David Bowie - Life on Mars (Tonight Show 1980)

[Bowie93x]

David Bowie <3 great performance, great song

[portisalpha]

so hot

[d809]

I love how no one is noticing the elvis presley "channeling" here D:

[AmigoFiell]

this song is really good (one of the best songs ever), but from all live versions i've seen, i prefer the recorded version....

[Onisun]

Love the Lenin impression.

[TheNoisePolluter]

This was the year my friends gay uncle had sex with Bowie.

[dlfunky1]

channelling james dean with that outfit and hairstyle.

[jerkwang69]

What band is Bowie with here? any die hard Bowie fans know the answer?

[burmanmusic]

@jerkwang69 The only one I can name is GE Smith on guitar. I don't recognize the others from any tour. That MIGHT be Mike Garson on piano but it's hard to tell.

[lekoos]

@jerkwang69 The guitarist is G.E. Smith. He played with Bowie and was on SNL for years

also played with Hall and Oates (Private Eyes was his great guitar work)

[lawchihei]

3:13 my closed windows got opened

[burmanmusic]

@lawchihei Decades later, he can still blow windows open with that voice.

[RICKYYYYYYYYYYY1]

great...



[harrybhappy]

Thanks for the post

[fran627]

THE David Bowie died after the movie The Hunger. But here is he at the very top of his talent ...and of the world at the same occasion :-)

[TheJ731]

@fran627 what do you mean he died after the hunger? If you mean musically then you are so wrong.

[Sincopare]

OK, just working to process this...it's 1980 when taped...and it's an ancient song in Bowie years...maybe that's why the 50's dress? And why this song did he perform? Anyone explain?

[CressidaTussaud]

@Sincopare the songs from like 1973 or something

[MrMAHBOI1]

@CressidaTussaud it's from '71. Released a single in '73.

[Sincopare]

@Sincopare I mean it was a '73 Bowie song and obviously likes to move on and create new work. So why this performance, anyone???

[harrybhappy]

@Sincopare The next song in the set was Ashes to Ashes and Johnny Carson had announced it was a space theme , one old and one new to bring the set together. I hope this explains it, the full set is on youtube if you look,be well and happy

[Sincopare]

@harrybhappy Finally an answer! Makes sense. Thanks!

[harrybhappy]

@Sincopare My pleasure!

[NicoletteOlivier]

I love how James Dean-ed out he is!!

[flippyflyer]

artist, musician, poet, voice= Icon

[jakers11]

him and conan are the coolest people ever on the tonight show. albeit this is almost as long as conan was on there ahah

[markmarktarmann]

james dean or elvis? he says "thankyaverrmuch"

[Amelieforpresident]

Love this Bowie song!!!

[anjavan]

@1ellababy2005 Are you joking? Listen to: 'Wild is the wind' !

[fwopgossles]

I think this is the true meaning of the word 'cool'.

[1ellababy2005]

Even he can't hit that top note.He takes a big runup at it and then can't hold it.Makes me feel it a bit better when I'm singing along in the car and nearly burst a blood vessel in my brain trying to reach it only to come up short every time...lol - what a tune

[mrfarr]

3:09 - 3:18 his voice is phenomenal. He was on such top form in 1980 and had a great band! shame they didn't play a couple of live shows. See Bowie's real gems in terms of certain songs and performances are known by far too few. Which i know makes them special for fans but is kind of criminal.

[bigpan39]

彼氏がよく弾き語ってくれました。オリジナルよりうまいよ。デヴ­ィッド・ボウイは、激情型であってcool

[modbeatlefan]

DAVID BOWIE: SEXIEST MAN ON MARS..ITS PROVEN BY SCIENCE <3

[ezaube1030]

Wow, I love this performance. Never seen it before, and I've seen many Bowie videos on You Tube. Great !

There is just one little detail which I wonder about - has he really got no shoes on?

[LordScreaming]

@ezaube1030 I thought so at first too - but it looks like he's wearing tiny pointy-toed flats to me. Or possibly flip-flops? Very hard to tell. :D

[KarTukultiNinurta]

and the way he performs is just awesome!

[CowbellProfessional]

That looks like GE Smith on guitar. Wow.

[slickvguy]

@CowbellProfessional Definitely GE.

[RJW882]

@CowbellProfessional yeah, he also did the "fashion" video... He wasnt w/ Hall &Oates on tour so i guess Bowie snagged him for the show. too bad he didnt tour w/ him though. then a few years later Stevie ray Vaughan RIP ,was his guitarist for the Lets dance album! Didnt tour w/ him either cause he didnt wanna leave double trouble and thought they would open for him and be his backing band, but thats another story. He definitely has good taste in guitarists!

