Major tom is the astronaut. Ground control is space org headquarters in communication with major tom. Most of the song is written like its radio communication between astronaut and ground control. With that in mind it might be easier to grasp what's happening.
Actually, although that is how the song is set out structurally, think Asia has a good take on the actual context as well. Remember Major Tom returns in Ashes to Ashes and it turns out he is indeed on a bad trip.
@@Muckylittleme I had a pretty conventional straight forward take on this song for years: Major Tom intentionally disconnected his communication with ground control, and allowed himself to just float off into space. (He asks ground control to give a message to his wife.) After "Ashes to Ashes", I'm not really sure what it means anymore...
@@jonathanlocke6404 Well no reason it shouldn't be taken on face value either until Ashes to Ashes and who knows if Bowie just decided to evolve the Character after Space Oddity? Maybe he is talking about himself playing the persona in 3rd person and his won drug addiction? A lot of his songs either have very profound lyrics with double meanings while others are deliberately nonsensical so he is always hard to decipher.
David Bowie was one of the greatest musical savants and a chameleon. Myself, I love his stuff from this early era. I love his Ziggy Stardust era output with the incredible Mick Ronson on lead guitar. That was glam rock at its best, with a touch of psychedelia, punk, Prog and hard rock sprinkled in. Try Moon Age Daydream, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragate City and Width of a Circle. This band was at its best live in 1973, that show will send you to outer space! 🎵
Yep. I agree with all the above! I saw Bowie's Diamond Dogs tour several yrs later, and he was living and performing the dissolute mood theme of that lp, which was somewhat unsettling (as it was meant to be IMO!) to him, the band, and the audience. Wish I'd seen him/them a few yrs earlier!!!
@@joelhoulette3244 Yep, all modern fans who like Bowie need to see the Ziggy Stardust live concert video, he is in absolute peak form as is Mick, he is a monster that night! 🎸
David Bowie (BOW-ee) is telling a story in this song. He plays the part of both ground control ("This is ground control to Major Tom" and Major Tom ("This is Major Tom to ground control"). They are communicating with each other.
David Bowie was a genius. He constantly changed his sound, reinventing himself many times. That's why he remained relevant to music for so many decades. He was a true artist and yet accessible as well. In interviews he usually seemed to be having great fun, a down to earth likeable guy. When it came to his music though he seemed driven to create something timeless and memorable and he often succeeded.
Hi. I actually wonder if the last appearance of Major Tom is in Bowie's video for the song "Blackstar". For me the dead astronaut in the video could be him. Just my interpretation.
Caught him live twice. Once with The Polyphonic Spree where he literally stopped mid song when he noticed someone waving a program from the play "The Elephant Man" which he had starred in when it toured through my town some decades before. He told the story, signed the program and then went back on with the song... ever the performer. The other time was when he toured with NIN. Both performed separately then played together at the encore.... unbelievable. 5 decades of incredible music from a singular talent; never to be duplicated again.
Great to see you both doing much better health wise. Believe it or not, David Bowie was watching the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Oddysey high as a kite when ideas came to him about this song 😂. Major Tom is a fictional character. BJ I think you hit the nail on the head saying Major Tom is your own alter-ego, and the space oddity is your own mind where you are present, but not present. And yes Asia, your conscience and sub-conscience. Great opinions, thoughts and reaction ❤️
Not to be argumentative but I think this song is about the Apollo 13 incident. When it happened the whole world in shock. I think Rocket Man by Elton John was also influenced by it
@@michaelwhite6740 in an interview David Bowie said everyone thought this song had to do with the Apollo Missions and the landing on the moon but it had nothing to do with them at all.
I'm not sure about this song but many times everything you hear was done by Bowie. All the instruments, all the multi-voice chorus. He was sooo talented. As always y'all review / react great.
I still get a tear in my eyes because of his passing. He was like no other, ALWAYS ahead of the curve. Bowie was a trendsetter, changing with the times and he always came out on TOP. Rest In Peace David, we all miss you.
David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter & actor. He constantly reinvented himself to stay current over nearly 5 decades. His first big hit was "Space Oddity" in 1969. He has had a lot of great songs including "Starman", "Ziggy Stardust", "Rebel Rebel", "Young Americans", "Changes", "Fame", "Golden Years", "Ashes To Ashes", "Under Pressure", Let's Dance", "Modern Love", "China Girl", "Heroes" etc.
bowie was one of those rare and special artists years and years ahead of there time he could change his persona and style and reinvent himself many times over throughout his career , even lying and singing in his own coffin just before his death in his final album Black Star, he was iconic the world over
I like that, after they say "ground control to Major Tom, your circuit's dead, there's something wrong. Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear me Major Tom.........?" he doesn't reply to them, instead going inward with his thoughts about "here am I sitting in a tin can............." and pondering his fate. It leaves you thinking. 🙄
This came out in 69' during the space race before the moon landing. It was stunning then and it's still epic. It has been performed on the international space station by astronaut Chris Hadfield. Played this during a symphony rock show with a cover band and it is a great chart.
Every album Bowie made was a different trip that he took you on. It always took a little time to catch up with him. Bowie made albums for down the road a bit, he seemed to have understood what you would need later on. For me it started with a song called Oh You Pretty Things and down the rabbit hole I went. Hunky Dory became the beginning of a lifetime of Bowie music.
David Bowie was one of the first androgynous performer. People speculated this was about drugs, and the connection to them. Listen to something from Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Kind of shocking at the time but pretty tame now.
