David Bowie‘s lyric sheets containing the legend’s drafts for songs “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” and “Suffragette City” will be auctioned off on November 28, 2023 at Omega Auctions, and are estimated to fetch 100,000 British pounds (over $126,000).
The two-sided document contains the late singer’s corrections, drafts, and notes to his tracks “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” and “Suffragette City.” Both appear on his seminal 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
According to the letter of provenance, the page is from the final recording sessions of the album. David Bowie allegedly gave the original owner the lyric sheets at Trident Studio, alongside some other pages of original lyrics, some of which have not survived.
The side of the page containing the “Suffragette City” lyrics also revealed a note at the bottom left for the publisher. According to the note, Bowie was considering two more songs to include on the album at the time – “It Ain’t Easy” and “Round and Round.” “It Ain’t Easy” made the final cut, whilst “Round and Round” (a Chuck Berry cover) was eventually released as the B-side to the 1973 single “Drive-In Saturday” from Aladdin Sane.
The letter of provenance also said the sheet was purchased by the current owner in the early 1980s and loaned to the V&A in 2013 for an exhibition.
