The band’s trademark fashion consists in wearing rather formal attire during live events and a use of orchestral instruments. When asked about the rumour that the band's name refers to a fire in an arcade, Win Butler replied: "It's not a rumour, it's based on a story that someone told me. It's not an actual event, but one that I took to be real. I would say that it's probably something that the kid made up, but at the time I believed him." Win Butler and his brother Will grew up in Texas.
Band formation
Arcade Fire formed around the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Joining together as recently as mid-2003, the current line-up solidified in late 2003/early 2004, when their first full-length album Funeral was recorded. Before this an eponymous EP (often referred to by fans as the Us Kids Know EP) had been sold at early shows. The EP was subsequently remastered and given a full release once the band started becoming more prominent. Arcade Fire are known for their enthralling live performances, as well as its use of a large number of musical instruments. In addition to mainstays guitar, drums, and bass guitar, members play piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, keyboard, French horn, accordion, and harp. With several able musicians, the band take most of their instrumental diversity on tour and members switch instrumental duties throughout their shows. The number of instruments, along with a wide set of musical influences has provided a substantial number of resources on which to draw from during the recording process. The promise showed by the band in its live shows allowed it to land a record contract with Chapel Hill-based independent record label Merge Records.
Funeral
Without a major label backing, the success of the band and the album Funeral has been acclaimed as an Internet phenomenon. After a 9.7 rating from Pitchfork, Merge Records sold out their inventory of Funeral and it became the label's first album in the Billboard 200 chart. An early tip from David Bowie was also influential. The band booked small clubs for their 2004 tour but growing interest forced many venue changes, far beyond the band's expectations, and continued internationally into mid-2005. The MTV2 2005 Review hosted by Zane Lowe named Funeral Album of the Year, and NME named Funeral Number 2 in their list of 2005's best albums and "Rebellion (Lies)" the best track. By November 2005, Funeral had gone gold in both Canada and the UK and sold in excess of half a million copies worldwide, a phenomenal number for an independent release with minimal television or radio exposure. It has also surpassed Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea as the biggest selling Merge Records album to date.
Arcade Fire were featured on the April 4, 2005 cover of Time Magazine's Canadian edition, and hailed as a band who "helped put Canadian music on the world map". On April 2, 2006, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, they received the Juno Award for Songwriters Of The Year for three songs from Funeral: "Wake Up", "Rebellion (Lies)" and "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)". Arcade Fire then planned to begin recording a follow up to Funeral in the winter of 2005-2006, having bought an old church forty minutes from central Montreal which they converted into a studio.
Neon Bible
In mid-December 2006 www.neonbible.com went live containing nothing more than a phone number, 1-866-NEONBIBLE where people can listen to a new track called Intervention. Built in the style of customer support lines, the number has other features including a contest and a chance to talk to a live person at a specific time each week.
Then in January 2007, they finally announced that the new album Neon Bible would be released March 5th in UK, March 6th in US. The announcement was made with a video in the album's website, with guitarist Richard Reed Parry using a gramophone and a paper mask of Parry's own face, and sitting on Win Butler´s chair. After the announcement of the album´s release, the website was updated with a streaming version of "Black Mirror", new art and a few phone messages sounding like the band´s members.
The Suburbs
The band released their third album "The Suburbs" on August 2, 2010 in the UK and August 3, 2010 in the United States. It debuted at #1 in both countries. On February 13, 2011, the album won Album of the Year at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
Arcade Fire recorded a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond), called "Abraham's Daughter". The song is featured in the movie's end credits. The soundtrack was released on March 20, 2012, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. It sold more than 175,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the first theatrical film soundtrack to top the chart since Michael Jackson's "This Is It" debuted at No. 1 on the list. It is also only the 16th soundtrack to debut at No. 1 in the history of the Billboard 200 chart (those soundtracks include film, television, and straight-to-video efforts).
Reflektor
Arcade Fire and Mercury Records confirmed that they would release a fourth album in late 2013. In December 2012, the band's manager Scott Rodger confirmed that Arcade Fire was in the studio working with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The official Arcade Fire pre-order website sets the release date on October 28, 2013. The band announced on January 18, 2013 that they were selling the church they had been using as a studio due to a collapsed roof. Throughout 2013, the band worked on the album in several different recording studios - including Murphy's DFA Records studio in New York. On June 22, 2013, Rolling Stone reported that new material from the album would be released on September 9, 2013.