[DanBlabbers]

Cool jacket

[RalphAdriane]

as james dean? cool :D

[Topographer]

This is from the periode when he was in the movie Christiane F. Fantastic film.

[sweetypie1988a]

how old is he here

[JasnoGT]

@sweetypie1988a

About the same age as me now....33ish

[n0rt0nj4zZ]

This version is so much better than the reality tour Mike Garson version. For me it,s much closer to the original. I know it is an exceptionally difficult song to sing maybe that,s why Bowie prefers the Garson piano version with more gaps between the high notes. Check out Annie Lennox,s version, she has an amazing voice and she finds the song extremely challenging.

[Ellathegreatable]

loving the skinny jeans. he has a lovely bum!! XD <33333333333

[angela1sintez]

Happy birthday, dear David! Be always healthy and happy! You the best for ever!

[streetsampras]

so different from the original, but just as good.

[astralhed]

i love this version

[TheMauvetys]

merci A'M :)

[Tangobomber]

@astralhed I don't, he doesn't sing in the normal octave =/ oh well, still good

[mralmeister1]

One of my fave versions of this song...looked for it for YEARS...remember staying up as a kid just to watch it...BOWIE'S ON!!!!

[rocknrollcola]

Besides G.E. Smith and Carlos Alomar who else in the band?

[BozTheBass]

@rocknrollcola think this was just before GE Smith joined the Hall and Oates band. I knew he played on 'Fashion' (and he's in the video to)

[theMayfairWorkshop]

@rocknrollcola Steve Goulding (from the Mekons, Waco Brothers, Graham Parker, etc, etc) on drums.

[Fooblestheclown]

Taping this event on Betamax just makes the event more special....notice no tracking?

[lisalucian]

such a geat poet!

[lisalucian]

can't explain how much this man's music moves me, always has and always will. thanks for this video!

[juniatapark]

I Cant believe this is on YOuTube THIS IS THE BEST VERSION I EVER HEARD & I REMEMBER IT WELL....OPERA BOWIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

[iamyourdreamgirl]

Rebel Rebel look :D reminds me a lot of James Dean.

[terrylynn333]

gorgeous

[jerste]

A must-see for David's fans.

Seen thousands of his videos and this is one of the finest.

[antulipan]

estuve buscando la mejor en vivo. Esta no la bajo tanto de tono esta en RE (D)

Gracias Bowie

[Rawego]

his songs are timeless

[furyanimals]

...have you noticed i had a mistake?? anyway, he's the best, and after all human.

[markmarktarmann]

@furyanimals he mixed up and repeated some of the lines at the end of both verses, but it all still fits. and works! (which is kind of interesting in and of itself, going back to all the talk about what the lyrics mean, and how he came up with them. the alleged cut and paste newspaper clippings method)

[jorgel0124]

does anyone know if there's an earlier live version of this in youtube?

[calexico56]

@jorgel0124 reharsal 1976 on 'the bowie channel' or the tour of the same year (just audio on 'wishupon')

[mralmeister1]

@jorgel0124 Yes I saw one from 1973 on here.

[RICKYYYYYYYYYYY1]

FANTASTIC........TRIBUTE BOWIE

[robjon21]

come on i know i've got a bias but David Bowie is the best ever performer...ever!

[andreasjacke]

great performance !!!

[ZstarOdustE]

G E smith on guitar best known for Hall & Oats, also was the head of the Saturday night live band for a while in the 90's.

[seablackk]

what a smoothy

[peacenate]

whoa sexy: dressed just exactly like james dean in rebel without a cause - very cool!

[meigsman59]

I first heard CHANGES when it came out in'71 and he's been my favorite muscian ever since. His ability to keep re-inventing his sound is staggering. IMOO the most talented artist is music history. I hope he has another album in the works.

[suffragettecity1]

flashed his classic ziggy pose at the end of the song...very cool.

[youctoo]

All I can say is..WOW...WOW...WOW...Awesome video...He is absolutely gorgeous and does a fantastic job in this video..David Bowie RULES!!!!

[Firefly4791]

bowie fucking rocks one of my all time favourite songs ever

[andreasjacke]

Jimmy Dean Version - very good!!

[doesnthurt2try]

shit the guy on the guitar was from hall n oat's ... cool wow... and wow to johnny having this guy on back then....whoa!

[derangedband]

sounds pretty cool with the rocked up guitar. i like this version alot :D

[Jitpring]

Is that G.E. Smith on guitar?

[moochiepop]

@Jitpring I was wondering the same thing. I think so...

