Bowie Cover of the Week: Connie Talbot covers “Life on Mars”

I never heard of Connie Talbot before coming across this cover of “Life on Mars.” I selected this as “cover of the week” because I like how it sounds. Although “Life on Mars” is not my personal favorite Bowie song, there’s a case to be made that it is his objectively greatest song, and in any case, it is a great song. Over the years, it has been covered by plenty of professional singers, but I get the impression that it’s tough to sing, which might be why I come across relatively few amateur covers of the song. So, I was happy to find this one, which Talbot performs well, alone with her piano. She doesn’t do anything wild with the song, but I like her voice.

OK, I have a feeling I stumbled into something that carries connotations for some of my British friends. Like I said, I had never heard of Connie Talbot, so I looked her up. From what I gather, she gained widespread recognition as a child contestant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2007, when she was just six years old (when she apparently performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which is like a distant cousin of “Life on Mars?”). I don’t know how child stars on commercial television shows are viewed in Britain, but as a class they tend to be thought of as formulaic, lowest-common denominator entertainers in the US. Someone with Talbot’s background might be viewed as too mainstream and commercialized to be worthy of Bowie (who, of course, is beloved by millions and was commercially successful). But I don’t know this singer for anything else she has ever done aside from this performance of a great song. So, I don’t hold it against her that she was a child star on a TV show.

I could be mounting a defense for this song that isn’t needed. I don’t think Connie Talbot is all that widely known, and she’s 24 now, so she’s had a while to develop as an artist. I don’t know about that. What I do know is that she delivered a really enjoyable performance of “Life on Mars.” It’s well documented in high-quality, if simple video, and all that is good enough for me.

For more on Connie, visit her website HERE.