"Ashes to Ashes" (David Bowie)

Normally, I wouldn't go for something as gimmicky as a follow up song, where you find out the latest about a character whom you met 10 years earlier.  But, dammit, when Bowie does it, it's a work of art.
In "Ashes to Ashes" from Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980), you get reacquainted with "Major Tom," the celebrity/space cadet/junkie from Bowie's very first hit song, "Space Oddity" (1969).  If you're unfamiliar with "Space Oddity," it uses the sci-fi premise of an astronaut being launched into outer space and then losing touch with ground control back on earth as an extended metaphor for a meteoric rise to celebrity and eventual fall because of overindulgence.
It's oddly prophetic, considering Bowie himself skyrocketed to fame only to nearly lose himself to a massive cocaine habit by the end of the 70s.
Anyway, in "Ashes to Ashes," we meet up with "Major Tom" again to find out that he's doing well, even though he admits he's still fighting his demons.  
Ultimately, by the time Bowie gets to the end of the track, he decides that it's time to clean up his own act and put "Major Tom" behind him: My momma said to get things done / You better not mess with 'Major Tom'.
As a narrative, the song is compelling enough.  But the track's fractured funk with its twisted beat, slapped bass, and spacey synths make it even more desirable to visit and revisit.