[2] Led by Bowie, the band consisted of guitarist Mark Carr-Pritchard, bassist Peter DeSomogyi and drummer Tim Broadbent, who were known previously as a trio called Rungk.

[5][6][7] Biographer Peter Doggett wrote the original version had a "playful science-fiction-inspired chorus, two nondescript verses with a single memorable line, and an arrangement that not only racked his voice like a martyr under the Inquisition but virtually defined the word 'shambolic'.

[9] Bowie re-recorded "Moonage Daydream" on 12 November 1971 at Trident Studios in London for inclusion on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

[12] The re-recording, like its parent album, is a glam rock song[13][14] that uses melodic and harmonic hooks, as well as percussion and guitar influenced by heavy metal.

[16] Pegg writes that the chord "cuts across the fade-out" of "Soul Love" taking the listener "into the morass of sleazy sex and surreal science fiction that occupies the album's heart.

[18] Doggett said, "Only in the final moments did Ronson's guitar provide the climactic release that the daydream demanded, continually returning to the same motifs as if in ecstatic spasm.

[20] Once introduced, Ziggy proclaims himself "an exotic hybrid of rock's past and mankind's future": "an alligator" (strong and remorseless), "a mama-papa" (non-gender specific), "the space invader" (alien and phallic), "a rock'n'rollin' bitch" and a "pink-monkey-bird" (gay slang for a recipient of anal sex).

[1] Doggett believes that the "carefree" imagery Ziggy presents heightens the "erotic fantasy" of the chorus, described as "a wet dream that was 'moonage' for the era of the Apollo missions" and for the tradition of "muse poetry" by Robert Graves, which is linked to "ancient cults that worshipped the moon, accessing the imagination without involving the intellect.

[8] Bowie used several Americanisms on the original version of the song, most of them retained on the re-recording, using abbreviations such as "comin'", "'lectric" and "rock'n'rollin'", as well as phrases such as "busting up my brains", "lay the real thing on me", "freak out" and "far out".

[1] The original version of "Moonage Daydream" by the short-lived band Arnold Corns was released in the UK by B&C Records as a 7-inch single[7] with "Hang On to Yourself" as the B-side in May 1971.

[21][22] The re-recorded version was released as the third track on Bowie's fifth studio album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, between "Soul Love" and "Starman", on 16 June 1972 by RCA Records.

In his book The Complete David Bowie, Nicholas Pegg praises Ronson's guitar solo, calling it "spectacular" and a "vital ingredient" of the recording.

[18] Reviewing the album for its 40th anniversary, Jordan Blum of PopMatters describes "Moonage Daydream", "Hang On to Yourself" and "It Ain't Easy" as "invigorating rockers" that are highlighted by Ronson's "electrifying timbres".

[24] Following Bowie's death in 2016, Rolling Stone listed "Moonage Daydream" as one of his 30 essential songs, giving unanimous praise to Ronson's guitar work, calling it some of the most "jaw-dropping" of his career.

[26] He continues, "As a prototype of glam rock's still-influential formula – descending, slow chords; high singing; sexually charged if not exploded imagery; thick, fat feedback; and more –it nails it on every level.

"[26] He finishes his review writing: "Ronson's keyboards and final, swirling string arrangement, matched with a brilliant guitar solo, prove the icing on the cake, sealing 'Moonage Daydream' forever as a rock classic.

[19] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian ranked "Moonage Daydream" 33rd in his list of Bowie's 50 greatest songs, calling Ronson's guitar solo "mind-blowing" and describing it as the best example of "high-drama rock anthemics" on Ziggy Stardust.

[37] The Arnold Corns version (without the spoken intro "Whenever you're ready") was released as a bonus track on the 1990 Rykodisc re-release of The Man Who Sold the World and on the 2002 reissue of Ziggy Stardust.

[1][40] The Ziggy Stardust recording has since appeared on multiple compilation albums, including the 1989 box set Sound + Vision,[41] Best of Bowie (2002),[42] Nothing Has Changed (2014),[43] and Legacy (2016).

[18][49] In 2007, "Moonage Daydream" was made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band music video game series, as part of the "David Bowie Track Pack 01".

[52] Director James Gunn was unsure about using it initially, but ended up choosing it over "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell and "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night.