Back in spring 1971 David Bowie got on the number 54 bus at the start of Southend Road, Beckenham. Apparently he ran through the Comme d' Habitude (My Way) opening melody in his head as he sat on the top deck. But this time the chords followed for the "But the film is a saddening bore" section and by the time the bus reached Bromley Road, Catford, Bowie had the full Life on Mars' chords and melody complete in his head. So, he jumped off the bus and crossed the road to catch another 54 bus back to Beckenham to record a version asap.
Used to sing this song to warm up for gigs because it has such a range. One day a flatmate popped out of her room while I was belting it. She was sleeping off a long night. She was furious I woke her up playing a Bowie record so loud. I said, "Sorry, that was me, I have a gig." Her face lit up with a big smile. She was quite understanding after that.
‘Life on Mars’ is so much more than ’My Way’ the similar part- the first 8 bars of the verse- are a jumping off point- Life on Mars is musically and lyrically sophisticated, and beautifully arranged and performed.
Comme D’habitude is great too, more emotional than either of its offspring. No where near as sophisticated and thought provoking as Life On Mars and the way I see it, Life On Mars is a post modern Warholian work in that it takes the relatively mundane My Way and uses it the create a cerebral, nostalgic masterpiece that makes every day life and the then-new phenomenon of consumerism seem like Monet’s gardens- at least what we’d been saddled with as the romance of the 18th century had completely faded. I mean, the lyric of “Is there life on Mars?” begs the question: is this all there is now?
Great video David! I love Bowie. I write music and play guitar and sing. Bowie along with Nina Simone, Elizabeth Fraser, and Jeff Buckley are my greatest voice influences. Such fun to see the back story on this song. Cheers!
David Bowie was my era. I was an early teenager as he was starting to become popular, at school when Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane were all coming out. He was like a lightening bolt after the Beatles and Stones. He literarily dressed like a space man and pointed to us all during his TV performance of Starman. I was hooked like millions of others. My point is, he came across as such a weird person that performed weird songs. You never got to see him on TV apart from a documentary Cracked actor 1975. That film confirmed his weirdness. He was this weird star you would never get to meet. But when he was interviewed (as himself) he seemed perfectly normal, it was all an act and he was the indeed the Cracked actor. He was however, very clever and very determined.
In in the early 80s, when he achieved mainstream popularity, he was still the musician for weirdos. That's the great thing about mainstream success. The casual fans never bother looking deeper, so they had no idea who he really was. And the weird obsessives get to discover a wealth of back-catalog, and realize that he's putting on the persona of a mainstream pop star the same way he put on the persona of an alien. Of course, he's articulate, erudite, and personable in interviews, but at his core, I think he was definitely a full-blown weirdo. Not because he really was Ziggy, or the Thin White Duke, or the Cracked Actor. But because he was always wearing a persona. And, of course, while he pretended to the end of his career that those personas weren't him, there was always more of him in them than he was willing to admit, even to himself. After all, by his own admission, he really did take it all too far. But boy, could he play guitar.
these are some of the best videos on youtube, just fantastic work my man. your doing a lot of important work for music history and i think a lot of people will appreciate that in time. thank you.
Ironically the response to Life on mars was recorded prior in 1965 and it's called ballad of thin man, as if Bob Dylan was way ahead of the curve. When you find this connection and a dialogue between them it will blow your mind, you just have to realize how relative timespace really is and how some people have more insight then others who live through their own mistakes.
i also think Hunky Dory is Bowies’s greatest album, with some (as Wakeman says) great melodies. For me the puzzle is why didn’t Bowie carry on writing great melodies?
Why does everyone overlook The Man Who Sold the World? What a brilliant album! That’s when he was right on the cutting edge as an influence in hard rock, in my opinion. It also marks the beginning of his best band and collaboration with Mick Ronson. (They were in full force and also his band on the Ziggy Stardust album). Hunky Dory’s great, but definitely mellower and more laid back.
I still think Hunky Dory is the best Bowie album. The others are great albums and great songs, but I think I like every song on that, the favourite being 'the bewlay brothers' which is supposed to be 'bowie' about his crazy brother, something he referenced again later with 'jump, they say'.
the person who said Life on Mars was a beautiful song was absolutely right. Bowie was a true musical genius and his reputation has only grown since his passing.⚛️❤
I never knew the association with My Way. I tend to think of My Way as Elvis’ song. His life was much more tragic and seems to fit him better than Sinatra.
Fantastic video! I thought I knew everything about this song but you gave a lot of new information. I always found the piano and the phone in the fade-out to be so haunting and mysterious. When I listened to Life on Mars it always was as a single song so i figured that the phone would be a hint to the next song on the album, like a sort of concept album of sorts. But when I started listening to Hunky Dory in full, I never understood why the phone was there. Great video, Keep it up!
