On January 10th, 2016, legendary English singer, producer, and performer David Bowie passed away from liver cancer. In light of the tragedy, I'd like to talk about one of my favorite songs by him, "Life On Mars?"
LIFE ON MARS? - David Bowie
It's a God-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a saddening bore
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
Now, I'm not going to lie. The first time I heard this song was on a TV show -- specifically, American Horror Story: Freak Show, which I've also included at the end of this blog post. I've always enjoyed that song, but I actually didn't realize until recently that it was originally written and performed by David Bowie. The piece has a really interesting tone -- somewhere between the slightly melancholy feel of the verses and the loud, soaring chorus.
Although I don't totally agree with the message of the song, I do have to admit that it is an interesting interpretation of our modern-day entertainment industry. Looking from both the perspective of a viewer and an artist, "Life On Mars" points out that movies and art are often repetitive and unoriginal, the same idea used "ten times or more." While many use entertainment as an escape from real life, many, like the girl in the first few verses, find themselves bored by their predictability and the reflection of reality in the movies. One of the most telling lines in the entire song is this one: "It's on America's tortured brow/That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow." Bowie isn't talking about a literal, mooing cow, but a "cash cow"; "Mickey Mouse," a symbolism of childish imagination, has now become just a flimsy cover for the greedy, money-hungry entertainment conglomerations. With the cry, "Is there life on Mars?", Bowie is asking if there truly is any escape from reality.
On one hand, I do believe that "Life On Mars" has more than a grain of truth to it. It seems like movies come out every month that are just slight variations on each other /cougheveryhorrormovieever/, but on the other hand, I think "Life On Mars" is a little pessimistic for me. As someone who enjoys writing and music, I believe it's a little ignorant to assume that most artists are merely working for the money. But then again, I have been told I'm a bit of an idealist before (which I'm not denying), and I can imagine that in the real movie industry, a lot of screenwriters write the typical romance or action movies because those are the ones that get picked up faster and make the most money. In addition, the instrumentation itself in "Life On Mars?" really appeals to me. The melody does a nice job of switching between an outwardly cheerful chorus and the slower, sadder verses.
Last note -- the scene from Freak Show below actually does connect to the song in an interesting way. Not only is the woman singing (YAS MY QUEEN JESSICA LANGE) named "Elsa MARS" (haha, you get it?), but as she sings a song about the dark side of entertainment in front of a measly audience of two people, she realizes that her mediocre performances mean nothing. In fact, there's a short clip where she (her subconscious? another alter ego?) watches herself perform with a sad look on her face; she's realized that her dreams of becoming a star had crumbled away long ago.
Although I don't totally agree with the message of the song, I do have to admit that it is an interesting interpretation of our modern-day entertainment industry. Looking from both the perspective of a viewer and an artist, "Life On Mars" points out that movies and art are often repetitive and unoriginal, the same idea used "ten times or more." While many use entertainment as an escape from real life, many, like the girl in the first few verses, find themselves bored by their predictability and the reflection of reality in the movies. One of the most telling lines in the entire song is this one: "It's on America's tortured brow/That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow." Bowie isn't talking about a literal, mooing cow, but a "cash cow"; "Mickey Mouse," a symbolism of childish imagination, has now become just a flimsy cover for the greedy, money-hungry entertainment conglomerations. With the cry, "Is there life on Mars?", Bowie is asking if there truly is any escape from reality.
On one hand, I do believe that "Life On Mars" has more than a grain of truth to it. It seems like movies come out every month that are just slight variations on each other /cougheveryhorrormovieever/, but on the other hand, I think "Life On Mars" is a little pessimistic for me. As someone who enjoys writing and music, I believe it's a little ignorant to assume that most artists are merely working for the money. But then again, I have been told I'm a bit of an idealist before (which I'm not denying), and I can imagine that in the real movie industry, a lot of screenwriters write the typical romance or action movies because those are the ones that get picked up faster and make the most money. In addition, the instrumentation itself in "Life On Mars?" really appeals to me. The melody does a nice job of switching between an outwardly cheerful chorus and the slower, sadder verses.
Last note -- the scene from Freak Show below actually does connect to the song in an interesting way. Not only is the woman singing (YAS MY QUEEN JESSICA LANGE) named "Elsa MARS" (haha, you get it?), but as she sings a song about the dark side of entertainment in front of a measly audience of two people, she realizes that her mediocre performances mean nothing. In fact, there's a short clip where she (her subconscious? another alter ego?) watches herself perform with a sad look on her face; she's realized that her dreams of becoming a star had crumbled away long ago.