The 66-year-old rocker's latest video, which he wrote and conceived himself, features plenty of racy imagery and the clergy engaged in some less-than-pious behavior. "The Next Day" clip also bears the "explicit" parental advisory label and ended up being banned from YouTube for "violating terms of service" just a few hours after its release.
However, it quickly returned the video with a new warning suggesting that it was only suitable for views over the age of 18.
According to a Google spokesperson, the video was initially removed as a result of an overreaction to the video's content. "With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call. When it's brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it."
The religiously-themed video, which was directed by Italian photographer and filmmaker Floria Sigismondi, features Bowie playing a Christ-like figure with Marion Cotillard as a saint-like figure, complete with blood-spurting palm wounds. It also stars Gary Oldman as a sleazy-looking priest, who is boozing and frolicking with presumed prostitutes.
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, issued a statement on the group's website just hours after the video debuted, saying that the "switch-hitting, bisexual, senior citizen from London has resurfaced."
Donahue continued, "The lyrics refer to the 'priest stiff in hate' and 'women dressed as men for the pleasure of that priest. In short, the video reflects the artist -- it is a mess."
"The Next Day" is the title track from Bowie's first studio album in ten years, which he released in March.
Watch the video below
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