Moonage Daydream was first released as a single in 1971 by Arnold Corns (one of David Bowie’s pseudonyms), and was later released in 1972 on the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.

In The Words and Music of David Bowie, James E. Perone writes,

Bowie’s vocal melody and arrangement in the song’s chorus sections also closely resemble Elton John’s contemporary work (notably “Tiny Dancer”), although “Moonage Daydream” includes enough of a touch of heavy metal-style-electric guitar and percussion in the verses and at the end of each statement of the chorus, so as to provide a bit of distance from John’s music.

The Contestants:

Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians: Making their second appearance in as many weeks, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians lead us off with a very strong performance. Before last week, I don’t think I had ever listened to her cover a single song other than A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, but there’s a bunch of other good ones on the Live Music Archive. Source: 2-24-1991

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READ ON for the rest of this week’s Cover Wars contestants…

The Killers: To make this edition a bit more diverse, I have included this video of The Killers, even though the very beginning is cut off.

L.A. Guns: The L.A. Guns, a band I probably would never have heard of if I didn’t start reading Chuck Klosterman, provides us a hard-edged studio cover. Source: Rips the Covers Off

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Of Montreal: There is no doubt Kevin Barnes, front-man of Of Montreal, channels David Bowie and other glam-rock legends. Funny here, I’m pretty sure Barnes sings the second line of the song as, “I’m a motherfukin’ comin for you”. Source: You Ain’t No Picasso

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Oh You Pretty Things: This group was formed for a performance on Jamcruise 6 and it featured Al Schnier, Jon Fishman, Jans Ingber, Ron Johnson, Robert Walter, and Jeff Austin amongst other guests. I am a little unsure on who is singing lead, so if anyone who was there – or recognizes the voice would leave a comment, that’d be great. Source: 1-7-2008

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Rose Hill Drive: This power trio delivers a solid rocking performance from this show from New York City last year. Before the song starts, the lead singer warns that he might not remember all of it…Sounds like it was nailed to me. Source: 5-8-2008

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The White Stripes: In this old video of The White Stripes, you can hear someone quip “He sounds like a weirdo” in reference to Jack White as he is introducing the song. She’s certainly not incorrect – it’s just funny to hear that moment captured. Hope the dudes enjoy the “music video” that this YouTube user has put together!

Checking in on last week, the readers have spoken and declared Joan Baez the unanimous winner of the A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall Cover Wars. Funny, I had lukewarm things to say about her rendition and she ended up the clear winner – shows what I know! Anyway, it’s time to place your vote for this week below: