life on mars?

David Bowie · 1971

Listen carefully and fill in the missing words.

    

Verse 1
It's a God-awful small (1)
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her (2) is yelling, "No!"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be (3)
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver (4)

Pre-Chorus
But the film is a saddening (5)
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to (6) on-

Chorus
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man!
Look at those (7) go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the (8)
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man!
Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

Verse 2
It's on America's (9) brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the (10) have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the (11) in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of (12)
To my mother, my dog, and clowns

Pre-Chorus 2
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be (13) again
As I ask you to focus on-

[Chorus]
  

Life on Mars?

David Bowie · 1971

ClassPlan.ai

Song Worksheets

Connotation Compass

Sort these words from the song into positive, negative, or neutral categories based on their emotional associations and connotations.

1. tortured Meaning:

2. freakiest Meaning:

3. saddening Meaning:

4. clearest Meaning:

5. sunken Meaning:

6. silver Meaning:

7. hordes Meaning:

8. affair Meaning:

Genre Swap

Reimagine part of this surreal glam rock song as a news report. Rewrite two lines from the song in the style of a serious television news broadcast, maintaining the social commentary but changing the register completely.

Choose a genre: Country · Hip-hop · Folk · Pop ballad · Reggae

Transform Bowie's poetic imagery into factual, journalistic language. How would a news anchor report on the events described in the song?

Did you know?

Read these facts about the song. Which one surprises you most?

🎵Bowie wrote this song after his publisher rejected his English lyrics to a French song that became 'My Way' for Frank Sinatra.
⭐The song was inspired by Bowie's fascination with cinema and his observations of social alienation in modern society.
🎸Rick Wakeman of Yes played piano on the original recording, creating the distinctive theatrical accompaniment.
📀The phrase 'Life on Mars' was inspired by a BBC television documentary about space exploration that Bowie watched.
🎤Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as one of the greatest songs of all time, praising its surreal social commentary.

Discussion & analysis

Discuss each question with your partner.

1How does Bowie use surreal imagery to comment on 1970s society and media culture?
2What does the repeated question 'Is there life on Mars?' suggest about life on Earth?

3Do you ever feel like the girl in the song, watching life like a 'saddening bore' you've 'lived ten times or more'?
4Is escapist entertainment a form of social control or genuine relief from reality's pressures?

🔥 Play It! — Hot or Cold

One student steps out. Class agrees on a secret song or artist. Student returns and asks yes/no questions — up to 20. Class says "warmer" or "colder" after each guess.