You are right . . While being a song about outer space . . It's a song about inner space . . The artist is the Astronaut and psychic explorer probing and lost and a casualty in being a psychic explorer
Don't over think it. He's like the narrator, taking both parts of Major Tom and Ground Control. This was his first major hit in 1969, the same year man landed on the moon. Major Tom appears again in two other songs by Bowie, but many years apart ("Ashes to Ashes" and his last album "Blackstar").
We finally got to see him in '74 on his Diamond Dogs tour. He wrote a lot of truly great songs and he was a pretty good actor too. He starred in The Elephant Man on Broadway and was hilarious on Extras with Ricky Gervias. Gone way too soon.
"Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows" major Tom knows something is wrong and the ship is starting to careen out of its' path. He knows there is nothing he can do to get back to earth, the very last part the music is going out of control and he is lost, conveying the emotions of early space flights where many things can and did go very wrong.
I love storytelling songs and for me, this one stands as one of the very best. We get the full journey experience in just a few concise minutes. Every line carries so much weight. To deliver the lyrics a in a way that reflects Ground control communicating with the astronaut, and Major Toim reporting back...the "countdown" in the opening lines, Ground Control already reporting of this man's heroics - the papers want to know who's shirt you wear". The line "i am floating in a most peculiar way" - totally sums up the experience of being in space, this mass expanse you cannot even fully grasp". "Tell my wide I love her very much....she knows" - that one just gets me in the feels. And then, tragedy. "your circuit's dead, there's something wrong, can you hear me Major Tom? x3" all with the backdrop of amazing instrumentation that makes you feel this journey into space. And to think that this was released just days before the 1969 moon landing. Just everything put into context - this song is absolute genius. Everything works and it never gets old. "Planet earth is blue and there's nothing I can do."
Do you remember a guy that's been In such an early song? I've heard a rumor from Ground Control Oh no, don't say it's true... We know Major Tom's a junkie Strung out in heaven's high Hitting an all-time low its all a metaphor right?
I saw him sing this song in concert in Detroit. An egg dropped from the ceiling and split open to reveal David Bowie leaning back on his elbow in an all white suit. The interior of the egg was bathed in the black light so he was glowing in the dark. Very inventive for the time. His voice what surreal.
Seeing you so introspective while reacting is great - this was Bowie's intention This song was written and released just after 2001: A Space Odyssey - some of the lyrics are based on scenes from the movie "the stars look different today" etc Not long after, Apollo 11 launched - the excitement about the intended landing was also a motivator for the song
Major Tom is a persona of David Bowie's, mentioned in songs "Space Oddity", "Ashes to Ashes", "Hallo Spaceboy", “Major Tom”, and "Blackstar" In Blackstar I am certain he is not mentioned but is a Major {haha} part of the official video which is a absolute must see -- Only after you have a lot more Bowie under your belts tho --- The digital pinging noise in this is also at the end of Blackstar --- There are a lot of hidden treasures and easter eggs in the official video to Blackstar and the physical album -- there are videos of people who have discovered some of them -- also there is messages if you play Blackstar backwards -- The funniest thing is it still sounds like a Bowie song --- RIP David and thank you
Please check out the most touching song he ever made imo - Heroes! And if you want to taste how diverse check out his collaboration with Trent from NIN on "I'm afraid of Americans"
This album is one of the best. I would strongly recommend trying anything from it but I personally think Cygnet Committee, Janine, and Memory of a Free Festival are maybe my favorites. Really there is nothing bad on this album and it has a different vibe than almost anything Bowie, or nearly anyone else has done. A diamond.
Bowie did consume a lot of substances back in the day. But the album this song is from (also called Space Oddity) was released 1969, same year as Apollo 11 mission/first man on the moon.
Y'all can't miss with my guy from way back to forever. Rip Mr. Bowie. Asia they used to do space walks outside the space capsule (tin can) back in the day.
He is Major Tom talking to Ground Control. PLEASE can you guys react to Bowie Heroes live 2002 or Where are we now which is so beautiful and especially after his death. Love the channel and reactions of you both. Thanks!
That it's with David Bowie.. a visionary and never afraid in trying to reinvent himself. So creative, classy and intuitive. Bowie could see and feel things that we could not feel or see. He was never afraid to fail and try new ideas until he felt creatively happy. Never will be another Bowie. He even forwarded the cuildren's classic story The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Space Oddity is a play on the 1968 Movie Title "2001 A Space Odyssey".The entire world was enthralled by the movie and the Moon Landing and Bowie took full advantage of the mania and scored his first big hit, (of the many to come...) He sings the role of Major Tom the Astronaut and he also plays the Technician from Ground Control. Two different people. Straight forward, no hidden anything. Major Tom is a bit overwhelmed by the experience. Ground Control is dealing with the technical problems and they no longer have control or communication. The music emulates the take off, the mystical feeling of space travel/flight, the loss of control and away he goes into oblivion. Straight storytelling.
It’s been said that the during the early missions to the moon, when astronauts left the space capsule and took a walk, they had an amazing sense of freedom. They didn’t want to go back inside.
Not a lyric song, you can’t experience the magnificence reading the words. So glad you’re listening to Bowie though! He’s a genius - Heroes, Changes, Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, Fashion. He’s brilliant. ❤️❤️❤️😁
David Bowie one of the biggest iconic artist of our time. He was famous for changing his music styles over and over again throughout his career and was extremely good at it. Check out his album Ziggy Stardust....still one of my favorites of his.
