Listen to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' melancholy "Life On Mars" cover from Watchmen
In the (horrible, awful, no good, extremely bad) time since David Bowie shed his mortal coil, we’ve been treated to countless covers of the rock icon’s most famous songs. But few artists have managed to capture the aura of Bowie like Trent Reznor, who occasionally collaborated and performed with the late musician. Back in 2016, the Nine Inch Nails frontman credited Bowie with helping him get sober, something that speaks to the close friendship between the two. That bond may also help to explain why Reznor’s covers of Bowie’s work are particularly meaningful and, well, good—like this cover of “Life On Mars,” composed by Reznor and Atticus Ross for the most recent episode of HBO’s Watchmen.
There’s a good chance you may not have heard the cover, which played over the end-credits of “An Almost Religious Awe.” And that’s understandable because the end of this week’s episode inspired many screeches and shouts of “WHAT,” possibly making it difficult to hear such a gentle, melancholy piano cover of the classic David Bowie tune. Thankfully, Reznor and Ross have made the cover officially available via YouTube. The track will be included in the third volume of their Watchmen score, available to purchase and/or stream on December 16.