By Howard | Published February 18, 2007
Life on Mars has just started again on the BBC – I’ve not got round to seeing the new episode yet (Sky+ has it stored away safely for me) but it seems the new series has provoked renewed interest in my previous post about the excellent soundtrack the first series had. It looks like the BBC have taken down the page I referenced to get the music information, so for the benefit of the many people who have asked for it, here’s The Almost Complete Life on Mars Soundtrack (Series 1). I expect I shall get together the Series 2 music once it’s complete…
- Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
- David Bowie – Life on Mars
- Blue Oyster Cult – Stairway to the Stars
- Lou Reed – I’m So Free
- The Who – Baba O’Riley
- Deep Purple – Rat Rat Blue
- Deep Purple – Fireball
- Cream – White Room
- Wings – Live and Let Die
- Deep Purple – No One Came
- Willie Lindo & The Charmers’ Band – Drum Song
- Thin Lizzy – Saga of the Ageing Orphan
- Deep Purple – Lazy
- Pink Floyd – One of These Days
- Sweet – The Ballroom Blitz
- Uriah Heep – Gypsy
- Free – Wishing Well
- Atomic Rooster – Head in the Sky
- Hawkwind – Brainstorm
- David Bowie – The Jean Genie
- Jethro Tull – Cross-Eyed Mary
- Hawkwind – Silver Machine
- Slade – Gudbuy T’ Jane
- Rolling Stones – Wild Horses
- Sweet – Blockbuster
- Thin Lizzy – Call The Police
- Status Quo – Good Thinking
- Thin Lizzy – The Rocker
- Cream – White Room
- T Rex – Jeepster
- Roxy Music – Would You Believe
- Hawkwind – Urban Guerilla
- Roxy Music – Mother of Pearl
- Nina Simone – I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel to be Free)
- Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
- The Hollies – I Can’t Tell The Bottom From The Top
- Peters & Lee – Welcome Home
- Nina Simone – Sinnerman
- Atomic Rooster – The Rock
- John Kongos – Tokoloshe man
- Atomic Rooster – Ear in the Snow
- Atomic Rooster – The Devil’s Answer
- Wizzard – See My Baby Jive
- Lindisfarne – Meet Me On The Corner
- Free – Little Bit of Love
That ought to keep you busy searching your music collections (and iTunes)!
Edit (10 April, 2007): Corrected spelling of Uriah Heep (not Heap!), thanks to Dave in the comments. :)
Edit (6 December, 2007): There is a BitTorrent file floating based on this (Series 1) list.
You might like to set the Sky+ up to record the episodes off BBC4 too, as they are running the next episode on BBC4 immediately after the main showing on BBC1.
Interestingly there is now an official release of a soundtrack CD – not quite so complete though. :)
Oh you star! I’m loving the music for this series, which is curious as I was alive in the early 70s and I distinctly remember it being crap. Obviously you have to be selective and possibly a bit older than a toddler…. :)
Great project! I wanted to take up your challenge but someone else did already – I found a Bit Torrent link to what looks like “your” version of the soundtrack. Nice one.
I have a couple of questions for you though, expert!
1. When is Led Zeppelin on the soundtrack? Your track order implies episode 1 but the BBC don’t list it.
2. Why are there only 12 songs from the series on the official soundtrack? Cross-referencing with the BBC’s own music guide episode by episode gives only 12 matches. I’m very confused.
Thanks. I have two of the three tracks you’re missing if you’re still collecting.
Hi
Can you tell me the name of the track in episode 5 series two when Sam is over dosing in the street. It’s a space rock track.
Thanks a million
Darren
Hi, you are doing a great job here! Do you know what the song was in a recent episode (last 2 or 3 weeks)? It sounded like the chorus was ‘By still waters I lay down’ but I didn’t recognise it all all. A kind of bluesy-rocky-kinda-thing…. Thanks!
I just found out! It’s ‘Lay Down’ by the excellent Strawbs from their album ‘Bursting at the Seams’ way back in the early 1970s but still available. Thanks anyway. Keep up the good work!
Music from episode 2
Atomic Rooster – Head In The Sky
Roxy Music – Street Life
Atomic Rooster – Break Through
Chicory Tip – Son Of My Father
Three Degrees – Everybody gets to go to the Moon
Dusty Springfield – Spooky
Three Degrees – Year of Decision
David Bowie – Star Man
Sweet Jane by Mott the Hoople
Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
Derek Wadsworth from Hair – Ain’t Got No performed
Uriah Heep – Love Machine
Uriah Heep – Bird Of Prey
The Hollies – Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
David Cassidy – How Can I Be Sure
Audience – The Big Spell
The Sweet – Hellraiser
Lindisfarne – Poor Old Ireland
Barclay James Harvest – When The City Sleeps
The Strawbs – Lay Down
Frankie Miller – I’m Ready
Lindisfarne – Court In The Act
Santana – Samba Pa Ti
Slade – Coz I Love You
David Bowie – Aladin Sane
T Rex – Rock On
Barclay James Harvest – When The City Sleeps
Gilbert O’Sullivan – Alone Again Naturally
Hawkwind – You Shouldn’t Do That
Roxy Music – Just Like You
ELO – 10538 Overture
Cozy Powell – Dance With The Devil
Atomic Rooster – Breathless
Ananda Shankar – Snow Flower
Elton John – Rocket Man
Audience – I Had A Dream
Shocking Blue – Hot Sand
Uriah Heep – Traveller In Time
Thin Lizzy – Whiskey In The Jar
Traffic – Many A Mile To Freedom
Traffic – Evening Blue
Roxy Music – Virginia Plain
The Faces – Cindy Incidentally
The Sweet – Done Me Wrong Alright
Cream – Cross Roads
The Sweet – Rock ‘n’ Roll Disgrace
Mott The Hoople – One Of The Boys
It’s Heep. not Heap.