At that time many people were asking about what would happen if one of the "Moon Shots" missed and carried on outwards. NASA had no answer to that particular question apart from "Phuq all". Bowie soon came out with this track. Since then there have been many who have tagged on much more meaning to it and Bowie with his sense of humour played up to that.
This is a radio conversation between the astronaut Major Tom in his space ship (tin can), and ground control. How was that too difficult to understand? LOL
He’s singing BOTH part. Mission Control (nasa calls it today) ground control…. He’s also singing the part of major tom the astronaut. Like “tell my wife I love her very much” (Tom), “she knows”, ground control
David Bowie is a great singer, and happens to be married to one of the most beautiful women in the world. I say happens because she said she'd never re-marry.
you need to listen to Heroes or Putting out the Fire with Gasoline. This man changed over time from the early days of Ziggy Stardust to later days of Young Americans. so much creativity and he never stayed the same.
Basic meaning on the surface: Major Tom is the astronaut, Ground Control is the mission command on Earth and they are communicating with each other until Ground Control loses contact with Major Tom. *HOWEVER*- I have been told that "Major Tom" is also a slang term for heroin, and the song is actually about a guy ODing on heroin. Which, if you listen again, makes a lot of sense.
Welcome to the rabbit hole of David Bowie 👏🏻👏🏻 At first he is the one calling ground control and they’re telling him it’s time to step outside the door. Later in the song it’s ground control trying to reach him but they can’t… He’s Major Tom. Small correction but his last name is pronounced as “Bo E”.
I’ve listened to this since it came out in 1969 and always interpreted literally as Ground Control communicating with Major Tom in space. But Asia’s interpretation was that this was all going on in Major Tom’s head, like someone feeling conflicted and going through turmoil. That interpretation really works too and I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t Bowie’s intent.
Fun reaction. I love how Shaun pronounces the surname, the down south way! Fun fact: that droney little synth sound you can hear in various sections of the song is a Stylophone, a cheap, tiny electric keyboard, only about the size of a hardback book, and played with a stylus, that was quite popular in the late 60s and up to maybe the mid 70s. I'm not aware of any other record which includes a credit for someone (in this case Bowie, who also plays the 12 string acoustic guitar) playing a stylophone. The orchestral string sounds are courtesy of the Mellotron, a rather wonderful early synthesizer.
Really enjoyed this one! And I'd just recommend that you really try to cast your minds back to when this song came out, 50 yrs ago. This was the time of the first moon landings, quantum mechanics and new cosmic theories so this song really spoke to current ideas. In other words, it of course didn't sound "old" or even particularly psychedelic in the 70s. And Bowie was pretty much always right on the edge of experimental music and pop. I think you'd enjoy "Golden Years" or "Suffragette City". Thanks for upload! (note Bowie pretty much said this song is about drugs but I think its way more than that.)
CHECK OUT PART 2 TO THIS INCREDIBLY GREAT SONG OF OVER 50 YEARS AGO NOW YOU GUYS! :) ( ASHES TO ASHES ) AND A BIGGGGGG R.I.P. TO DAVID :( SO SAD :( BUT HIS MUSIC LIVES ON :)
This man was a musical genius. All of his music is outstanding. A lot of people like his stuff like China Girl, Modern Love etc. I prefer his early stuff and his later stuff. RIP David. We miss you. Let's Dance.
David Bowie actually had stage characters...Glad you've met Ziggy Stardust whom David " killed " a few years later AANND some fans actually believed a dude from space named Ziggy actually died!!! LOL Ya know rocker from space comes to earth brings awesome music gets involved with drugs and the whole scene and spirals out of control and pretty much drugs do him in! Wait for that to die down got himself ( Bowie ) out of a creative slump and came back as the Great White Duke! Que China Girl , Modern Love, Hero's.....
David Blake wrote this song in 1969 after he was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey" hence the play on words "Space Oddity." Anyone who lived at this time knows that the "space race" was a major cultural event to see which country was going to be the first to land on the moon & our space advancements were constantly on TV. Bowie said in interviews that he was "stoned out of his gourd" when he saw the movie & was trying to capture his feelings of alienation. Major Tom was left floating in space & the question has always been was this an accident or intentional. Bowie has always left ambiguity in his lyrics because he wants people to interpret them as they will, as any true artist does. He revisits Major Tom in 1980's song "Ashes to Ashes" as being a junkie, which is after Bowie's own struggle with cocaine addiction (NOT heroin), and again in subsequent years with "Hallo Spaceboy" and again in his swansong video for "Blackstar." I also heard him say in a later interview that space was an outer manifestation of an internal space. Many people interpret that as drug related, and that analogy fits as well as other interpretations. My own personal opinion is that it is more of an existential crisis of sorts - but then again this is why the song has a broader appeal that spans over generations. I still mourn his passing. RIP David Robert Jones, you are sorely missed!
His last name is Bow-E … Bow as in bow and arrow. It seems like every album, every decade it’s a different Bowie; he was the master of reinvention of himself and his music, so it’s even hard to compare himself with himself. He came out during the early 70s when hard rock like Led Zeppelin was king, so this album was very different then what was going on at the time. For us rockers, as we got old we became more appreciative of his music.
Honestly don't think it even matters how people pronounce his last name, after all it's not his real name. He only picked it so he didn't get confused with Davey Jones from the Monkees.