Indeed "Hunky Dory" is Stupendous. Come on, Everyone knows the Best version of "My Way" is by Sid Viscous. It's REAL coming from Him whereas Frank NEVER did it His Way. He did it the Mafia's Way. Bag Boy.
I've always considered this song to fall into the category of "Hitler songs." By that, I mean, put the lyrics into the mouth of Hitler, and it still works -- dreadfully. If it works for Hitler, I don't buy it.
Back in spring 1971 David Bowie got on the number 54 bus at the start of Southend Road, Beckenham. Apparently he ran through the Comme d' Habitude (My Way) opening melody in his head as he sat on the top deck. But this time the chords followed for the "But the film is a saddening bore" section and by the time the bus reached Bromley Road, Catford, Bowie had the full Life on Mars' chords and melody complete in his head. So, he jumped off the bus and crossed the road to catch another 54 bus back to Beckenham to record a version asap.
You didn't mention the piano used by Rick Wakeman to record the song. It was the same piano used on Hey Jude, You're So Vain and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Used to sing this song to warm up for gigs because it has such a range. One day a flatmate popped out of her room while I was belting it. She was sleeping off a long night. She was furious I woke her up playing a Bowie record so loud. I said, "Sorry, that was me, I have a gig." Her face lit up with a big smile. She was quite understanding after that.
The French guy never got a penny. Such a robbery. It was his song and he was totally robbed.
Thanks for being a real person and not a robot voice which is becoming all too common on TH-cam. Very interesting btw.
Wonderful content! I love these deep dives and behind the scenes details! Bowie forever!
‘Life on Mars’ is so much more than ’My Way’ the similar part- the first 8 bars of the verse- are a jumping off point- Life on Mars is musically and lyrically sophisticated, and beautifully arranged and performed.
Comme D’habitude is great too, more emotional than either of its offspring. No where near as sophisticated and thought provoking as Life On Mars and the way I see it, Life On Mars is a post modern Warholian work in that it takes the relatively mundane My Way and uses it the create a cerebral, nostalgic masterpiece that makes every day life and the then-new phenomenon of consumerism seem like Monet’s gardens- at least what we’d been saddled with as the romance of the 18th century had completely faded. I mean, the lyric of “Is there life on Mars?” begs the question: is this all there is now?
I grew up listening to David's songs, at one point I had the majority of his albums (now they're cd's). He was genuinely ONE OF A KIND, R.I.P Mr Jones
Great video David! I love Bowie. I write music and play guitar and sing. Bowie along with Nina Simone, Elizabeth Fraser, and Jeff Buckley are my greatest voice influences. Such fun to see the back story on this song. Cheers!
David Bowie was my era. I was an early teenager as he was starting to become popular, at school when Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane were all coming out. He was like a lightening bolt after the Beatles and Stones. He literarily dressed like a space man and pointed to us all during his TV performance of Starman. I was hooked like millions of others. My point is, he came across as such a weird person that performed weird songs. You never got to see him on TV apart from a documentary Cracked actor 1975. That film confirmed his weirdness. He was this weird star you would never get to meet. But when he was interviewed (as himself) he seemed perfectly normal, it was all an act and he was the indeed the Cracked actor. He was however, very clever and very determined.
In in the early 80s, when he achieved mainstream popularity, he was still the musician for weirdos. That's the great thing about mainstream success. The casual fans never bother looking deeper, so they had no idea who he really was. And the weird obsessives get to discover a wealth of back-catalog, and realize that he's putting on the persona of a mainstream pop star the same way he put on the persona of an alien. Of course, he's articulate, erudite, and personable in interviews, but at his core, I think he was definitely a full-blown weirdo. Not because he really was Ziggy, or the Thin White Duke, or the Cracked Actor. But because he was always wearing a persona. And, of course, while he pretended to the end of his career that those personas weren't him, there was always more of him in them than he was willing to admit, even to himself. After all, by his own admission, he really did take it all too far.
But boy, could he play guitar.
these are some of the best videos on youtube, just fantastic work my man. your doing a lot of important work for music history and i think a lot of people will appreciate that in time. thank you.
It's actually general-Bowie-knowledge that's been told on Bowie sites for years. All of this is very old news.
@@apollomemories7399 Not to me and many others.
Nice to hear the back story on genuinely great songs ~ Good job ~ Subscribed!
this is my favourite channel on youtube right now, just wish there were hundreds more videos like this.
I'm a Bowie fan, another excellent video 🤩
So happy I just saw this video, excellence inn all respects, thanks!
Best Bowie song ever. Sends shivers down my spine - even after this many years. Lyrics, vocals, arrangements and music. He did it his way
Two sides of the same coin, Hunky Dory and Station to Station...priceless.
Great video.
you’re one of the best and most consistent music content creators on this platform, never skip a video ❤
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the upload. Rick Wakeman...I didn't know this 👍
This needs to be spreaded! As a Bowie fan I was fully aware of that.
Delving into this makes me understand why listening to this beautiful song has so much impact. Captivating, magical, I just cannot define it✨
That's some nifty playing Rick. Nice!
Still miss Bowie.
One of the all time greats in music.
I would always love how your videos look high quality yet you have so few subs and views, I see a lot of good content from you
My favorite Bowie song. That part with the recorders is really nice
Very interesting, well done
Absolutely perfect song.
I love how the TV Series "Life on Mars" used this song, it was perfect for it, including the ringing telephone.
Thanks DH. Excellent storytelling. Bowie was a major influence on my life and your story just enhanced that.
Well done! I have been thinking about early Bowie the last few days, and this was good to hear.
Beautiful video David,thank you.❤️❤️❤️
Ironically the response to Life on mars was recorded prior in 1965 and it's called ballad of thin man, as if Bob Dylan was way ahead of the curve. When you find this connection and a dialogue between them it will blow your mind, you just have to realize how relative timespace really is and how some people have more insight then others who live through their own mistakes.
Bowie had a real gift for choosing the right musicians and then leaving them to do their thing. Hunky Dory is full of great piano playing from Rick.
I discovered Hunky Dory in about 1980, and it remains one of my all-time favourite albums.
i also think Hunky Dory is Bowies’s greatest album, with some (as Wakeman says) great melodies. For me the puzzle is why didn’t Bowie carry on writing great melodies?
Giant Rooks cover of this song is magical.
Nice video man, thanks
Why does everyone overlook The Man Who Sold the World? What a brilliant album! That’s when he was right on the cutting edge as an influence in hard rock, in my opinion. It also marks the beginning of his best band and collaboration with Mick Ronson. (They were in full force and also his band on the Ziggy Stardust album). Hunky Dory’s great, but definitely mellower and more laid back.
Nice work!
I still think Hunky Dory is the best Bowie album. The others are great albums and great songs, but I think I like every song on that, the favourite being 'the bewlay brothers' which is supposed to be 'bowie' about his crazy brother, something he referenced again later with 'jump, they say'.
Excellent video 👌🏽
I've just purchased the Divine Symmetry boxset. Includes everything in the time leading up to and including Hunky Dory. Outstanding.
Fascinating.
Wonderful video
the person who said Life on Mars was a beautiful song was absolutely right. Bowie was a true musical genius and his reputation has only grown since his passing.⚛️❤
PYTHONIAN... AS BRILLIANT STUDIO TAKE DISSOLVES INTO RINGING PHONE AND MUTTERED CURSES.
Great video!! ❤
I never knew the association with My Way. I tend to think of My Way as Elvis’ song. His life was much more tragic and seems to fit him better than Sinatra.
You got the wrong photos for what years of Bowie you were talking about, otherwise I like the video
Lol his first album did not fail due to bad marketing. It's just a shit record hah. And I'm a huge fan
Well done, all except the clickbait title the greatly oversells. The series of events sound like pretty normal stuff in the life of a great artist.
Am I the only one who likes HUNKY DORY better than any other glam era Bowie album ?
Nope.😊
Fantastic video! I thought I knew everything about this song but you gave a lot of new information. I always found the piano and the phone in the fade-out to be so haunting and mysterious. When I listened to Life on Mars it always was as a single song so i figured that the phone would be a hint to the next song on the album, like a sort of concept album of sorts. But when I started listening to Hunky Dory in full, I never understood why the phone was there. Great video, Keep it up!
why was there a toilet with a public phone next to a piano in a recording studio?
Indeed "Hunky Dory" is Stupendous. Come on, Everyone knows the Best version of "My Way" is by Sid Viscous. It's REAL coming from Him whereas Frank NEVER did it His Way. He did it the Mafia's Way. Bag Boy.
Sp my way is actually a French song
No one would ever guess he was originally from Yorkshire would they when you listen to him?
That’s because he wasn’t. Born and brought up in London, although his father was indeed from Doncaster. Yorkshire.
The telephone was in the TOILET? What?
Wasn't that a jack rabbit song?
FS, didn't write, DB did
I prefer Sids version..
bowie was a thief. people don't like to hear that. but it's true. he never had an original idea in his head. but a copy cat extraordinaire.
My word the Bowie version sucks.
Shame that the lyrics are absolute bollocks.
I've always considered this song to fall into the category of "Hitler songs." By that, I mean, put the lyrics into the mouth of Hitler, and it still works -- dreadfully. If it works for Hitler, I don't buy it.
This is straight up, one of the weirdest replies I've ever read.
So you're one of bowies illegitimate children lost all over the world? You gotta be