Five Years (track) by David Bowie
Year: 1972
From the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (track #1)
Five Years appears on the following album(s) by David Bowie:
- The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (track #1) (this album) (1972)
- Bowie At The Beeb (track #25) (2000)
- A Reality Tour (track #28) (2010)
- Stage (track #3) (1978)
- Live Santa Monica '72 (track #7) (1994)
- Live Nassau Coliseum '76 (track #9) (2017)
- The Collaborator - The Legendary Broadcasts (track #13) (compilation) (2016)
- The Collaborator - The Legendary Broadcasts (track #41) (compilation) (2016)
- Welcome To The Blackout (Live London '78) (track #13) (2018)
- Five Years (1969-1973) (track #30) (compilation) (2015)
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Condition: Used
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Five Years ratings
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av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
40/100  | 4 days ago |  II | | 56/100 |
95/100 | 03/02/2025 20:27 | Muriloferreira | | 86/100 |
60/100 | 02/10/2025 11:54 | timosbuecherei | | 62/100 |
80/100 | 01/29/2025 09:27 | ThuramThugood | | 66/100 |
95/100 | 01/26/2025 04:19 | AbsurdCheesecake | | 89/100 |
Rating metrics:
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(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 92.3/100, a mean average of 91.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.5/100. The standard deviation for this track is 11.8.
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A great track about missing out on life when it is cut short, from the mundane wave, irons and TVs to time spent with a loved one. He tells how different people react and how society breaks down, the climax of the song shows the narrator breaking down as an incoherent string section overwhelms him. The song ends with a drum beat fading out like a beating heart. A beautiful song and a perfect introduction to the album.
Truly one of the best opening songs to a album I’ve ever heard, it’s so powerful as it builds up.
Awesome opening track to a great album.
Tied with Ashes to Ashes as my favorite Bowie track.
I'm very happy it's rated so highly on this site -- it seems to be overlooked in so many other places. It's probably not objectively better than Life on Mars or Heroes, but I do think it could be his third best track
AAL2014 04/28/2020 16:49
This song runs the exhilarating emotional gambit better and more convincingly than a number of entire albums I could reference. Sonic brilliance, an incredible aura, and one of the best Side 1 Track 1s ever. Period.
Grouse 02/03/2019 13:32
One of the best songs in the world, so beautiful!
What a cracking start to an album never mind a single, with a superb and instantly recognisable drum beat. Although the album wasn't written as a joined storyline, us fans have invented it by joining the songs stories together - to be fair the themes of space and alienation and impending disaster does run through the songs. And this first song sets the scene and letting us know that there is in fact only 5 years left.
Bowie's vocal delivery at the end is superb.
Possibly my favorite off of this album, Just perfect in every way shape or form.
arturguerra 07/03/2017 01:48
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Awesome opener, great buildup in this song :)
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