That's interesting because I'm British and I have always pronounced it 'Bow, like the front of a ship or taking a bow + ee.' I don't recall anyone ever saying 'Bow' your way. I used to know someone whose surname was Bowie and it was definitely 'take a bow'. I know what people are saying about it not really mattering, but I think if possible a person's name should be pronounced the way the person pronounces it. EDIT: i just consulted the fount of all knowledge, Google, and a polite lady told me BOW-ee, with 'Bow' pronounced like a bow and arrow. I have lived my whole life in a misapprehension. Still, it wasn't BOO-ee.
@@markharris1125 " I think if possible a person's name should be pronounced the way the person pronounces it." Very True Mark. You certainly are not talking out of your Harris :)
@@markharris1125 Even David himself seemed not to be too sure on the pronunciation, I've seen interviews where he said as much. His real name was David Jones, but adopted the stage name so as not be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
Don't overthink it too much. Bowie is just telling the story like reading a book. " Major Tom said" ..then Ground control said ..etc...It is not based on a real person , it, like most music from that era is a commentary on humankind , and the perils and beauty's of our curious nature etc..
I like "Lets Dance" which Diddy sampled in "Been Around The World" feat Mase and Biggie & "Little China Girl" by Bowie first time seeing him as a kid were in the movie Labyrinth lol
What is Major Tom slang for? Major Tom is described as a "junkie, strung out in heavens high, hitting an all-time low". This lyric was interpreted as a play on the title of Bowie's album Low (1977), which charted his withdrawal following his drug abuse in the United States.
Asia "I ain't going out there" Hilarious, you're killing me here. Love this song which was release in November, 1969 just four months after the Apollo 11 mission when we first put man on the moon, this was 3 weeks before my 11th birthday and I'd still fresh in my mind almost 53 years later. This may have been the event of the 20th century. Over the next four years it became a common thing too put guys on the moon, it quickly became like yawn, so what's new? When this song came out space and man on the moon was all the rage, trust me on this, I lived it. ☮️✌️💕
He's not talking to himself, he's just relaying all his thoughts and actions back to ground control, which is what they did in the early days of the space program.
this was released the year we landed on the moon. Major Tom ended up stranded on the moon and became a junkie. As described in the song ashes to ashes.
Thanks for being open minded about it all. Major Tom is fictional and, I think, inspired on the film 2001 and you can see what happened to him in ashes to Ashes. I would suggest also watching Let's Dance official video and Heroes Live in Berlin next :)
The song is about a guy getting high. At the end he overdoses. Produced by Gus Dudgeon and Rick Wakeman played the strings. Gus ended up being Elton John's producer, and Rick Wakeman ended up making Yes into a supergroup
Major tom is the astronaut. Ground control is space org headquarters in communication with major tom. Most of the song is written like its radio communication between astronaut and ground control. With that in mind it might be easier to grasp what's happening.
There os a cool cover of this song an astronaut played on the space station
Actually, although that is how the song is set out structurally, think Asia has a good take on the actual context as well.
Remember Major Tom returns in Ashes to Ashes and it turns out he is indeed on a bad trip.
Yeah, I'm not sure why they were having a hard time keeping up with this. We managed and didn't have the words on a screen.
@@Muckylittleme I had a pretty conventional straight forward take on this song for years: Major Tom intentionally disconnected his communication with ground control, and allowed himself to just float off into space. (He asks ground control to give a message to his wife.) After "Ashes to Ashes", I'm not really sure what it means anymore...
@@jonathanlocke6404 Well no reason it shouldn't be taken on face value either until Ashes to Ashes and who knows if Bowie just decided to evolve the Character after Space Oddity?
Maybe he is talking about himself playing the persona in 3rd person and his won drug addiction?
A lot of his songs either have very profound lyrics with double meanings while others are deliberately nonsensical so he is always hard to decipher.
David Bowie was one of the greatest musical savants and a chameleon. Myself, I love his stuff from this early era. I love his Ziggy Stardust era output with the incredible Mick Ronson on lead guitar. That was glam rock at its best, with a touch of psychedelia, punk, Prog and hard rock sprinkled in. Try Moon Age Daydream, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragate City and Width of a Circle. This band was at its best live in 1973, that show will send you to outer space! 🎵
Yep. I agree with all the above! I saw Bowie's Diamond Dogs tour several yrs later, and he was living and performing the dissolute mood theme of that lp, which was somewhat unsettling (as it was meant to be IMO!) to him, the band, and the audience. Wish I'd seen him/them a few yrs earlier!!!
@@joelhoulette3244 Yep, all modern fans who like Bowie need to see the Ziggy Stardust live concert video, he is in absolute peak form as is Mick, he is a monster that night! 🎸
David Bowie (BOW-ee) is telling a story in this song. He plays the part of both ground control ("This is ground control to Major Tom" and Major Tom ("This is Major Tom to ground control"). They are communicating with each other.
No good saying ‘BOW-ee’, if you don’t differentiate between ‘bow’ as in bow and arrow, or ‘bow’ as in, the front of a ship.
Or Bow...like Bow Tie. Bow-ee
Bo-we
If only he could have used his actual name, David Jones. He couldn’t because it was too close to Davy Jones from the Monkees
No matter what it’s certainly not ”Boo-ie” lol, I’ve always said ”Bow-ie” as in Row, Show, Know etc.
David Bowie was a genius. He constantly changed his sound, reinventing himself many times. That's why he remained relevant to music for so many decades. He was a true artist and yet accessible as well. In interviews he usually seemed to be having great fun, a down to earth likeable guy. When it came to his music though he seemed driven to create something timeless and memorable and he often succeeded.
This is one of the TRUE classics!!! His last name is pronounced "Bow E"!
