Space Oddity
| Space Oddity | |
|---|---|
| David Bowie | |
| publication | July 11, 1969 |
| length | 4:33 (UK original, mono) |
| Genre (s) | Space rock , psychedelic folk , progressive rock |
| text | David Bowie |
| music | David Bowie |
| album | David Bowie |
Space Oddity is a song by British musician David Bowie .
Bowie wrote the song after watching Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 . Space Oddity is a play on words with the English film title A Space Odyssey , which is not mentioned in the song itself. The text tells the story of Major Tom , a fictional spaceman who ends communication with the earth and lets himself drift through space alone.
background
Emergence
The title of the song already referred to the 2001 film : A Space Odyssey . But even in the musical introduction Bowie took up the deep bass tone of Richard Strauss' composition Also spoke Zarathustra , which was used so exposed in the film , with barely audible instrumentation .
The character of Major Tom reappears in later songs. Bowie's Ashes to Ashes is a continuation of Space Oddity and one version of his Hallo Spaceboy was supplemented by appropriate text passages by the Pet Shop Boys . The German singer Peter Schilling retold the story with his hit Major Tom (completely detached) in 1983 without using the melody from Space Oddity .
Although the space programs of the time did not inspire Bowie to write his song Space Oddity , some contemporaries saw the text as parodic approaches to the national space program of the UK Space Agency .
Bowie's first hit - but not his next single - after Space Oddity was his 1972 song Starman . The media has created the impression that Starman is not only the first Bowie release since Space Oddity , but also the sequel to it, which, however, was not true.
Similar thematic content and production, also by Gus Dudgeon , led to rumors in 1972 that Elton John and Bernie Taupin had copied Bowie for their hit Rocket Man . However, both repeatedly denied this. In fact, Taupin drew his inspiration from Ray Bradbury's short story The Rocket Man .
Recording and publication
After Bowie's separation from Deram Records, who had released his debut album, his manager Kenneth Pitt agreed in 1969 to produce at least one album with Mercury Records and their British subsidiary Philips Records . Mercury officials had already heard recordings by Bowie and his then music partner John Hutchinson, including a screening of Space Oddity in the spring of 1969. Bowie recorded an even earlier version of the song on February 2, 1969 for his advertising film Love You Till Tuesday .
In the next step, Bowie tried to find a music producer. George Martin , the producer of the Beatles , turned down the project. Tony Visconti, however, liked the test recordings of the album, but he was critical of the planned single release of Space Oddity , as he viewed it as cheap free-riding in the context of the upcoming Apollo 11 moon landing . Visconti therefore decided to transfer this production to Gus Dudgeon .
The recording of Space Oddity took place on June 20, 1969 at Trident Studios, with additional overdubs a few days later. Bowie was accompanied by the musicians Rick Wakeman on Mellotron , Mick Wayne on guitar, Herbie Flowers on bass and Terry Cox on drums. Bowie himself played the stylophone heard during the first verse . The manufacturing company then used the song for advertising.
The single was released nine days before the Apollo 11 moon landing. The BBC did not play the song on the radio until the crew from the space mission was safely back to earth. After this start with delays, the title reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart . In the USA, on the other hand, the song did not even make it into the top 100, not even in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
In an interview he gave to Performing Songwriter magazine in 2003, Bowie said that for a long time there had been a misconception in England that Space Oddity was written about the Apollo moon landing because it became known around the same time. The BBC broadcast the moon landing on television at the time, and the landing itself was accompanied by the music from Space Oddity . He was amused that none of the BBC officials would have heard the lyrics of the song before, because Major Tom was lost in space. Bowie said, “I'm sure they really weren't listening to the lyrics at all (laughs). It wasn't a pleasant thing to juxtapose against a moon landing. Of course, I was overjoyed that they did "(German: I'm sure they didn't listen to the lyrics at all (laughs). It wasn't a good idea to combine the song with a moon landing. Of course, I was overjoyed, that they did).
In Italy, the groups Equipe 84 and The Computers successfully released their versions of Space Oddity . In order to attract more interest to himself, Bowie released the single Ragazzo solo, ragazza sola in December 1969 . The Italian Mogol wrote a text for the melody of Space Oddity for this purpose, which, however, had nothing to do with Bowie's original lyrics.
The original title won the Ivor Novello Award in 1969, along with Peter Sarstedt's Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? . The high level of awareness of Space Oddity meant that Bowie's second album, originally called just David Bowie like his first , was given the same name when it was re-released in 1972. Released in 1975, the song reached number 1 on the British charts.
