2021, Matt Neal of ABC News writes that "the song stands as an epitaph to [a] remarkable musician". Retrospectively, reviewers and commentators have praised "Life on Mars?" as one of Bowie's finest songs. Pegg calls it his "1971 masterpiece", while O'Leary considers it to be "the Citizen Kane of Bowie's songs: young man's bravura". Doggett and Rob Sheffield consider Bowie's vocal performance to be one of his best. Meanwhile, Spitz describes it as "one of the best pop songs ever written". Publications including Digital Spy, Mojo, and Consequence of Sound have considered it Bowie's greatest song. Digital Spy stated it has "perhaps become [Bowie's] signature song—filled with surreal cut-up lyrics..., it married vivid imagery with a tender, heartbreaking melody". In 2008, Uncut magazine ranked it number nine in a list of Bowie's 30 best songs. Following Bowie's death, Rolling Stone named "Life on Mars?" one of the 30 most essential songs of Bowie's catalogue. Two years later in 2018, the readers of NME voted the song as Bowie's second best track, behind "All the Young Dudes", while the publication's staff placed it at number seven in a list of Bowie's 40 best songs. In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis voted it number four in his list of Bowie's 50 greatest songs, calling it a "no-further-questions masterpiece". Meanwhile, the staff of The Telegraph listed it as one of Bowie's 20 essential songs in 2021. In a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best, Ultimate Classic Rock placed "Life on Mars?" at number six. In 2020, Tom Eames of Smooth Radio listed it as Bowie's second greatest song, behind "Heroes". Accolades "Life on Mars?" has appeared on numerous best-of lists. Neil McCormick, chief rock critic of The Telegraph, has ranked "Life on Mars?" the greatest song of all time in two different lists compiling the 100 Greatest Songs of All Time. He described it in the first list thus: In 2007, Q magazine ranked "Life on Mars?" third in a list compiling the "10 most perfect songs ever", behind Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" and the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever". The song has also appeared in lists of the best songs of the 1970s, including at number 25 by NME, and number one by Pitchfork and Treble. In 2021, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 105 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Commercial performance Upon