Is that Bow on your present or Bow from the waist?
@@ronwilcox7716 Like a bow on a present. ‘Bo - E’
I am hardcore and pronounce it 'Jones'. 🤣
Some people pronounce things and names differently based on their accents or states/region/location too
@@Oliver-qg2tn Thanks! You rock!
A Canadian Astronaut called Chris Hadfield did a cover while on a space station, far out , David live with his red hair Very alien 👽
That version was spectacular ♥️
And Bowie liked the version and took care that the label gave Hadfield the permission to leave the video on UA-cam.
Fun fact: Bowie actually produced a trilogy of sorts for Major Tom. This was the first, followed by Ashes to Ashes, and concluded with Hallo Spaceboy
Hi. I actually wonder if the last appearance of Major Tom is in Bowie's video for the song "Blackstar". For me the dead astronaut in the video could be him. Just my interpretation.
It's possible, I suppose, but the song doesn't really fit thematically.
I believe it is.
Fame, Young Americans, Rebel Rebel, Changes are all great. Actually any song from Bowie is awesome.
Yes I was lucky enough to see him live in concert!
"Starman", "Golden Years". And my personal fave "Modern Love".
Outside the box "I'm Afraid of Americans"
five years!
Caught him live twice. Once with The Polyphonic Spree where he literally stopped mid song when he noticed someone waving a program from the play "The Elephant Man" which he had starred in when it toured through my town some decades before. He told the story, signed the program and then went back on with the song... ever the performer. The other time was when he toured with NIN. Both performed separately then played together at the encore.... unbelievable. 5 decades of incredible music from a singular talent; never to be duplicated again.
Me too, the Serious Moonlight Tour. ❤
R.I.P to the legend david bowie🙏 dope song dope reaction
Great to see you both doing much better health wise. Believe it or not, David Bowie was watching the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Oddysey high as a kite when ideas came to him about this song 😂. Major Tom is a fictional character. BJ I think you hit the nail on the head saying Major Tom is your own alter-ego, and the space oddity is your own mind where you are present, but not present. And yes Asia, your conscience and sub-conscience. Great opinions, thoughts and reaction ❤️
Not to be argumentative but I think this song is about the Apollo 13 incident. When it happened the whole world in shock. I think Rocket Man by Elton John was also influenced by it
@@michaelwhite6740 in an interview David Bowie said everyone thought this song had to do with the Apollo Missions and the landing on the moon but it had nothing to do with them at all.
This song was used in the coverage of Apollo 11 on British television. But I am not saying that Bowie could not be influenced by future events!
@@michaelwhite6740 its about getting so strung out on drugs you feel you cant come back down to normal society.
He is Major Tom. He is in space and he is talking to ground control and they to him.
I'm not sure about this song but many times everything you hear was done by Bowie. All the instruments, all the multi-voice chorus. He was sooo talented. As always y'all review / react great.
I still get a tear in my eyes because of his passing. He was like no other, ALWAYS ahead of the curve. Bowie was a trendsetter, changing with the times and he always came out on TOP. Rest In Peace David, we all miss you.
Bowie returned to the Major Tom character years later, in an excellent song called "Ashes to ashes". It's well worth checking out.
David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter & actor. He constantly reinvented himself to stay current over nearly 5 decades. His first big hit was "Space Oddity" in 1969. He has had a lot of great songs including "Starman", "Ziggy Stardust", "Rebel Rebel", "Young Americans", "Changes", "Fame", "Golden Years", "Ashes To Ashes", "Under Pressure", Let's Dance", "Modern Love", "China Girl", "Heroes" etc.
bowie was one of those rare and special artists years and years ahead of there time he could change his persona and style and reinvent himself many times over throughout his career , even lying and singing in his own coffin just before his death in his final album Black Star, he was iconic the world over
Bowie was his own genre, a brilliant artist one of a kind
Well put.
This song is like a whole movie in 3 minutes....it's beautiful man!
I like that, after they say "ground control to Major Tom, your circuit's dead, there's something wrong. Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear me Major Tom.........?" he doesn't reply to them, instead going inward with his thoughts about "here am I sitting in a tin can............." and pondering his fate. It leaves you thinking. 🙄
This came out in 69' during the space race before the moon landing. It was stunning then and it's still epic. It has been performed on the international space station by astronaut Chris Hadfield. Played this during a symphony rock show with a cover band and it is a great chart.
@@ColonelSpankysLostBattalion I stand corrected! & I've got a Mobile Fidelity pressing of this.
Yeah, I was 6 and out at night looking at the sky.
Good times .
Every album Bowie made was a different trip that he took you on. It always took a little time to catch up with him. Bowie made albums for down the road a bit, he seemed to have understood what you would need later on. For me it started with a song called Oh You Pretty Things and down the rabbit hole I went. Hunky Dory became the beginning of a lifetime of Bowie music.
"Psychedelic Nostalgia" seems actually a good way to describe it.
David Bowie was one of the first androgynous performer. People speculated this was about drugs, and the connection to them. Listen to something from Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Kind of shocking at the time but pretty tame now.
This is a classic song narrative about a tragedy of a celebrated hero. Who is loss in space. Tell my wife l love her very much. 'She knows ' 😢
Commander Hadfield of International Space Station sang this space with a guitar which he took up with him.
This song is 53 years old. Stunning.