:-) Other then that, thanks for the article !
Dave White
Webmaster
http://www.uriah-heep.com
http://www.mick-box.net
I am going mad!
Does anybody know the title of the song that is being played when Sam first asked Annie to stay the night, when they were both in his flat? (Last nights episode)
As she left the room, it finished with something along the lines of “I think I have fallen in love with you” or words to that effect!!!
Please help!!
Gem,
Its ‘I hope I don’t fall in love with you’ by Tom Waits.
track it down on iTunes!
Jim
YOU ABSOLUTE STAR!!!!!
THANKYOU!!! :-)
Thanks for such a comprehensive list– I’m eagerly waiting for BBC America to start airing the second series here in the states.
Does anyone know the song in the first episode of series (season 1) where Sam and Gene are in the pub and Gene demands that Sam share ideas about the murder case? The song then moves into the next scene where Sam dusting his shirt and tells DC Skelton to locate files.
Thanks!
Put it up on iTunes!
Better still – zip the lot and email it to me!!
Cheers.
Hey,
excellent work!
I just finished watching the re-run of the last episode on BBC4. Don’t know if you haven’t yet gotten around to add the music of that episode, but I can’t find Bowie’s “Changes” in your list for the 2nd series… a grave omission, I’d say! ;o)
It’s used after Sam “goes back” and leaves the pub to find Annie.
Cheers,
F.
Where does the Lee Perry track (Jungle Lion) fit in? Great work on the track research – WOW!
I’m sure there was an Elvis track in series 2??
So We have a list for Series 2
Is this a complete list?
If so I will start compiling unless someone already has.
Cheers
Nat
PS More Nervous than a Small Nun at a Penguin Shoot
I am watching the dvd release of season 2.
Episode 4
What song is played when the team pulls up to the quarry/building site to investigate the body (at the 4 min mark)?
“Listen to the music…?” It’s a brilliant song..
-A fan from the States
Can’t believe a US version is in the works.. leave it to my ‘country-men’ to s*** on a brilliant series
Song used in Series 2, Episode 4 as they drive up to the wasteland area is different on the DVD to the one used for the TV airing – that was Lay Down by The Strawbs. A few other tracks are different on the DVD, or substituted with general background music.
What is the one used on the DVD?
Cheers
Richard
Richard – the track used on the DVD at in the drive up to the wasteland in Series 2 Episode 4 is The Story in your Eyes by the Moody Blues.
hey whats the song when in the first series when they go to the club to arrest that bloke (the owner)who was sucking a rent boy and they bring him out the front it’s also on the malteaser adverts
thank you very much
niall
niall it was blockbuster by sweet that was playing as they walked into “the warren” if memory serves. tis a while since i saw the fisrt series (was hopin for the boxset for xmas but hey never mind, will buy both as a treat for myself
Maj
hey great list thank you
but please can someone help me out, what is the song in episode four of the first series, which sam and gene go and find jonie dead to?
i looked on the bbc site but i’ve downloaded every song it could be and can’t find it
help please?
very grateful!!
hannah
Its ‘Wild Horses’ by the Rolling Stones, its a great song. Hope this helps.
Also from series one
Hawkwind – ‘You Shouldn’t do That’
On series one – maybe episode 3 or 4 – there was the FREE track ‘Wishing Well’, and another ‘rock’ track that I can’t identify. Any ideas??
Series 1, Episode 7, the one where sam conducts an internal investigation of the death of a prisoner. What’s the jazzy tune at the end as they roll into the credits? Thanks
Sinnerman by Nina Simone
Series 1, Episode 1, scene where Sam and Gene are on the hunt for Edward Cramer. In the BBC version you can hear Deep Purple with fireball. But I’ve heart a different version when I flew with Emirates Airlines last week. Lyrics start with “I can see you running”. Does somebody know the song and artist??? Thanks a lot.
Nice List. It has to be said though, that there WAS plenty of FAB music around at the time. One doesn’t have to be too selective (Staticgirl et al). Sure, the producers of LOM picked out some classics but pretty “mainstream” really and predictable at that. There is loads of stuff as good, if not better, that wasn’t quite so “pop”. If you ask me, t’aint no bad thing that much of it hasn’t been “re-found” yet. They’d only use it to flog stuff just as they’ve done with most of what they’ve found so far. You’d never believe it but much of it was never originally intended to be used to sell us more things that we don’t need!
