“Blackstar” is quite a weird song, but weird is synonymous with David Bowie. He wrote it for the opening credit sequence of the new crime drama, The Last Panthers, which Sky Atlantic released today.

The song is apparently the result of a “meeting of minds” between Bowie and the director of the series, Johan Renck (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), who met during the filming of the show. They discussed its various aspects, including the “underlying currents of guilt and personality flaws,” the “dark heart of Europe,” and the “biblical aspects of human nature.”

Renck said, “He [Bowie] asked if there was anything else to see, so I showed him the first concept board I had just made for the title sequence–images from the show laced with chimaeras and demons from the worlds of Bosch and Grunewald. That’s when he said go–it all fits. Then he played me his new song “Blackstar”

The song is beautifully haunting and atmospheric, a perfect complement to the gritty, rough visuals of the trailer. After you watch it, I think you’ll find that both the images and the song are seared in your skull.

The Last Panthers is a six-part series that stars Academy Award nominees Samantha Morton and John Hurt. It will air on CANAL + in France and Sky Atlantic in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria from November 12.

What do you think of “Blackstar”? Has David Bowie still got the goods? (We think he does) Come on, let’s hear it loud and clear in the comments below.

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HT: Sky Atlantic 

IMAGE: Jimmy King