He’s talking back and forth to ground control❤️
Bowie was a brilliant artist, especially with the art of reinventing himself over and over
You are right . . While being a song about outer space . . It's a song about inner space . . The artist is the Astronaut and psychic explorer probing and lost and a casualty in being a psychic explorer
Don't over think it. He's like the narrator, taking both parts of Major Tom and Ground Control. This was his first major hit in 1969, the same year man landed on the moon. Major Tom appears again in two other songs by Bowie, but many years apart ("Ashes to Ashes" and his last album "Blackstar").
We finally got to see him in '74 on his Diamond Dogs tour. He wrote a lot of truly great songs and he was a pretty good actor too. He starred in The Elephant Man on Broadway and was hilarious on Extras with Ricky Gervias. Gone way too soon.
"Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows" major Tom knows something is wrong and the ship is starting to careen out of its' path. He knows there is nothing he can do to get back to earth, the very last part the music is going out of control and he is lost, conveying the emotions of early space flights where many things can and did go very wrong.
but its a metaphor for drugs right? hes not actually singing a song about space men, its inner space not outer space.
My wife line is so sad.😢
Davis Bowie was a legend. Always love his music!!!! 😉❤✌🏼
Timeless....the lyrics are layered with messages
I love storytelling songs and for me, this one stands as one of the very best. We get the full journey experience in just a few concise minutes. Every line carries so much weight. To deliver the lyrics a in a way that reflects Ground control communicating with the astronaut, and Major Toim reporting back...the "countdown" in the opening lines, Ground Control already reporting of this man's heroics - the papers want to know who's shirt you wear". The line "i am floating in a most peculiar way" - totally sums up the experience of being in space, this mass expanse you cannot even fully grasp". "Tell my wide I love her very much....she knows" - that one just gets me in the feels. And then, tragedy. "your circuit's dead, there's something wrong, can you hear me Major Tom? x3" all with the backdrop of amazing instrumentation that makes you feel this journey into space. And to think that this was released just days before the 1969 moon landing. Just everything put into context - this song is absolute genius. Everything works and it never gets old. "Planet earth is blue and there's nothing I can do."
Do you remember a guy that's been
In such an early song?
I've heard a rumor from Ground Control
Oh no, don't say it's true...
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low
its all a metaphor right?
One "clue" is that Major Tom essentially says goodbye BEFORE ground control loses contact with him.
No one writes songs like these anymore. Stories. Different ones. Different perspectives.
I saw him sing this song in concert in Detroit. An egg dropped from the ceiling and split open to reveal David Bowie leaning back on his elbow in an all white suit. The interior of the egg was bathed in the black light so he was glowing in the dark. Very inventive for the time. His voice what surreal.
Seeing you so introspective while reacting is great - this was Bowie's intention
This song was written and released just after 2001: A Space Odyssey - some of the lyrics are based on scenes from the movie "the stars look different today" etc
Not long after, Apollo 11 launched - the excitement about the intended landing was also a motivator for the song
Great reaction, there is a cover sung by an astronaut in the ISS International Space Station. The visuals are breath taking.
Major Tom is a persona of David Bowie's, mentioned in songs "Space Oddity", "Ashes to Ashes", "Hallo Spaceboy", “Major Tom”, and "Blackstar" In Blackstar I am certain he is not mentioned but is a Major {haha} part of the official video which is a absolute must see -- Only after you have a lot more Bowie under your belts tho --- The digital pinging noise in this is also at the end of Blackstar --- There are a lot of hidden treasures and easter eggs in the official video to Blackstar and the physical album -- there are videos of people who have discovered some of them -- also there is messages if you play Blackstar backwards -- The funniest thing is it still sounds like a Bowie song --- RIP David and thank you
Just thought of an old classic you should do. Dream Weaver by Gary Wright. Excellent song! It was a huge hit at the time.
Luv that so n g!
David Bowie is quite excellent in THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, a long film that begs for patience but it's memorable 'study' of What If's...
David Bowie is a treasure, there will be no one like him again.... a true creative superstar !!!!!
Please check out the most touching song he ever made imo - Heroes! And if you want to taste how diverse check out his collaboration with Trent from NIN on "I'm afraid of Americans"
Onevoice was the ground control the other was major tom. They were having a conversation back and forth
This album is one of the best. I would strongly recommend trying anything from it but I personally think Cygnet Committee, Janine, and Memory of a Free Festival are maybe my favorites. Really there is nothing bad on this album and it has a different vibe than almost anything Bowie, or nearly anyone else has done. A diamond.
He's singing both parts - the astronaut, Major Tom and the guy at Ground Control
He had a huge career! Never the same type of song with. Every new hit. RIP
Bowie did consume a lot of substances back in the day. But the album this song is from (also called Space Oddity) was released 1969, same year as Apollo 11 mission/first man on the moon.
Y'all can't miss with my guy from way back to forever. Rip Mr. Bowie. Asia they used to do space walks outside the space capsule (tin can) back in the day.
He is Major Tom talking to Ground Control. PLEASE can you guys react to Bowie Heroes live 2002 or Where are we now which is so beautiful and especially after his death. Love the channel and reactions of you both. Thanks!
That it's with David Bowie.. a visionary and never afraid in trying to reinvent himself. So creative, classy and intuitive. Bowie could see and feel things that we could not feel or see. He was never afraid to fail and try new ideas until he felt creatively happy. Never will be another Bowie. He even forwarded the cuildren's classic story The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Space Oddity is a play on the 1968 Movie Title "2001 A Space Odyssey".The entire world was enthralled by the movie and the Moon Landing and Bowie took full advantage of the mania and scored his first big hit, (of the many to come...)
