up and you wouldn't get a good sound out of them. So Mick was really nervous, but when they played the parts they realized these rock'n'rollers might not be guys we want to be in the studio with, but the parts are good. They took it on and really went with it." Ronson's wife Suzi recalled that he composed the arrangement while sitting in the studio restroom. Additionally, Woodmansey told NME in 2016 that "Life on Mars?" was the first time he realised the "calibre" of Bowie's songwriting, saying "It had just gone to another level of quality... it was something really special." He also noted that it was a bit scary because there was nothing around like that [at the time]." Bowie recorded his vocal performance in one take. Regarding Bowie's talent as a vocalist, Scott stated: "He was unique. [He was] the only singer I ever worked with where virtually every take was a master." Composition Music "Life on Mars?" is described by biographer David Buckley as a "soaring, cinematic ballad". Musically, the song has been classified as glam rock, while Michael Gallucci of Ultimate Classic Rock finds the melody "bridges cabaret and art rock". The song features a complex structure: the verses are primarily in the key of F major, but different chord changes are present throughout, including C7 ("told her to go"), F ("but her friend"), and later on, C9 to A ("lived it ten times"). The pre-chorus sections go from F major to B major, which is dominant throughout the choruses; Bolder's bassline features a rising chromatic scale of E to E to F to G. Bowie delivers his vocals passionately during the choruses and almost nasally in the verses. The song begins with a single piano note, followed by a rest, with Bowie beginning his vocals on the third beat. The same chord sequence for "My Way" is used for the opening bars of "Life on Mars?". Bolder enters on bass at the line "sunken dream". At the pre-chorus, the instruments begin to build: strings and bass crash on the downbeat, Wakeman continues a run of chords on piano, while Bowie's voice grows in intensity, changing from D to B ("focus on/SAI-LORS"). He weakens his B note briefly for "OH man" before changing from E to B on "law-man". The final climax arrives at the word "Mars", a B note which he holds for