Sharon Van Etten Covers David Bowie’s Hit “Starman” For Netflix’s Return To Space

American Singer and Songwriter Sharon Van Etten today (April 8) shares her new cover for “Starman”. The new single is for the premiere of Netflix’s new original documentary Return to Space, which discusses Space X and Elon Musk, according to Consequence. The documentary was released yesterday, April 7. And for fans of Etten, the cover of the hit song “Starman” plays over the credits after the two hour film.

“Starman”, by legendary artist David Bowie, was released on April 28 of 1972, which almost marks the song’s 50 anniversary. “Starman” was Bowie’s lead single for his fifth album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars. In the original track, Bowie delights fans, calling for a generation of the youth seeking their own “Starman” through classic instruments. At the beginning of the song, the instruments can be heard right when the track begins.

In comparison to Etten’s cover, however, the audio is silent for several seconds, just before electric instruments shadow the credits. Etten does not hesitate to go right into the song, as she starts off the cover with the chorus “There’s a Starman waiting in the sky”, completely leaving out the first verse of Bowie’s. The beat of the drums, though slower than Bowie’s classic, are harder. Each beat leaves a chill to the viewer’s spine as the bass is higher. More importantly, Etten’s cover only lasts one minute with the chorus, leaving no room for another verse. But, Etten uses this effectively, although people may wish to hear more.

Etten has also announced her new album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong which is set to release in May.

Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer

Mohammad Halim: Hello! I am a graduate student from UC San Diego with an associates of arts degree in English and a bachelors of the arts degree in Literature and Writing. Within taking a variety of English and Writing courses, my passion is to diverse myself within the writing culture.
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