He sings the role of Major Tom the Astronaut and he also plays the Technician from Ground Control. Two different people. Straight forward, no hidden anything. Major Tom is a bit overwhelmed by the experience. Ground Control is dealing with the technical problems and they no longer have control or communication. The music emulates the take off, the mystical feeling of space travel/flight, the loss of control and away he goes into oblivion. Straight storytelling.
It’s been said that the during the early missions to the moon, when astronauts left the space capsule and took a walk, they had an amazing sense of freedom. They didn’t want to go back inside.
Not a lyric song, you can’t experience the magnificence reading the words. So glad you’re listening to Bowie though! He’s a genius - Heroes, Changes, Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, Fashion. He’s brilliant. ❤️❤️❤️😁
David Bowie one of the biggest iconic artist of our time. He was famous for changing his music styles over and over again throughout his career and was extremely good at it. Check out his album Ziggy Stardust....still one of my favorites of his.
At that time many people were asking about what would happen if one of the "Moon Shots" missed and carried on outwards. NASA had no answer to that particular question apart from "Phuq all".
Bowie soon came out with this track. Since then there have been many who have tagged on much more meaning to it and Bowie with his sense of humour played up to that.
This is a radio conversation between the astronaut Major Tom in his space ship (tin can), and ground control. How was that too difficult to understand? LOL
He’s singing BOTH part. Mission Control (nasa calls it today) ground control…. He’s also singing the part of major tom the astronaut. Like “tell my wife I love her very much” (Tom), “she knows”, ground control
David Bowie is a great singer, and happens to be married to one of the most beautiful women in the world. I say happens because she said she'd never re-marry.
I wore out the album at a library in the 70's listening to this song over and over )
you need to listen to Heroes or Putting out the Fire with Gasoline. This man changed over time from the early days of Ziggy Stardust to later days of Young Americans. so much creativity and he never stayed the same.
I like how there's 2 vocal takes, one in each ear. It really make you feel like Major Tom in the story.
Basic meaning on the surface: Major Tom is the astronaut, Ground Control is the mission command on Earth and they are communicating with each other until Ground Control loses contact with Major Tom. *HOWEVER*- I have been told that "Major Tom" is also a slang term for heroin, and the song is actually about a guy ODing on heroin. Which, if you listen again, makes a lot of sense.
Welcome to the rabbit hole of David Bowie 👏🏻👏🏻 At first he is the one calling ground control and they’re telling him it’s time to step outside the door. Later in the song it’s ground control trying to reach him but they can’t… He’s Major Tom. Small correction but his last name is pronounced as “Bo E”.
Major Tom is a Heroin addict. There are 3 more songs about him that Bowie recorded over his career.
I’ve listened to this since it came out in 1969 and always interpreted literally as Ground Control communicating with Major Tom in space. But Asia’s interpretation was that this was all going on in Major Tom’s head, like someone feeling conflicted and going through turmoil. That interpretation really works too and I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t Bowie’s intent.
I love how Bowies British accent comes thru in this his first hit song.
Fun reaction. I love how Shaun pronounces the surname, the down south way! Fun fact: that droney little synth sound you can hear in various sections of the song is a Stylophone, a cheap, tiny electric keyboard, only about the size of a hardback book, and played with a stylus, that was quite popular in the late 60s and up to maybe the mid 70s. I'm not aware of any other record which includes a credit for someone (in this case Bowie, who also plays the 12 string acoustic guitar) playing a stylophone. The orchestral string sounds are courtesy of the Mellotron, a rather wonderful early synthesizer.
Really enjoyed this one! And I'd just recommend that you really try to cast your minds back to when this song came out, 50 yrs ago. This was the time of the first moon landings, quantum mechanics and new cosmic theories so this song really spoke to current ideas. In other words, it of course didn't sound "old" or even particularly psychedelic in the 70s. And Bowie was pretty much always right on the edge of experimental music and pop. I think you'd enjoy "Golden Years" or "Suffragette City". Thanks for upload! (note Bowie pretty much said this song is about drugs but I think its way more than that.)
I luv Golden Years.. prob in my top 3 Bowie songs!
CHECK OUT PART 2 TO THIS INCREDIBLY GREAT SONG OF OVER 50 YEARS AGO NOW YOU GUYS! :) ( ASHES TO ASHES ) AND A BIGGGGGG R.I.P. TO DAVID :( SO SAD :( BUT HIS MUSIC LIVES ON :)
Love your reading of him talking to himself. Bowie often has many different ideas in a song.
It’s also metaphor for becoming famous… the stars look very different today…. The isolation of the “higher elevation” in the society.
Dr. Andy Thomas was crew of a space shuttle. We asked him what is was like flying a spaceship. He said it's like driving a taxicab!
It’s Bow E not Boowie. This is one of his classics. Ashes to ashes is another great song to react to.
Bow as in 'bow' tie or Bow as in to 'bow' to the queen? the name comes from the Bowie knife which is pronounced 'boo e' like the guy in the vid says.
He wrote that the same year as the Moon Landing. Space was the vibe
This man was a musical genius. All of his music is outstanding. A lot of people like his stuff like China Girl, Modern Love etc. I prefer his early stuff and his later stuff. RIP David. We miss you. Let's Dance.
David Bowie actually had stage characters...Glad you've met Ziggy Stardust whom David " killed " a few years later AANND some fans actually believed a dude from space named Ziggy actually died!!! LOL Ya know rocker from space comes to earth brings awesome music gets involved with drugs and the whole scene and spirals out of control and pretty much drugs do him in! Wait for that to die down got himself ( Bowie ) out of a creative slump and came back as the Great White Duke! Que China Girl , Modern Love, Hero's.....
