Servant Song by Ziggy Stardust???

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Larry1700

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I didn’t know where else to post this question, so my apologies if it’s in the wrong forum.

We sang the “Servant Song” today from the Gather Hymnal, and I was surprised to see that it was written by Ziggy Stardust and Bobby Fisher (without the “c” in the chess champion’s name).

I did a Google search, but couldn’t find anything. Surely this is not a song written by David Bowie…
is it?
 
I’m not familiar with this song but googling reveals two songs by that name neither of which is written by Ziggy Stardust or Bobby Fisher.
 
Servant Song, as listed in the Music Issue is by Donna Marie McGargill, OSM
 
Larry1700 said:
I didn’t know where else to post this question, so my apologies if it’s in the wrong forum.

We sang the “Servant Song” today from the Gather Hymnal, and I was surprised to see that it was written by Ziggy Stardust and Bobby Fisher (without the “c” in the chess champion’s name).

I did a Google search, but couldn’t find anything. Surely this is not a song written by David Bowie…
is it?
Click to expand...
There are two songs in the Gather Hymnal - one is entitled “Servant Song” and the other is “The Servant Song”. There is (or was) a songwriter from Nashville named Bobby Fisher. But, you are correct; Gather does list Ziggy Stardust and Bobby Fisher as the writers of the piece. The other song in Gather, that I am more familiar with is “The Servant Song” written by Richard Gillard .

Richard
 
You can find Bobby Fisher’s bio in the composers/authors/artists section at the GIA website. www.giamusic.org.

Bobby is probably best known for his children’s music, his workshops at liturgy conferences, and for his guitar playing. (From what I understand, the contemporary composers for GIA and OCP love to have Bobby play the guitar for their recordings or to join them when they are giving concerts.)

I have no idea if the Ziggy Stardust listed as a composer for this particular psalm is David Bowie or not. It could be a pseudonym for someone else or it could be that Bobby borrowed enough of the words from some composition of David Bowie’s that he needed/wanted to give him credit.
 
ibkc said:
I found this old blog post about this hymn.
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Well, I said in my original post that I Googled, and hadn’t found anything. In fact, I had read the article you mentioned, but it simply raised the same question I had. At the bottom of the article, it says
I just noticed a recent visitor to my blog from another blog maintained by two Spanish-speakers, by the names of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and ‘Fishman.’
Click to expand...
I clicked on the link for “another blog” but it was missing.
 
Well, I contacted GIA, and here is their response:
Hello Larry,
Thank you for your email. The Ziggy Stardust you are referring to is not David Bowie. He was someone who did this song with Bobby Fisher many years ago and the company has since lost contact with him. If you have any other questions please let me know. Have a good afternoon.
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Sincerely,
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Nicole Zak
GIA Publications, Inc.
phone: 800-442-1358 ext. 33
fax: 708-496-3828
nicolez@giamusic.com
Click to expand...
I guess it will remain a mystery as to who Ziggy Stardust is, but at least now we know it’s not Bowie.
 
Well, GIA kindly provided Bobby Fisher’s email address, so I told him about those of us who are curious about “Ziggy Stardust,” and provide a link to this thread.

Here is Mr. Fisher’s reply:
Hi Larry,
Click to expand...
The Ziggy Stardust of Servant Song full name is Paul Michael Zigfield Stardust. He is also a music minister from Wisconsin and has had this name long before David Bowie song came out.
Click to expand...
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Blessings,
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Bobby Fisher
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HAHAHA! I’m so glad I found this thread because a few days ago my fiance and I were looking in the hymnal because we want The Servant Song at our wedding, and we wanted to make sure we let the organist know exactly which one we wanted (the Gillard one). We both did a double take at the ‘Ziggy Stardust’ thing.
 
Hello, I just discovered this blogging site. I wrote “Servant Song”
that is published in OCP (Oregon Catholic Press). It is NOT in the Gather Hymnal. I wrote it in the early 80’s and was part of an original record album I created in 1982 for my Servant Of Mary community which was then celebrating 750 year anniversary. The song ‘Servant Song’ from the album was then published in '84 on the OCP Album JESUS LORD. I still prefer my over version of it that can still be found on my cd LET IT BE DONE which can be purchased from our Motherhouse book store (www.osms.org).

