What does David Bowie "Suffragette City" mean?

Question

What does David Bowie "Suffragette City" mean?

Answer 1

A suffragette is a woman who fights for her right to vote

I'm not sure if that's what the song is about though

Answer 2

You really have to hear it in context. It's part of "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" concept album. Suffragette City is the second to last song, falling between Ziggy Stardust and Rock 'n' Roll Suicide. It sort of shows how the band (and the world itself) is starting to break up before the big end comes in Rock 'n' Roll Suicide. There's definitely a distinct lack of camaraderie shown in the lyrics, which imply that the singer wants to distance himself from his friends in favor of female companionship. The story of the Ziggy album is supposed to be about the end of the world and possibly the death and/or rejection of humanity's last potential savior. I think it could also be read as a story of growing up, the increasing joy and wildness of childhood and, finally, its end, which is often wrapped up in the discovery of the opposite s*x and feelings of tearing apart one's old identity to forge a new, adult, one. There is, of course, also a correlation to the evolution of Rock and Roll as a musical style, from beginnings as wild and free fun to its split into the increasingly intellectually and emotional complex (I'm thinking of people like Bowie here) / increasingly commercial and corrupt (I'm thinking of American Idol here) state.