Life on Mars?

"Life on Mars?" features some of the most sophisticated harmony in popular music. Born from Bowie's frustrated response to losing 'Comme d'habitude' to Paul Anka's 'My Way', the song takes the chromatic voice leading and minor IV substitution of its inspiration and amplifies them into a restlessly modulating journey. The verse's chromatic descending bass creates hypnotic forward pull, while the chorus's sudden leap to the flat mediant Ab produces its signature dramatic sweep — a move more common in late-Romantic orchestral writing than rock songwriting. The interplay of secondary dominants, chromatic mediants, and the poignant major-to-minor IV shift places the harmony well beyond standard rock vocabulary, complemented by Rick Wakeman's classically trained piano work and Mick Ronson's lush string arrangement. The jazz influence manifests not in swing or improvisation but in the chromatic voice leading and extended chord voicings that thread through every section.

Written as a creative 'revenge' after David Bowie’s English lyrics for the French song 'Comme d'habitude' (titled 'Even a Fool Learns to Love') were rejected in favor of Paul Anka's version, which became Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'. Bowie wrote 'Life on Mars?' using a similar chord progression as a parody of Sinatra's hit.

Originally released on the 1971 album Hunky Dory, this track is a definitive glam rock anthem that bridges the gap between Broadway theatricality and abstract expressionism. Featuring Rick Wakeman's virtuosic piano and Mick Ronson's sweeping arrangements, it remains one of the most critically acclaimed songs in music history.