I’m very moved that God took the weaknesses and problems that brought me to pray Servant Song into being, to enable others over the years to pray and ask the same universal question in the depths of their heart prayer. It speaks volumes to me that God continues to remind us that it is ‘in our weakness that we find our strengths.’ May each of you find the same in your own lives so that you may give witness to God with your seemingly low points and failures in life that enable us to survive and be the best we can be even with and because our lowliness before an every gracious and loving God. God’s goodness and great love be there for each of you. Your sister servant, Donna Marie McGargill, OSM
Coordinator of Liturgy, Creighton University/St. John’s Omaha NE.
 
The song was written by a fellow who apparently was born or was known as Paul Michael Hanks. He later adopted the name (either legally or in practice) Paul Michael Ziegfield Stardust which would allow him to call himself Ziggy Stardust.(The alter-ego of British glam rocker David Bowie from the early 1970’s)

He was the music director at a Catholic church in Eagle River, Wisconsin when I first met him on a golfing weekend in Northern Wisconsin. Our foursome would see him each year from about 1999to 2004. He was energetic,innovative and well liked in the church community. His songs were published in the song booklets at the church and thats where I first saw his name and was was intrigued by the Bowie connection. He claimed at the time that that was his real given name.(I doubted that). Anyway in 2005 when we went up for our traditional golf weekend he was no where to be found at the church and in asking a couple of parishioners at mass about him all they would say is he had had some personal problems and moved to Milwaukee. Well just yesterday(8-19-2008) in our newspaper (we’re 150 miles away) I read that he had just been sentenced to 17 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl at the church back in 2000-2001! You can google his name to confirm that but that explains his absence.

He was a talented man.Sorry to hear about his fate.
 
Larry1700 said:
Well, GIA kindly provided Bobby Fisher’s email address, so I told him about those of us who are curious about “Ziggy Stardust,” and provide a link to this thread.

Here is Mr. Fisher’s reply:
Click to expand...
So if Mr Stardust had the name prior to David Bowie where did David Bowie come up with it? :hmmm:

Seems a mite too koinkydinkal to think the two are totally unrelated, both being in the music biz and all.

Inquiring minds wanna know!
 
There’s no reason to believe that Mr. Stardust(?)(actually Mr. Hanks according to news reports on his sexual assault conviction) had the name before David Bowie. One report had him being first convicted of a similiar offense in 1981, so he probably changed his name afterward to further conceal his past. I’m not buying that he was born Paul Michael Ziegfield Stardust. When I saw him he had a narcissistic quality that would coincide with co-opting a famous name.
 
Well shoot.

This is the sort of thing you really wish you didn’t know. I was hoping it was Bowie, and it seemed plausible in part because of his ‘Peace on Earth/Drummer Boy’ duet with Bing Crosby.

A little early for Christmas music, but if you aren’t familiar, or if you like it as much as I do, worth hearing anytime:
youtube.com/watch?v=_zMhSjDqvRs&feature=related
 
rapidsrichard said:
There’s no reason to believe that Mr. Stardust(?)(actually Mr. Hanks according to news reports on his sexual assault conviction) had the name before David Bowie. One report had him being first convicted of a similiar offense in 1981, so he probably changed his name afterward to further conceal his past. I’m not buying that he was born Paul Michael Ziegfield Stardust. When I saw him he had a narcissistic quality that would coincide with co-opting a famous name.
Click to expand...
I had my suspicions about ‘Stardust’, can’t imagine that would be anyone’s legit surname.
 
rapidsrichard said:
There’s no reason to believe that Mr. Stardust(?)(actually Mr. Hanks according to news reports on his sexual assault conviction) had the name before David Bowie. One report had him being first convicted of a similiar offense in 1981, so he probably changed his name afterward to further conceal his past. I’m not buying that he was born Paul Michael Ziegfield Stardust. When I saw him he had a narcissistic quality that would coincide with co-opting a famous name.
Click to expand...
Paul most certainly adopted the Ziggy Stardust monicker years after David Bowie used it in his music. He had the name prior to 1981, as he adopted it sometime before arriving in Door County, but it became clear to those of us who worked with him in Door County that Bowie was the source of his monicker, although he didn’t seem to be a fan of Bowie’s music.
 
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