Here’s a scary thought for all you Little Monsters out there: Without David Bowie, there would be no Gaga as we know her now. Let that sink for a second. No Lady Gaga. No Lady Gaga. NO LADY GAGA.

(Or, you know, she would have just hit her jazz phase much sooner.)

Don’t believe me? Let’s break it down: Gaga was inspired by Bowie, and also (pretty obviously) Madonna... who was also inspired by ol’ Davey Jones. So a Bowie-less world is a real one-two punch in this case.

Let’s start with Madonna. As Madge said at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for the “Fame” singer, before she laid eyes on Aladdin Same she was “just your normal, dysfunctional, rebellious teenager from the Midwest, and he has truly changed my life.” To reiterate: He changed her life.

Without The Man Who Fell To Earth and, consequently, Madonna to help her navigate the cosmos, would Gaga have ever donned a meat dress? Would she have emerged from that egg? Would she have become a beacon of acceptance and “Born This Way” pride to legions of lost fans?