Yungblud covered David Bowie’s “Life On Mars?” for a special edition release and, as expected, it’s otherworldly.
Yungblud’s No Stranger to Mars
In December 2020, Yungblud’s sophomore release, Weird!, came out. The critically-acclaimed record was personal and reflective, including a wide array of hits. A few of the singles became immediate Yungblud classics. Songs like “cotton candy”and “acting like that” featuring Machine Gun Kelly took the punk rocker to new, mainstream heights.
One single, possibly the most introspective of them all, was titled “mars.” The emotive, harmonious track takes punk rock and alternative music to places it has never been before. There is a strong singer-songwriter quality and nostalgia embedded into the anthemic lyrics. One of the lyrics comes directly from the catalog of androgynous, legendary musician, David Bowie. “Is there life on mars?” Yungblud asks.
Yungblud consistently cites David Bowie as being one of his top influences. The ability to quote him, as well as sample one of his most notable lyrics, was a chance for Yungblud to connect with the deceased star. Little did he know that just a few weeks after Weird! came out alongside “mars,” he would be on a path to a real Bowie collaboration.
Thank NASA’s Mars Exploration Program For This “Life On Mars” Cover
David Bowie passed away five years ago. His influence and inspiration on artists and pop culture remains strong, though. Yungblud is just one of many examples.
Because of this, the annual David Bowie Celebration tours the world. Friends and admirers, as well as former co-workers and bandmates of the icon, gather for a tribute to him and his music. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was virtual, which means that the UK-based was able to remotely partake.
Yungblud respectfully and purely covered “Life on Mars?” on the Bowie Celebration stage back in January. This is the very same track he slyly based his own song, “mars,” on. He claims it to be one of his favorite songs of all time, by his favorite artist of all time. This full circle moment warmed Yungblud’s heart just as much as his fans, who got to see a dream of his be lived out.
It wasn’t until NASA tapped Yungblud for a partnership that his pristine “Life on Mars?” cover saw the light of day.
“Life On Mars?” Gets A Reissue – Again!
The David Bowie Celebration was a one-off, ticketed, live event. If you missed the stellar performance, that was that.
That is, until NASA saw the power and purpose behind Yungblud’s cover of the beloved track. Therefore, the space station recruited him to use that cover alongside their Mars merchandise collection. With both the Mars rover and astronauts doing what they can to learn about the red planet, they wanted to commemorate it. In order to do so, they started a merchandise line that perfectly aligned with Yungblud’s style and music.
Alongside the merchandise drop, a celebratory single release of Yungblud’s “Life on Mars?” cover also came out.
“today i did a merch drop with @nasa and was allowed to release a cover of my favourite song by my favourite artist. someone f***** wake me the fuck up !!!” Yungblud captioned a series of Instagram photos donning the limited edition clothing.
Now, Yungblud has a spectacular new single out dedicated to David Bowie and all thanks to NASA. If that’s not two bucket list moments, we don’t know what is! Fans can now watch and listen to the mesmerizing performance of “Life On Mars?” by Yungblud.
