About the artist: David Bowie (1947 - 2016) was a British singer-songwriter, whose career stretched over six decades. He is generally recognized as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, affecting subjects as diverse as fashion and classical music. He released dozens of studio albums, many of which were bestsellers. David Bowie currently has three songs in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time (and one as a part of a cooperation).
About the song: David Bowie undoubtedly made his best music in the early and mid seventies. The acclaimed 1971 album Hunky Dory included his absolute masterpiece Life on Mars?. This belated UK top three hit single (charting in 1973) is an astonishing mixture of weird lyrics and musical influences ranging from Broadway to Edith Piaf to Frank Sinatra. Bowie himself described it as transplanting the brain of a cabaret song onto a piece of rock writing. Run time 3:51.
