Life on Mars?
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| “Life on Mars?” | |||||
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| Single by David Bowie from the album Hunky Dory |
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| B-side | "The Man Who Sold the World" | ||||
| Released | 22 June 1973 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Recorded | Trident Studios, London April 1971 |
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| Genre | Glam rock, piano rock | ||||
| Length | 3:48 | ||||
| Label | RCA Records 2316 |
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| Writer(s) | David Bowie | ||||
| Producer | Ken Scott | ||||
| David Bowie singles chronology | |||||
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| Hunky Dory track listing | |||||
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"Life on Mars?" is a song by David Bowie first released in 1971 on the album Hunky Dory. The song—which BBC Radio 2 later called "a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dalí painting"[1]—featured guest piano work by keyboardist Rick Wakeman. When released as a single in 1973, it reached #3 in the UK and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. The song re-entered the UK charts at #55 over 30 years later, largely because of a TV show by the same name that used the song.
In February 1999, Q magazine listed the single as one of the 100 greatest of all time, as voted by the readers. It has continued to chart in the Q 'best of' polls, featuring most recently in 2006 at #45. A BBC Radio 2 poll in 1986 crowned it as the best David Bowie song of all time.[citation needed]
As early as 1974 Barbra Streisand released a version of the song on her album Butterfly[2]. The song has also been covered by Italian artist L'Aura[citation needed], by pop artist Mig Ayesa, American pop musician Michelle Branch, and Brazilian singer Seu Jorge on the soundtrack of the film Life Aquatic.
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[edit] Origins
In 1968, Bowie wrote "Even a Fool Learns to Love", a song with lyrics by Bowie set to the music of a 1967 French song ("Comme d'habitude"). Bowie's song was never released, but Paul Anka bought the rights to the original French version, and rewrote it into "My Way," made famous by Frank Sinatra in a 1969 recording on his album of the same name. The success of the Anka version prompted Bowie to write "Life of Mars?" as a parody of Sinatra's recording.[1]
Bowie described how he wrote the song in notes for a Bowie compilation CD that accompanied a June 2008 issue of The Mail on Sunday:[3]
- Workspace was a big empty room with a chaise longue; a bargain-price art nouveau screen ('William Morris,' so I told anyone who asked); a huge overflowing freestanding ashtray and a grand piano. Little else. I started working it out on the piano and had the whole lyric and melody finished by late afternoon.
Bowie noted that Wakeman "embellished the piano part" of his original melody and guitarist Mick Ronson "created one of his first and best string parts" for the song.[1]
The liner notes for Hunky Dory indicate that the song was 'inspired by Frankie'.[1]
[edit] Lyrics
Has been described as having "one of the strangest lyrics ever."[1]
[edit] Music video
To promote the single release, Mick Rock directed a promotional video for the song, featuring Bowie in a turquoise suit performing the song solo against a white backdrop.
[edit] Derivative Work
The title was used for the British TV show "Life on Mars." A following spin-off took its title from another Bowie song " Ashes to Ashes"
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by David Bowie:
- "Life on Mars?" – 3:48
- "The Man Who Sold the World" – 3:55
The Portuguese release of the single had "Black Country Rock" as the B-side.[citation needed]
[edit] Production credits
- Producers
- Ken Scott on "Life on Mars?"
- Tony Visconti on "The Man Who Sold the World"
- Musicians
- David Bowie: vocals, guitar
- Mick Ronson: guitar
- Trevor Bolder: bass on "Life On Mars?"
- Tony Visconti: bass on "The Man Who Sold the World/Black Country Rock", piano on "Black Country Rock"
- Mick Woodmansey: drums
- Rick Wakeman: piano on "Life on Mars?"
- Ralph Mace: Moog synthesizer on "The Man Who Sold The World"
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
