--- description: There's a starman waiting in the sky title: Audi Heads To The Super Bowl With A David Bowie Tribute Ad image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Audi Heads To The Super Bowl With A David Bowie Tribute Ad by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 3, 2016 8:44 PM CUT by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 3, 2016 8:44 PM CUT Grab a tissue, because Audi is bringing its crying A-game to the [Super Bowl](http://time.com/4199076/super-bowl-50-2016-what-to-know/ "undefined") with a new ad. The ad tells the story of a retired astronaut who is disinterested in life until his son shows up with a brand new 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus. Once the commander gets behind the wheel and feels the powerful engine under his control, he rediscovers his passion for living. It sounds hokey, but you may very well find yourself tearing up thanks to the story line’s pairing with the perfect heart-wrenching soundtrack—David Bowie’s 1972 song “Starman.” It’s unclear whether Venables Bell & Partners, who created the ad, planned to use the song for the rocket-themed commercial before [Bowie’s death last month](http://time.com/4175126/david-bowie-best-music-videos/ "undefined"), or whether they made a game time decision to add it later to make sure that Audi’s Super Bowl ad stood out among the other Super Bowl advertisements. Either way, it’s a tearjerker. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4206580/david-bowie-audi-ad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4206580/david-bowie-audi-ad/"},"headline":"Audi Heads To The Super Bowl With A David Bowie Tribute Ad","datePublished":"2016-02-03T20:44:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:29:41.016Z","description":"\"There's a starman waiting in the sky\"","url":"https://time.com/4206580/david-bowie-audi-ad/","keywords":["Newsfeed","commercials","Super Bowl Commercials","Audi","Advertisement","David Bowie topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4206580/david-bowie-audi-ad/","name":"Audi Heads To The Super Bowl With A David Bowie Tribute Ad"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Audi R8: Commander: 2016 Super Bowl Ad","description":"Surrounded by memories of the Space Age’s golden years, a retired astronaut has lost his zeal for life. But when his son shows up and hands over the keys to the new 205-mph Audi R8 V10 plus, a rocket ride under the stars stirs newfound life.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OD5f8yQ2/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-02-03T20:29:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OD5f8yQ2.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4206580/david-bowie-audi-ad/","duration":"PT1M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4206580/david-bowie-audi-ad/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```