You'll probably like Starman better. Its one of my favorite Bowie songs.
David Blake wrote this song in 1969 after he was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey" hence the play on words "Space Oddity." Anyone who lived at this time knows that the "space race" was a major cultural event to see which country was going to be the first to land on the moon & our space advancements were constantly on TV.
Bowie said in interviews that he was "stoned out of his gourd" when he saw the movie & was trying to capture his feelings of alienation. Major Tom was left floating in space & the question has always been was this an accident or intentional. Bowie has always left ambiguity in his lyrics because he wants people to interpret them as they will, as any true artist does.
He revisits Major Tom in 1980's song "Ashes to Ashes" as being a junkie, which is after Bowie's own struggle with cocaine addiction (NOT heroin), and again in subsequent years with "Hallo Spaceboy" and again in his swansong video for "Blackstar."
I also heard him say in a later interview that space was an outer manifestation of an internal space. Many people interpret that as drug related, and that analogy fits as well as other interpretations. My own personal opinion is that it is more of an existential crisis of sorts - but then again this is why the song has a broader appeal that spans over generations.
I still mourn his passing. RIP David Robert Jones, you are sorely missed!
BTW, please excuse the misspelled Bowie at the beginning - autocorrect got me on that one & I didn't catch it beforehand. 😂😂😂
Great song from back in the day. Glad to see y'all back on this channel.
Bowie rhymes with Joey. He voices both parts of a dialogue.
His last name is Bow-E … Bow as in bow and arrow. It seems like every album, every decade it’s a different Bowie; he was the master of reinvention of himself and his music, so it’s even hard to compare himself with himself. He came out during the early 70s when hard rock like Led Zeppelin was king, so this album was very different then what was going on at the time. For us rockers, as we got old we became more appreciative of his music.
Honestly don't think it even matters how people pronounce his last name, after all it's not his real name.
He only picked it so he didn't get confused with Davey Jones from the Monkees.
You are right though he had no choice as an Artist MUST change their name if someone , active in the business,already exists with that same name.
That's interesting because I'm British and I have always pronounced it 'Bow, like the front of a ship or taking a bow + ee.' I don't recall anyone ever saying 'Bow' your way. I used to know someone whose surname was Bowie and it was definitely 'take a bow'.
I know what people are saying about it not really mattering, but I think if possible a person's name should be pronounced the way the person pronounces it.
EDIT: i just consulted the fount of all knowledge, Google, and a polite lady told me BOW-ee, with 'Bow' pronounced like a bow and arrow. I have lived my whole life in a misapprehension. Still, it wasn't BOO-ee.
@@markharris1125 " I think if possible a person's name should be pronounced the way the person pronounces it."
Very True Mark. You certainly are not talking out of your Harris :)
@@markharris1125 Even David himself seemed not to be too sure on the pronunciation, I've seen interviews where he said as much. His real name was David Jones, but adopted the stage name so as not be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
"Cost of Living" Ronnie Dunn of Brookes and Dunn great song that relates to what people are going through now in their lives
Don't overthink it too much. Bowie is just telling the story like reading a book. " Major Tom said" ..then Ground control said ..etc...It is not based on a real person , it, like most music from that era is a commentary on humankind , and the perils and beauty's of our curious nature etc..
David Bowie, the original Starman. Rest in peace at home among the stars.
I like "Lets Dance" which Diddy sampled in "Been Around The World" feat Mase and Biggie & "Little China Girl" by Bowie first time seeing him as a kid were in the movie Labyrinth lol
There are 5 other songs that referred to major tom including 1 from the 80s From another group and 90s from another group
Bowie was just class. Visionary
100% right. Shame WE did not see the "vision" by our friends not showing the usual accompanying video.
Glam Rock at it's best! You should do Life On Mars it's a great song.
What is Major Tom slang for?
Major Tom is described as a "junkie, strung out in heavens high, hitting an all-time low". This lyric was interpreted as a play on the title of Bowie's album Low (1977), which charted his withdrawal following his drug abuse in the United States.
Asia "I ain't going out there" Hilarious, you're killing me here. Love this song which was release in November, 1969 just four months after the Apollo 11 mission when we first put man on the moon, this was 3 weeks before my 11th birthday and I'd still fresh in my mind almost 53 years later. This may have been the event of the 20th century. Over the next four years it became a common thing too put guys on the moon, it quickly became like yawn, so what's new? When this song came out space and man on the moon was all the rage, trust me on this, I lived it. ☮️✌️💕
He's not talking to himself, he's just relaying all his thoughts and actions back to ground control, which is what they did in the early days of the space program.
this was released the year we landed on the moon.
Major Tom ended up stranded on the moon and became a junkie.
As described in the song ashes to ashes.
This my favorite David Bowie song
Thanks for being open minded about it all. Major Tom is fictional and, I think, inspired on the film 2001 and you can see what happened to him in ashes to Ashes. I would suggest also watching Let's Dance official video and Heroes Live in Berlin next :)
The song is about a guy getting high. At the end he overdoses. Produced by Gus Dudgeon and Rick Wakeman played the strings. Gus ended up being Elton John's producer, and Rick Wakeman ended up making Yes into a supergroup
RIP beautiful, beautiful, David..
There was a NASA Astronaut that played this aboard the International Space Station.
And it was spectacular!!!!!!