V C one five I brought my baby home, she, she sat around forlon She saw my T V C one five, and then baby's gone, she She crawled right in, oh my She crawled right in my So hologramic, oh my T V C one five Oh, so demonic, oh my T V C one five Maybe if I pray every, each night I sit there pleading "Send back my dream test baby, she's my main feature" My T V C one five, he, he just stares back unblinking So hologramic, oh my T V C one five One of these nights I may just Jump down that rainbow way, be with my baby, then We'll spend some time together So hologramic, oh my T V C one five My baby's in there someplace, love's rating in the sky So hologramic, oh my T V C one five Transition Transmission Transition Transmission Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Maybe if I pray every, each night I sit there pleading "Send back my dream test baby, she's my main feature" My T V C one five, he, he just stares back unblinking So hologramic, oh my T V C one five One of these nights I may just Jump down that rainbow way, be with my baby, then We'll spend some time together So hologramic, oh my T V C one five My baby's in there someplace, love's rating in the sky So hologramic, oh my T V C one five Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh Transition Transmission Transition Transmission Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five Oh my T V C one five, oh oh, T V C one five
Statin to Station!!!
Yes!