David Bowie's Song 'Life On Mars'

David Bowie was an androgynous musician who had several songs that had deep symbolism. For example his song “Life on Mars” which was released in 1971 along with the Hunky Dory Album, but it took off when he embraced his Ziggy Stardust persona. The song is dedicated to an era of rebellion against materialism and escapism through entertainment such as movies and shows. Most of all, the song is dedicated to a time in which media was focused on all of the violence and acts of resistance. The entertainment sector was exploiting workers, popular media, feeding off all of the drama from daily occurrences.It was meant to reach those who were participating in the stories that hollywood and the news were so keen on seeing.“Life on Mars” was also trying to …show more content…
The girl he’s talking about in his song is trying to live a life full of drama like on the television. Her “sunken dream” is a dream she’ll has already reached but isn’t happy with. She doesn’t realize it. However her rebellious act to leave her home and run from her parents makes her part of this “best selling show” that Bowie mentions. A lot of other things are part of this “best selling show” like the “sailors fighting in the dance hall” or “the lawman beating up the wrong guy” (which could The purpose of this song is also that people depend too much on the tv and entertainment stories that they do not realize how much the entertainment sector is using them. The song is introduced in the music video, in a very serious and simple way. It is David Bowie simply standing with a white background behind him and at first, it doesn’t make sense with the lyrics in his song. However, one could compare him to a talk show host or a T.V anchor that is delivering the news to the audience. He sounds almost angry or as if he’s criticizing the people he’s talking about in the