In late 1979 Bowie played an instrumentally reduced version of Space Oddity and released it in February 1980 as the B-side of his interpretation of the Alabama Song . The promotional video for this version was first seen in the UK on Kenny Everett ’s New Year’s Eve Show . This recording from 1979 was reissued by Rykodisc in 1992 as a bonus along with Bowie's album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) .
Bowie's 1989 box set Sound + Vision also included the spring 1969 test recording of Bowie and Hutchinson's Space Oddity . An even earlier recording of the two was released in 2008 in the 2-CD special edition of the David Bowie album .
On July 20, 2009, the title came out again as an EP and contained four further, previously unknown versions of the song as well as the option for the buyer to mix the title again. The release coincided with the 40th anniversary of the initial release and the moon landing of Apollo 11.
- Single releases
All tracks were written and composed by David Bowie.
- 1969 UK original
- Space Oddity - 4:33 (Mono)
- Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud - 3:52
- 1969 Germany / Netherlands
- Space Oddity - 5:13 (Stereo)
- Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud - 4:59 (Stereo)
- 1969 US original
- Space Oddity - 3:26
- Wild Eyed Boy from Freehold - 3:20
- 1973 US re-release
- Space Oddity - 5:05
- The Man Who Sold the World - 3:53
- 1975 UK re-release
- Space Oddity - 5:15
- Changes - 3:33
- Velvet Gold Mine - 3:14
- 2009 re-release (download EP)
- Space Oddity (Original UK mono single release)
- Space Oddity (US mono single release)
- Space Oddity (US stereo single release)
- Space Oddity (1979 re-recording)
- Space Oddity (bass and drums)
- Space Oddity (violins)
- Space Oddity (acoustic guitar)
- Space Oddity (Mellotron)
- Space Oddity (backing vocals, flute and cellos)
- Space Oddity (stylophone and guitar)
- Space Oddity (vocals)
- Space Oddity (backing vocals with countdown)
Live versions
- On May 22, 1972 Bowie played the song for the BBC's Johnny Walker Lunchtime Show , the broadcast took place in early June 1972. Bowie at the Beeb was released as an album as a CD set in 2000.
- In the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium a version was recorded on October 20, 1972, which was to be published on Bowie's live album Santa Monica '72 . However, this album was initially only available as a pirated copy before it officially went on sale in 1994.
- Another live performance with Space Oddity was recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo on July 3, 1973 in London , but was only released in 1983 with the live album Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture .
- The recording of an appearance with this title in July 1974 was part of the 2005 re-release of the live album David Live .
- On September 12, 1983, an appearance with Space Oddity was filmed and released as a concert film Serious Moonlight .
Music video
In 1969, Bowie recorded a music video entitled Love You Till Tuesday to showcase his talents . Among other songs, he also sings Space Oddity .
While recording Bowie's Aladdin Sane album in December 1972, photographer Mick Rock shot a music video of Bowie playing the song during one of the sessions. The video was used for advertising purposes.
Space Oddity in Space
In 2013, the song came back into the spotlight after Canadian astronaut Chris Austin Hadfield presented and filmed himself aboard the ISS (International Space Station) . This made Space Oddity the first music video to be recorded in space.
However, the text contained some changes. In particular, the ending was replaced by Major Tom reliably completing the mission to return safely to Earth. This suited the situation as Hadfield was close to completing his mission on the space station. Hadfield announced the video on his Twitter account, he wrote: “With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here's Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World ”(German: Bowing to the genius of David Bowie, this is Space Oddity, recorded on the station. One last brief look at the world).
Bowie was also expressly thanked in the video credits. In response, Bowie tweeted "Hello Spaceboy" back to Hadfield. The video has been viewed over 40 million times on YouTube .
The video prompted Glenn Fleishman to ask the question “How does copyright work in space” on May 22, 2013 in The Economist ? He analyzed the legal consequences if copyrighted musical content is performed while in orbit.
Despite Bowie's express request, the video was removed from YouTube on May 13, 2014, as the rights holder, Bowies Musikverlag, had only granted permission for a period of twelve months. As a result of further negotiations, the video was available again from November 2, 2014 on YouTube with a license initially limited to two years.
In February 2018, the car radio of an old Tesla Roadster owned by Elon Musk is said to have played the song on the first flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket on its way to orbit around Mars .
Artistic use of space oddity
The American singer Lana Del Rey provided the song Terrence Loves You on her fourth studio album Honeymoon with an interpolation from Space Oddity . It was released on August 21, 2015.
