The classic David Bowie song that was “so easy” to write
Throughout his career, David Bowie made it clear that songwriting came to him naturally. Even in his earliest guise as David Jones, when still just a teenager, those around him were acutely aware of his songwriting ability, with infectious hooks coming to him as if by some divine power. Being the staunch adherent of creative development that he was, Bowie would continue to hone his craft, and by the time he had released 1969’s ‘Space Oddity’, he was already an accomplished songwriter.
Three years after this moment, Bowie broke through with his taboo-busting masterpiece The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which kicked off a career that would see him hailed as one of the greatest ever to do it, with a host of different personas to boot. Bowie would then collaborate with some of the best in the business, from Mick Ronson to John Lennon, and take his craft to an iconic level.
While Bowie’s extensive career has many highlights, ranging from the heady ‘Space Oddity’ to the disco-inflected ‘Let’s Dance’, one of his most important cuts is undoubtedly ‘Life on Mars?’ from 1971’s Hunky Dory. Written as a parody of crooner Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’, the track is primarily a glam rock ballad featuring guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansey, the future Spiders from Mars. ‘Life on Mars?’ and the album it arrived with helped to set the scene for the art-rock brilliance of the following year’s Ziggy Stardust.
‘Life on Mars?’ is certainly one of Bowie’s most treasured and timeless hits. Yet, during an interview in 2008, he revealed that it was actually “so easy” to write, something that seems unfeasible when listening to its musical verve. That year, the Brixton native handpicked 12 of his favourite original songs for The Mail on Sunday for the exclusive compilation, iSELECT: BOWIE. Unsurprisingly, it sold out fast and has become a collector’s item. Along with each selection, Bowie also provided some words about the pieces.
His list started with ‘Life on Mars?’, and Bowie recalled writing the masterpiece in his comment. “This song was so easy,” he claimed. “Being young was easy. A really beautiful day in the park, sitting on the steps of the bandstand. ‘Sailors bap-bap-bap-bap-baaa-bap.’ An anomic (not a ‘gnomic’) heroine. Middle-class ecstasy.”
Concluding: “I took a walk to Beckenham High Street to catch a bus to Lewisham to buy shoes and shirts but couldn’t get the riff out of my head. Jumped off two stops into the ride and more or less loped back to the house up on Southend Road.”
