Duran Duran have released a new cover of the David Bowie classic “Five Years.”

Originally released in 1972, the song served as the opening track on Bowie’s landmark album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

"When we got the Ziggy Stardust LP and put the needle in the groove, our first taste of its perfection was the song 'Five Years,'" Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon explained during a conversation with People, admitting that his "life as a teenager was all about David Bowie."

"He is the reason why I started writing songs," Le Bon confessed. "I can't begin to explain how honored I feel for Duran Duran to be given the opportunity to perform this icon and to place our name alongside Bowie's for this commemoration of his music."

You can listen to Duran Duran's sleek, faithful cover of “Five Years” below, along with Bowie's original version.

The New Wave group’s cover arrives on what would have been Bowie’s 74th birthday, and just two days shy of the fifth anniversary of his death. The late legend is being honored with "A Bowie Celebration: Just for One Day!," a virtual tribute concert streaming online today. The lineup features Joe Elliott, Peter Frampton, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Rick Wakeman, Adam Lambert and Perry Farrell, in addition to Duran Duran.

"Part of me still can't believe in his death five years ago,” Le Bon admitted, reflecting on Bowie’s lasting influence, “but maybe that's because there's a part of me where he's still alive and always will be."

 

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