The title is also used in the Spanish science fiction film Eva . The main actor dances with his former partner, who is now married to his brother. The different parts of the song underlay different but related scenes of the film. During the beginning of Space Oddity he thinks about whether to stay at the party or better go. Because of his fears about the further development of the situation, he decides to leave the party and Bowie sings "May God's love be with you" (Eng .: May God's love be with you). But with "This is ground control to Major Tom!" (Eng .: ground station to Major Tom) he changes his mind, goes back, pushes his brother aside (“it's time to leave the capsule, if you dare”; Eng .: it's time to leave the capsule when you You dare) and asks her for a dance. During the dance, Bowie sings "floating in a most peculiar way, and the stars look very different today" (German: float in a special way and the stars look very different today). When the drum roll introduces the chorus, the main actor's brother tips himself down a glass of liqueur with a bitter expression and sees himself confirmed in his suspicion that there is more between the two dancers. With Bowie's wish to “pass one-hundred thousand miles”, the brother leaves the party. When Bowie's voice starts again after the instrumental climax, the woman only notices that her husband is gone.
Space Oddity can also be found in video games . It was used in Rock Band 3 and Rocksmith has the option to load the song as a bonus. In the psychological thriller video game Alan Wake 's Space Oddity heard during the credits. The promotional video for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is partly based on an interpretation by the group Lady Heroine .
The actress Kristen Wiig sang the song for the film The Amazing Life of Walter Mitty . In one scene, Mitty, played by Ben Stiller , imagines the character portrayed by Wiigs singing the song for him. The title with the voices of Bowie and Wiigs is also part of the official film music.
The song is also used in the opening sequence of Valerian - The City of a Thousand Planets . It accompanies the construction and history of the Alpha space station until the actual action begins.
B side
Bowie also wrote the song Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud , published on the B-side . It was recorded in June 1969 and released on the album along with Space Oddity . A separate version was recorded for the album in July and August 1969, which included an orchestral arrangement by Tony Visconti . Allegedly this song is also the debut on a Bowie recording by Mick Ronson , who without being named played guitar and clapped his hands.
Bowie himself says of the song: “It was about the disassociated, the ones who feel as though they're left outside, which was how I felt about me. I always felt I was on the edge of events, the fringe of things, and left out. A lot of my characters in those early years seem to revolve around that feeling. It must have come from my own interior puzzlement at where I was ”(German: It was about the outsiders who believed they were being left out, that's how I felt back then. I always felt on the edge and on the edge of events, left outside. A lot of my characters from the early years seem to revolve around this feeling. It had to come from my inner confusion about who I was).
The original by Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud used on the B-side was first released on CD in 1989 in the Sound + Vision box set .
occupation
- David Bowie - vocals, guitar, stylophone
- Mick Wayne - guitar
- Herbie Flowers - electric bass
- Terry Cox - drums
- Paul Buckmaster - violin arrangement
- Tony Visconti - flutes, woodwind instruments
- Rick Wakeman - Mellotron
production
- Gus Dudgeon - producer
Charts
Space Oddity has been published several times and in different versions by Bowie since 1969. The following table shows the highest chart price in each country to date.
| Year | single | Chart | placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Space Oddity" | Great Britain ( Official Charts Company ) | 1 |
| 1973 | "Space Oddity" | USA ( Billboard Hot 100 ) | 15th |
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1201
- ^ David Buckley: Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story , Virgin Books, London 1999, ISBN 1-85227-784-X , pp. 49-50.
- ^ Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray: Bowie: An Illustrated Record , Avon Eel Pie Publishing, London 1981, ISBN 0-906-00825-5 , p. 8.
- ↑ Kevin Cann: Any Day Now: David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974 , Verlag Adelita Ltd., Croydon, UK, 2010, ISBN 0-955-20177-2 , p. 145 u. P. 147.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/nz25
- ^ Norman Sheffield: Life on Two Legs , Trident Publishing, New York, 2013.
- ↑ Kevin Cann: Any Day Now: David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974 , Verlag Adelita Ltd., Croydon, UK, 2010, ISBN 0-955-20177-2 , pp. 153-155.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/highlights/010108_bowie.shtml
- ↑ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1201
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/David-Bowie-Space-Oddity-40th-Anniversary-EP/master/911813
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo
- ↑ http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/05/economist-explains-12
- ↑ Phil Plait: Elon Musk: On the Roadster to Mars. December 2, 2017, accessed December 3, 2017 .
- ↑ SpaceX will use the first Falcon Heavy to send a Tesla Roadster to Mars, Elon Musk says , The Verge, December 1, 2017.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeF3UTkCoxY
- Jump up ↑ David Buckley: Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story , Virgin Books, London, 1999, ISBN 0-753-51002-2 , p. 79.
- ↑ Chris Welch: We Could be Heroes: the Stories Behind Every David Bowie Song 1970-1980 , Diane Publishing Company, Collingdale, PA, USA, 1999, ISBN 0-756-78076-4 .