[retrobren]

The coolest bloke on the planet! (or any other).

[LovingKimiKatkar]

As the nation plunges into receivership & fascism

our thoughts turn to homosexual intrigue.

[PyroclasticMind]

@LovingKimiKatkar , yeh we love u to man.

[brayrrero]

fuckin great love bowie

[handel1111]

50s fashion

[thiago128891]

esse cara e foda ,foda foda foda foda

[Zigaldiam]

this is a brilliant video.not seen before.gr8 posting.many thanks :)

[andygovo]

amazing...

[experienceads]

Wow crushed it!

[flowerlove79]

Oh man, I love this version and the james dean-esque fashion.

check out the keyboardist at 1:19. he's really digging the headnodic beats

[thiscantbesustained]

When groove gets thick it gets to you man.

[RJW882]

GE Smith on Lead guitar! Whoo!

[MoonchildMindaugasRo]

F**k, great guitar solo :D

[steepconcrete]

its is, but he actually botched the middle of it by leaving out a 4 note run.

[MoonchildMindaugasRo]

details, details :)

[xuangelxa]

fuck! he's so sexy!

[15275657]

I agree!!! Someone once said David was sexually charged. I believe it. The entire Mr Bowie emits sex and infects everyone who looks at him. There is just something about him.

[pfeitosa]

Thanks BIG TIME uploader!

Man, where did you find this?

[yourtubesteak]

Did you also get the other song from this show, "Ashes To Ashes"?

[holyunderwear92]

he looks like he is dressing up as james dean here. from rebel without a cause lmao ..

david bowie is my favourite muscician.. and dean is my fave actor.. kinda weird that he chose to dress like that lmao :)

BOWIE IS AWSOME :)

[boydy666]

Sept 1980 was 21st anniversary of Dean's death..

[Dstev85]

he's so damn cool!

[JeffMitchell]

Christiane - a real life drug addicted telling her own story - goes to a Bowie concert in 1976, saying in the book that she was stunned by bowie's red hair among the other things), so that's an obvious fake. And here bowie is promoting the film by adopting the same look.

[JeffMitchell]

By the way, this premise is just to let you know that in this performance Bowie wears the same red jacket (and has the same hairstyle)used in his (only) scene from the film in which he stages a fake concert to which te lead character goes to. The fake was supposed to happen during the 1976 "Station To Station" Tour (and that's what effectively happens in the book: - continue -

[JeffMitchell]

curio: 1980 was the year "Christiane F.", the german movie sensation, came out. Both the movie and the book that inspired it have a strict connection with bowie's Berlin period's work, and basically the movie was a huge spot for bowie's dark mooded music, image and influence on subsequent musical "waves". (continue)

[Alianger]

thanks, I've had an mp3 since long but never saw the actual performance. The way he ends the chorus with "aa-ha-haars" always cracks me up.

[LadyScreaming]

That is great! David Bowie is a LEGEND!

[uhkneesuh]

Thank you so much for uploading this!!

[Scarr]

Amazing, Bowie is a genius !!!

[SamuelEvans1]

great love it bowie is god

[ChasBeauregarde]

A rarely done live version from one of his lesser known songs. From the "Hunky Dory" album??? Nice performance - Thanks for posting!

[SamuelEvans1]

great love it bowie is god!

[JeremyBlum]

one of his lesser known songs?

isn't it one of his best known songs, and its often considered his best?

[ChasBeauregarde]

I don't think so. Space Oddity, Young Americans, Let's Dance, Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, China Girl, Heroes, Ashes To ashes, to name a few were all better known. This song may have been a hit in other places besides the US, but it was hardly played in the states in the 70s - too bad it's a great song .

[arabiansanchez]

jeremy is right I'm afraid.

This is a huge song, often seen as his best and always a contender for his best ever vocal performance; and it was a #2 single at the height of Ziggy Stardust

[ChasBeauregarde]

I appreciate your perspective and I have no doubts it was a number two hit in the UK. You Brits have great taste in music, to say the least. But I still maintain that stateside (U.S.), back in the seventies, outside of Bowie fans, this wasn't a big hit. If there are any U.S. fans of Bowie who followed his music in the early 70s, set me straight. I don't mean to sound bull-headed. I'd like to be educated if I am indeed ignorant about this.

[arabiansanchez]

Bowie didn't really break America until "Fame" in 1975.

Life On Mars?, however, is a massive song in Europe and is often voted among the best songs ever written in such publications as Rolling Stone.

it has been performed on the ziggy stardust, thin white duke, let's dance, sound and vision, hours and reality tours at the very least.

It is a main stay of Bowie's setlist.