in December 1972. Shortly before its release as a single, a new promotional video for "Life on Mars?" was shot at the Blandford West Ten Studio in Ladbroke Grove, West London, on 13 June 1973. Directed and shot by photographer Mick Rock, who previously directed the videos for "John, I'm Only Dancing" and "The Jean Genie", it features a heavily made-up Bowie miming to the song solo against a white backdrop, wearing in a turquoise suit designed by Freddie Buretti. Rock later explained that "it wasn't so much an idea as a moment in time," clarifying that he "wanted to do something that looked a little bit like a painting." Bowie later remarked that the final result has a "strange floaty, pop-art effect." In 2016, it was remastered and reedited by Rock. "Life on Mars?" has been released on a variety of compilation albums, including The Best of Bowie (1980) (featuring a different edit), Changesbowie (EMI LP and cassette versions) (1990), The Singles Collection (1993), The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 (1997), Best of Bowie (2002), and iSelect (2008). Scott remixed the track in 2003, which appears on Nothing Has Changed (2014). In 2015, the song, along with its parent album, was remastered for the Five Years (1969–1973) box set. It was released in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Following Bowie's death in 2016, a new mix of "Life on Mars?" was released for the Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie) compilation and also as a single. The mix, by Scott, is 'stripped down' and has only strings, piano and Bowie's vocals. Critical reception Hunky Dory was met with very positive reviews from several British and American publications. Classifying it under their "Top Album Picks", Billboard named "Life on Mars?" as one of the strongest songs from the album. Reviewers have generally considered "Life on Mars?" one of the best tracks on Hunky Dory. Gallucci argues that "Life on Mars?" is one of the tracks that "painted a portrait of an artist who couldn't be labelled because he himself had little idea of who or what he was at the time". Dave Thompson of AllMusic describes it as "a masterpiece of fragmented thought and displaced vision" and one of Bowie's "most astonishing" songs. Other reviewers have classified the track as giving a strong representation of Bowie's growth as a songwriter. On the eve of the song's 50th anniversary in