David Bowie's voice will lift you higher in this Audi Super Bowl commercial

No matter what else debuts between now and the Super Bowl, it will be hard for any commercial to have a more poignant soundtrack than Audi's just-released ad.

Just weeks after music legend David Bowie's death, the luxury car brand is featuring his iconic "Starman" in a 60-second spot set to run during the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

And Audi made sure the song's emotional resonance didn't go to waste. 

The commercial tells the story of a retired astronaut who's depressed because his prosaic life isn't living up the shining optimism of America's space age.

He gazes longingly at lunar lander models, medals and old photographs and won't eat or speak. But his gloom is dispelled when his son comes home with a brand new 2017 R8 Audi. 

He spends the rest of the spot speeding along to the music of Ziggy Stardust as the news clips of moon landings playing in his mind take on a more optimistic tone.

See the 90-second extended cut below:

It's a bold premise on Audi's part: that a new car model is enough to kick a disillusioned astronaut out of a funk spurred by nostalgia for one of America's most fervent periods of innovation. But the musical backing is what really makes the commercial.   

Created by agency Venables Bell & Partners, the ad marks Audi's eighth Super Bowl outing.

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