Everything Now
Arcade Fire's first announced its fifth record, "Everything Now," on May 31, 2017 when it released the record's title track and lead single. The album's release came July 27, 2017. In the weeks leading up to the album's release, the band released three additional lead singles, "Creature Comfort," "Signs of Life," and "Electric Blue." Upon the week of its release, "Everything Now" reached #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the band's third-straight and third overall #1 record.
WE
On October 21, 2020, Butler was interviewed for the Broken Record podcast, where he commented about Arcade Fire's sixth album. The band had been writing for a year before the COVID-19 lockdown. In March 2022, fans received postcards marked with the band's logo; the postcards included the note "We missed you", musical notations, as well as an image of an eye with the word "Unsubscribe" written below. Those same images began to appear in signage around London as well as on the band's social media pages, indicating the earliest signs of a new album. On March 14, the band announced a new song titled "The Lightning I, II" would be released on March 17.
On March 17, 2022, Arcade Fire announced that the album would be titled WE and be released on May 6, 2022. Later that week, Will Butler announced he had amicably left the band in 2021 shortly after the completion of WE.
Following the release of WE on May 6, 2022, Arcade Fire announced the group’s first world tour since 2018, starting in August 2022. They again appeared on Saturday Night Live on May 7, 2022, playing "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)", "The Lightning I, II", and "End of The Empire II" over the closing credits.
Life on Mars?
Arcade Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the girl with the mousey hair
But her mummy is yelling, "No!"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is no where to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seats with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
Cause she's lived it ten times or more
It's about to be lived again
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
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?
It's on Americas tortured brow
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
And 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
But the film is a sadd'ning bore
'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
Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man!
I wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
The lyrics to Arcade Fire's cover of David Bowie's "Life On Mars?" tell the story of a girl with "mousey hair" who seeks solace in the cinema, but finds little relief in the films she watches. The reference to the "sadd'ning bore" suggests a sense of ennui and dissatisfaction with her life, an inability to escape the mundane and find meaning. The chorus poses the question of whether there is life on Mars, and the verses explore the idea of a world where even the most fantastical movies no longer offer an escape or a sense of wonder.
The second verse shifts focus to broader social commentary, with references to the commercialization of pop culture (Mickey Mouse has "grown up a cow"), labor strikes for fame, and political conflicts. However, the central theme of disillusionment and disillusionment with the world remains, and the chorus seems to suggest that the search for meaning may have to extend beyond Earth to find answers.
Overall, the lyrics to "Life on Mars?" are a reflection on the human condition and our desire to find meaning and escape the banality of everyday life, but also an acknowledgment that these things may be elusive and hard to find. The chorus poses a question that is both literal and metaphorical, and the verses offer a series of vignettes that illustrate the struggles we face in finding satisfying answers.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a God awful small affair
It's an insignificant event, but it's still important to her.
To the girl with the mousey hair
Referring to a girl who feels insignificant and plain in comparison to others.
But her mummy is yelling, 'No!'
Her mother is trying to hold her back and prevent her from doing what she wants.
And her daddy has told her to go
Her father has encouraged her to leave and find her own path.
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Her friend, who she may rely on, is unavailable.
Now she walks through her sunken dream
She's wandering through a fanciful, lost world in her own head.
To the seats with the clearest view
She wants to find a clear vision on things and find a sense of direction in life.
And she's hooked to the silver screen
She's indulging in an escape from her reality by watching movies or TV shows—an opportunity to escape from her humdrum life and dream away.
But the film is sadd'ning bore
The film is not living up to the expectations of excitement she had of it.
Cause she's lived it ten times or more
She's already bored of the mundane storylines she's seen countless times before.
It's about to be lived again
She is ready to experience the same mundane life as before.
As they ask her to focus on
The people around her want her to concentrate on dull, everyday things.
Sailors
A chaotic depiction of a scene unfolding around her—the world is in chaos.
Fighting in the dance hall
People have lost sight of the positive side of things and are fighting to deal with the overwhelming chaos they see around them.
Oh man!
Expressing confusion, distress or general surprise at the unfolding events.
Look at those cavemen go
Referencing the archaic mindset of society, individuals are not as evolved as one may think.
It's the freakiest show
The world is a bizarre and strange place to be, and society and the people around might seem just as bizarre.
Take a look at the lawman
Looking at individuals who have been treated as the authoritative figures when they're not always on the right side.
Beating up the wrong guy
Showing that even the people expected to uphold the law of order may be on the wrong side.
Oh man!
Again, expressing confusion, distress or general surprise at the unfolding events.
I wonder if he'll ever know
Questioning the morals and motivations of the people around them.
He's in the best selling show
People are all too obsessed with selling an idea of themselves and their lives, rather than living authentic lives.
Is there life on Mars?
Touching on existentialism and the search for meaning in life, using the idea of Martians (life on another planet) to look for a grander concept of existence beyond the planet Earth.
It's on Americas tortured brow
The idea that America has been perpetually plagued by problems and suffering and the struggle to maintain hope in the face of it all.
Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
The idea that our culture's innocence has been lost and replaced by something commercialized and perverse.
And the workers have struck for fame
Depicting the working class's frequent desperation to get out of their current situations and achieve success.
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
Speaking to the commercialization of things that were formerly revered or sacred.
See the mice in their million hordes
Critiquing the way that people often follow others in a sort of mass hysteria, even if it might not represent their true values or selves.
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Alluding to the idea that this misguided trend-following and mass hysteria isn't just one place, but rather ubiquitous throughout society.
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
The idea that traditional cultural mores and ways of doing things are irrelevant or obsolete.
To my mother, my dog, and clowns
Referencing pop culture's distractions and the way it can pull people away from what truly matters
But the film is a sadd'ning bore
Commenting on the predictability and mundanity of the stories and narratives we see on TV, in movies, or in the media.
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
The idea that we recycle the same stories, same narratives, same views, over and over again.
It's about to be ‘writ’ again
The idea that the same predictable narratives and ideas will be repeated endlessly in the future.
As I ask you to focus on
Suggesting the media, TV or movie industry and those who perpetuate these stories benefit from entrancing people into their narratives.
Sailors
A chaotic depiction of a scene unfolding around us—the world is in chaos.
Fighting in the dance hall
The world is full of chaos and confusion, and we must all fight our own battles.
Oh man!
Once again, the singer is expressing confusion, distress or general surprise at the unfolding events.
Look at those cavemen go
People are not as advanced, sophisticated, or civilized as we might want or expect them to be.
It's the freakiest show
The world is an unpredictable, bizarre place, and we are all just actors in this bizarre show.
Take a look at the lawman
Looking at people who have been expected to uphold the law of order but are not necessarily on the right side.
Beating up the wrong guy
The people who are supposed to protect us might actually be part of the problem.
Oh man!
The singer is once again expressing confusion, distress or general surprise at the unfolding events—you can never truly expect them.
I wonder if he'll ever know
Questioning the intentions of the people around us and how they contribute to our lives or a broader sense of existence.
He's in the best selling show
Referencing the idea that people are more focused on selling themselves with mask-like identities, instead of living and presenting their true selves.
Is there life on Mars?
Trying to get in touch with existential issues again and the meaning of life, yet again asking if there's a possibility of other planets having the meaning of existence.
Contributed by Adeline V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dk
I think this is my favourite version of Life on Mars. He just sings it so well.
ujustgotpwned2008
Mine too.
MC F
I love Arcade Fire but holy crap Bowie is the epitome of a rock n roll god. Voice, stage presence, song writing.. will be forever missed. RIP David.
Felicity Scanlon
Dear Arcade Fire, you really need to keep these beautiful songs going. He was giving them to you, to someone he rated, and I really think he did you. Please keep them going for him, for you, for us! RIP DAVID BOWIE
Dom Guillochon
Awesome version ... his voice ... here especially is amazing !
elle scott
beautiful, absolutely beautiful, equally good as the original!
⚒ ELTEL 1010 ⚒
Saw Bowie do this live for net aid from front of the stage I could die any day after that and not care only that I would of missed the 20 gigs I saw him do after that!
Nella Crosiglia
Great David and super great band , Arcade Fire!
gabyale66
Impressionante!!!!!! I miss you David....
Patrick James
Fantastic (as all Bowies live versions of life on mars are, but especially in the 90s and early 2000s with solo piano), but, um, where's arcade fire??