'Nature Boy'
Performed by David
Bowie
Written by Eden Ahbez
Produced by BLAM, Josh G Abrahams and Craig Armstrong
This version of Nature Boy is the opening song in the film. We hear its haunting melody as the camera swoops across a black-and-white image of 1899 Paris and into the streets below. However, it is John Leguizamo's voice (as Toulouse Lautrec) that we hear as in this opening sequence. Indeed, David Bowie's vocals do not feature in the film at all, and so he serves only as a cover artist for this song on the soundtrack. I believe it is a shame that John's version was not also featured, and was disappointed not to see his version included on the second soundtrack CD. I think that John's version was much more fitting in setting the tone of the film but, at the same time, I can also see the marketing value of having a high profile performer such as David Bowie headlining the soundtrack with this track.
Baz points out in one of the movie length commentaries featured on the DVD that Nature Boy very much became 'Christian's theme'. If you listen carefully to the lyrics combined with the haunting melody of the song, this connection quickly becomes apparent. I actually connected the song with Christian the very first time I watched the film and marvelled at how perfectly it described him and, later, what would become of him.
The song also introduces the film's motto - "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." It is Christian who learns and speaks this in the film, and so it is very fitting that the phrase is also featured in his musical 'theme'.
Lyrics
Christian - "This story is about love. The woman I loved is... dead."
Bowie - There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he
And then one day
One magic day he passed my way
While we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return