Life on Mars

"**Life on Mars**" is a song originally written and recorded by David Bowie. AURORA covered this song live since early in her career. A studio recording is featured on the soundtrack album "Girls, Vol. 3" for the HBO original TV series *Girls* and was released on February 19, 2016. Both the cover and the original song are sometimes titled "Life on Mars?".

## About the song

Performing the song in a session for *Gigwise*, Aurora said:

> "I just really understand 'the girl with the mousey hair', [...] she gets quite disappointed over the world and she hears about this greater, more beautiful life that might be out there somewhere. She asks herself these questions - is there life on Mars? Is there a purer life that I don't have access to? [...] It's just a really beautiful song, and I loved it from the first time I heard it. David Bowie himself is a hero, he just made us all feel so special - he was a genius. The way he behaved, the way he answered all of his interviews, the way he was, it was just so inspirational. [...] It's very bold to embrace your inner quirkiness, and he helped me not to be ashamed of who I am."
>
>

Aurora told *Clash* how she was chosen for the soundtrack of *Girls*:

> "I was asked to record the song for the John Lewis advert, and I have been doing a cover for David Bowie's 'Life on Mars' for two years now because I love this song. When he died, it became an even more important song. And then Lena Dunham found me on YouTube, and her manager contacted mine saying she wanted my song to be in an episode. It was a beautiful scene too, I cried."
>
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## Lyrics

It's a god-awful small affair

To the girl with the mousy hair

But her mommy is yelling "No"

And her daddy has told her to go

But her friend is nowhere to be seen

Now she walks through a sunken dream

To the seat with the clearest view

And she's hooked to the silver screen

But the film is a saddening bore

Cause she's seen 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 on 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 with 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 she writ it ten times or more

It's about to be writ again

And 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 on the best selling show

Is there life on Mars?

Is there life on Mars?

Lyrics transcribed by listening to Aurora's studio recording, starting from David Bowie's lyrics.

## Trivia

* The song appeared in many AURORA live sets, most notably during her 2015-2016 tours, often as an encore. Her first known live performance of the song was on 2/20/2014 at Framtidskonferansen, long before the studio recording of the song.
* Alf Lund Godbolt is credited for playing organ on the song's recording, on tour he often accompanied Aurora on keys for this song.

## References

1. ↑ https://music.apple.com/album/1440845425
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ipwa4iFjEQ
3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160303103853/http://www.gigwise.com/features/105758/aurora-covers-david-bowie-life-on-mars-before-album-tour-john-lewis (archived from original)
4. ↑ https://www.clashmusic.com/features/in-conversation-aurora
5. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/David-Bowie-Hunky-Dory/release/4641620