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Sub Category : Miscellaneous

Today's song of the day is Space Oddity by David Bowie. Written and released in 1969 it was Bowie's first hit single and was recorded on the same day as the first moon landing July 20th 1969 and released the following month as a single. It is one of his most recognizable and popular songs. Let me know what you think.

Space Oddity

Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills
and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown,
engines on
Check ignition
and may God's love be with you

[spoken]
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff

This is Ground Control
to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
if you dare

This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
she knows

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?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you....

Here am I floating
round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do.

Major Tom, mentioned in this song, is a fictional character created by David Bowie for this song in 1969. There are sequels about the character: "Ashes to Ashes" and "Hallo Spaceboy".

David Bowie was inspired to write this song after seeing Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). And "Space Oddity" is a play on the phrase "Space Odyssey". He explained in a 2003 interview with Performing Songwriter, "It was written because of going to see the film "2001", which I found amazing. I was out of my gourd anyway, I was very stoned when I went to see it, several times, and it was really a revelation to me. It got the song flowing."

David Bowie's second album released in 1969 was originally titled "David Bowie" in the UK (released by Philips) and "Man of Words/Man of Music" in the USA (released by Mercury), but it was renamed after this track for its 1972 re-release by RCA Records.

When Elton John performed his song "Rocket Man" during a show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on the 13th of January 2016 (three days after David Bowie's death), he included some fragments of this song in an extended piano improvisation played as an intro to his song. John dedicated that improvisation to Bowie.

This song is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

This song is featured in the film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".