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| "American Horror Story: Freak Show" |
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| David Bowie, suit designed by Freddie Buretti |
It's an oddly (very oddly) lovely and arresting 2 minutes and 53 seconds and when she stops singing (starting at 2:40 in the video) the look on her face captures everything we need to know about her character and all her lost dreams. (That and a truly heartbreaking moment when she asks her bearded friend, played by Kathy Bates with a wonderful Baltimorean accent, "is it too late for me?")
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| from "Monsters Among Us" episode, 4.1 |
"Life On Mars" as sung by Jessica Lange *
When I first saw this part last night I didn't think her voice sounded very good, but I listened again to the Youtube clip with my headphones and she's actually not half bad, though it's all about the visuals and her expression (oh, can that woman capture expressions.)
I hope her winning an Emmy for last season (a performance that wasn't nearly as good in 13 episodes as what happened in five minutes last night) doesn't hurt her chances for next year. No other actress is so good at playing seemingly invincible, sometimes cruel, women with a hidden vulnerability that threatens to undo them. She did this to perfection when she played a nun (both tormentor and tormented) in the second season of American Horror Story.
Just as Baz Luhrman deliberately went for anachronistic music with "Moulin Rouge" and "The Great Gatsby" so did Ryan Murphy with last night's AHS. This season is set in 1952 and "Life On Mars" was released as a single in 1973.
Jessica Lange singing the lyrics to "Life On Mars" (and the fact "Elsa Mars" is dressed just like Bowie) is the best "freaky" part of the show so far:
It's a God-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mommy is yelling "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mommy is yelling "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
'Cause she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Oh man! look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman
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?
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?
It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
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?
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?
Songwriters
BOWIE, DAVID
BOWIE, DAVID
Published by
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
*The actress has sung before on AHS and in interviews for the second season admitted she's not the best singer, but I think there's a certain emotional "getcha" right at this point(if you see the video):
Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Wikipedia has this to say about Bowie's song:
BBC Radio has described "Life on Mars?" as having "one of the strangest lyrics ever" consisting of a "slew of surreal images" like a Salvador Dalí painting.[1] The line "Look at those cavemen go" is a reference to the song "Alley Oop", a one-off hit in 1960 for American doo-wop band The Hollywood Argyles.[5]
Bowie, at the time of Hunky Dory's release in 1971, summed up the song as "A sensitive young girl's reaction to the media". In 1997 he added "I think she finds herself disappointed with reality... that although she's living in the doldrums of reality, she's being told that there's a far greater life somewhere, and she's bitterly disappointed that she doesn't have access to it".
I just saw that iTunes has released Jessica Lange's cover as a single! :)
Some thoughts from people on it:
Customer Reviews
😍🎶😍🎶😍🎶😍
It's a must buy!! I can't believe this is Jessica's last season in American Horror Story. She's so talented and having this show without her wouldn't be the same.
Jessica does it again!
Is there anything this lady can't do??? Whoever told her growing up that she can't sing definitely has egg on their face today. She rocked out in Grey Gardens, then of course the Name Game. Now she's done it again with Life on Mars. I cannot wait to hear what she's going to sing next.
QUEEN OF POP!!!
Elsa Mars has come to slay and snatch your faves' weaves hunny y'all are not READY for Queen Elsa's music reign. Madonna who? Beyoncé who? Get with the winning team #Martians! Y'all faves better run for their careers, Elsa might not have legs but her talent and slayage will reach and devastate and pulverize your faves so they better start doing cardio cause Elsa is coming for their relevance.
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