LogFAQs > #957329859

25. David Bowie Life on Mars? (1971)
from the album Hunky Dory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKcl4-tcuo

Key lyrics:
But the film is a saddening bore
Because I wrote it ten times or more

David Bowie was an alien among men. At least, thats what he wanted us to believe, and works like Life on Mars? did a convincing job. Lyrically, this is an evisceration of popular culture, where cartoon idols are propped up and all art is a rehash. The title is a surrealist expression of a simple longing to go to some distant place where everything is new and unexpected. But as his words hit hard, he also presents himself as if at a distance. His thoughts are filtered through a girl with mousy hair, and he uses her point of view to position himself as an objective observer. Yet nothing he speaks is in easy terms, his phrasing forcing us to contemplate his meaning.

His instrumentation plays out in a similar fashion, at once familiar yet twisting in unexpected ways. After kicking off like a piano ballad, Life on Mars? shoots into space during its chorus with the assistance of a string arrangement. The effect is heightened by Bowies deliberate timing. The verses feature a beat between every line, but the chorus begins to pair certain lines together without a break. By giving each line room to breathe until the chorus, a subtle sense of urgency takes over. This transforms his drawn-out delivery of the title line into a cathartic release.

David Bowie is a genre chameleon, and the fun of Life on Mars? is how much he positions himself like a traditional pop singer on a big stage while speaking an unfamiliar tongue before shooting skyward. The showmanship is the height of glam rocks aspirations, while the arrangement is one of many pieces that solidified his status as the king of art rock. Life on Mars? sounds simple, but Bowie worked his magic to make every second burst with life.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/