Hey Everyone, and thanks for the crack song research! There’s one tune I didn’t see in any of the lists or replies. In the final episode, S2E8, when Sam and Nelson have the conversation about feeling and living at the pub, there is song playing in the background. Lyrics run along the lines of “I’m going to find a way/To become what I am/I’m going to find a way/Back home”. Does anyone know the title/composer of this song?
Thanks much for your help!
re shauns message jun 3rd responding to my question
i have got that record but im sure its not it
i may just be going mad but im pretty sure its something else?
help anyone?
TeamPeak – the track you’re talking about is ‘THE WITCH’ by THE RATTLES
Hi Is there anyone out there who can tell me the name of the song playing during the titles in the end of episode 5 series 2???????
Hello everyone could someone tell me the song in the first series, when sam goes to the
party where he is a little boy, and sam and annie start chasing his Dad?
it is being played in the background of the disco? please help.
what about: Dream Land by The Upsetters (episode 2)?
and: Ejection by Hawkwind (episode 5)?
and: I Can’t Live Without You by Colosseum (episode 5)?
I reference to Hannah’s question (May 11th, 2007 at 15:29) for the song
“… but please can someone help me out, what is the song in episode four of the first series, which sam and gene go and find jonie dead to? …”
and Shaun’s answer guessing “Wild Horses” (Stones). Unfortunately this is 100-percent untrue even if it is referenced on the “life on mars” homepage.
I am also desperately searching for Hannah’s song which goes something like
“My own true love has gone”
Thanx for any hints
@TheBeat:
Perhaps there are differences between the UK TV broadcast, the UK DVD release and any foreign TV or DVD release? Are you from the UK?
I can tell you that my copy of episode four *definitely* has Wild Horses playing in the background when Sam and Jonie are in his flat, and later when they find her dead. It looks like licencing issues meant the powers that be had to substitute a different track.
Thanks for your hard work
Hail Eris!
Hitch, I’m fairly sure that ep 5 has Hawkwind’s “Born To Go” playing during Sam’s little odyssey to CID, just after he wakes up at the beginning. Mind you, I’ll admit that I haven’t had a chance to listen to “Ejection” in the recent past, but it definitely sounds like “Born To Go”, which I just checked.
Snarky, one of those strange Canadian fans who only ever heard anything by Hawkwind about fifteen years after discovering them in a secondhand bookstore (Thank you, Mike Moorcock! And Mike Butterworth…)
Does anybody know the song playing in episode 1 series 2 when sam, gene, annie etc enter tony crane’s casino?
Hi again. I’m collating all the music from the TV series and the substituted tracks from the DVDs which I’m going to make available to all completely free on my Multiply site. I’m currently 8 songs short out of the 109 songs used.
HAWKWIND – YOU SHOULDN’T DO THAT
STATUS QUO – GOOD THINKING
THREE DEGREES – EVERYBODY GETS TO GO TO THE MOON
THREE DEGREES – YEAR OF DECISION
AUDIENCE – THE BIG SPELL
LINDISFARNE – POOR OLD IRELAND
LINDISFARNE – COURT IN THE ACT
Also AIN’T GOT NO – DEREK WADSWORTH FROM HAIR. Derek Wadsworth produced one of the UK versions of Hair and was himself a trombone player but not a singer. So if anyone knows who actually sang the song in LOM, I’d appreciate help.
If anyone has any of the above songs that they could let me have or maybe they could upload them to a free site for me, I’d appreciate it. My email is jimmyseal@btinternet.com
Please note, I’m collecting these songs to put on my Multiply site for fans to download and share and not for any financial gain.
Katie, I’ve just checked my DVD and the song you’re looking for is by THE THREE DEGREES – EVERYBODY GETS TO GO TO THE MOON. There is a list of all the music used in the TV series for each episode – here’s the page where this track is listed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/series2/ep1_music.shtml
there is a tune on the series that has had its intro ‘borrowed’ by paul weller, does anyone know what it is?
Andy, if you can give me some idea of which series/episode it was in or if you can give me an idea of what was happening at the time it was played or even a few lines from the song, I may be able to help.
Andy, if you can give me a bit more info I may be able to help. Series, episode? What was happening at the time it was played? A line from the song?
Hey,the “borrowed” paul weller song is 1085 overture by ELO. does anybody know what the song playing during the sam/gene, ray/chris chase scene in the boxing club (series2 ep8[i think]) i cant work it out, sounds like cream, but im not sure
Hi Welshy, Yes it’s Cream and te track’s Crossroads. It was featured in Series 2 Episode 7 but it’s definetely the song yu refer to. If you need it, I can email it to you.
Love this site, but can somebody please explain which song is played during the “Stay the night Annie”- scene(second series, last episode)