David Bowie’s Handwritten Lyrics For ‘Starman’ Skyrocket Above Expected Price
Handwritten lyrics that David Bowie had drafted when producing the hit song Starman have officially sold at auction for five times the price they were estimated to sell for.
The lyrics sheet was written in blue marker on a grid-lined piece of paper outlining the singer’s amendments, corrections, and additions. The song was featured on the Ziggy Stardust album, which was, incidentally, the album that solidified Bowie as a rock icon.
The lyrics, displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London as part of its David Bowie collection, were handed over to Omega Auctions for sale.
The item was initially estimated to fetch somewhere in the neighborhood of US$43,000, but instead, it raked in US$311,400.
Olivier Varenne, director of acquisitions, alliances, and collections, won the bid for the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, Australia. The page is set to go on display in the museum’s library.
[via ITV and ABC News Australia, images via various sources]
