Major Tom is a persona of
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's, referenced in songs "
Space Oddity
"Space Oddity" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album ''David Bowie''. After the commercial f ...
", "
Ashes to Ashes", "
Hallo Spaceboy
"Hallo Spaceboy" is a song by David Bowie from his 1995 album '' Outside'', and the third and final single from the album. The track was re-recorded in 1996 and issued as a remix featuring Pet Shop Boys as guest artists. Bowie and Brian En ...
", "
Blackstar
''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of ''T ...
" and "
Angel With A Shotgun" Bowie's own interpretation of the character evolved throughout his career. "Space Oddity" (1969) depicts an
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
who casually slips the bonds of the world to journey beyond the stars. In the song "Ashes to Ashes" (1980), Bowie reinterprets Major Tom as an oblique autobiographical symbol for himself. Major Tom is described as a "
junkie
Junkie is a pejorative usually referring to a person with an addiction.
Entertainment and media
* ''Junkie'' (novel), a novel by William S. Burroughs
* "Junkie" (song), 2013 song by Medina featuring Svenstrup & Vendelboe
* ''The Junkies'', a ...
, strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low". This lyric was interpreted as a play on the title of Bowie's album ''
Low
Low or LOW or lows, may refer to:
People
* Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low
Places
* Low, Quebec, Canada
* Low, Utah, United States
* Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station
* Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...
'' (1977), which was inspired by the withdrawal symptoms he suffered while undergoing treatment for
drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
. Additionally, the choked and self-recriminating tone used in the lyrics "Time and again I tell myself I'll stay clean tonight" reinforces an autobiographical and retrospective interpretation. A short time later, there is another reversal of Major Tom's original withdrawal, turning 'outwards' or towards space.
German singer
Peter Schilling
Peter Schilling (born Pierre Michael Schilling; 28 January 1956) is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes like aliens, astronauts and catastrophes. He is best-known for his 1983 hit single "Major Tom (Comin ...
retold and continued the story of Major Tom in his late 1982 release "
", which reached number one in Germany and Austria in early 1983. The English-language version, "
Major Tom (Coming Home)
"Major Tom (Coming Home)" (german: Major Tom öllig losgelöst}, 'Major Tom ompletely detached) is a song by singer Peter Schilling from his album '' Error in the System''. With a character unofficially related to "Major Tom", the protagonist of ...
", peaked at number 14 in the United States in late 1983. Other artists who have subsequently made substantial contributions to the Major Tom story include
K.I.A. ("
Mrs. Major Tom"). Due to some similarities in
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
's
"Rocket Man", there is a possible connection between the Rocket Man and Major Tom, a connection notably made by Bowie himself, who while singing "Space Oddity" in concert would sometimes call out, "Oh, Rocket Man!"
Major Tom in Bowie's work
In "
Space Oddity
"Space Oddity" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album ''David Bowie''. After the commercial f ...
", from the album ''
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
'' (1969, later retitled ''Space Oddity''), Major Tom's departure from Earth is successful and everything goes according to plan. At a certain point during the travel ('past one hundred thousand miles'), he claims that "he feels very still" and thinks that "my spaceship knows which way to go" and proceeds to say: "Tell my wife I love her very much." Control then informs him: "Ground Control to Major Tom: your circuit's dead, there's something wrong" and attempts to reestablish contact with Major Tom. Tom's final words in the song (possibly not heard by Ground Control) are:
"Here am I floating 'round my tin can, far above the moon. Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do."
In the promotional film from 1969, David Bowie plays as Major Tom, Ground Control (GC), and the Countdown Announcer. When the lyrics "And the stars look very different today" are said, two women appear, portraying either
angels
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
or
aliens
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
, or perhaps both. The moment "Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles, I'm feeling very still" are said, the two women can be seen removing Major Tom's helmet and spacesuit. Later, a still fully outfitted Major Tom can be seen spinning around in space, with a panicked Ground Control attempting to contact him; the spinning Major Tom is either the reality of the situation, or Ground Control's imagination. The music video ends with Major Tom sitting in his "tin can", far above the world, with the two women by him in a
ménage à trois
A () is a domestic arrangement and committed relationship with three people in polyamorous romantic or sexual relations with each other, and often dwelling together; typically a traditional marriage between a man and woman along with anothe ...
formation.
Bowie created a sequel entitled "
Ashes to Ashes" (1980). The song, which peaked at Number 1 in the UK music charts and had a respectable showing in other international music charts, was featured on his LP ''
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)''. The song actually says little about Major Tom, except to call him a "junkie"; The context of the lyrics seems to indicate that the song is mainly about Bowie's own experiences with
drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
, rather than a literal continuation of the Major Tom story.
Alternatively, the song can be interpreted to provide detailed information on Tom's story. The song refers an event happening much later, after "Space Oddity". Ground control receives a message from the "Action Man", referring to Tom, and he says: "I've loved all I've needed to love. Sordid details following..."
He talks about how the shrieking of nothing is killing him, how all he has are his pictures of women to keep him company, and how he now has neither money nor hair. He wants to stop, but the planet is "glowing"; essentially he cannot quit whatever is influencing him—and killing him—because the feeling is too pleasurable and addictive. The exact source of the influence is not defined. The later verses seem to reflect more on Bowie's literal battle with addiction, specifically about wanting to stay clean but being stuck with a "valuable friend". The song again refers directly to Tom toward the end, where he has become more of a legend, but not for his heroics. He has become a nursery rhyme in the minds of the public, with mothers warning against drug use by telling their children if they want: "...to get things done, you'd better not mess with Major Tom."
Bowie released a song entitled "
Hallo Spaceboy
"Hallo Spaceboy" is a song by David Bowie from his 1995 album '' Outside'', and the third and final single from the album. The track was re-recorded in 1996 and issued as a remix featuring Pet Shop Boys as guest artists. Bowie and Brian En ...
" on his album ''
Outside
Outside or Outsides may refer to:
General
* Wilderness
* Outside (Alaska), any non-Alaska location, as referred to by Alaskans
Books and magazines
* ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras
* ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, th ...
'' (1995). While this song itself does not directly reference Major Tom, references to Major Tom do appear in the
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
ed version that Bowie released with the
Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...
in 1996. This remix contains lyrics from "Space Oddity" that are sung by Pet Shop Boys vocalist
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and a ...
.
Although never mentioned in the song, an astronaut, possibly Major Tom, does make an appearance in the music video for the song "
Slow Burn" on Bowie's 2002 album ''
Heathen __NOTOC__
Heathen or Heathens may refer to:
Religion
*Heathen, another name for a pagan
*Heathen, an adherent of Heathenry
Music
*Band of Heathens, a North American rock and roll band
*Heathen (band), a North American thrash metal band
*The Hea ...
''. The same album also contains a cover of
Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Norman Carl Odam (born September 5, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas), known professionally as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is an outsider performer who is considered one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s.
...
's ''I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship'', again hinting a metaphoric connection between space journeys and drug use.
In the music video of Bowie's 2015 song "
Blackstar
''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of ''T ...
" (on the
album of the same name, released in 2016 two days prior to his death), a dead astronaut is depicted. His jewel-encrusted skull is retrieved by an alien female who takes it back to what could be considered a cult which subsequently worships the relic. This astronaut was speculated to be a depiction of Major Tom's final fate. Video director
Johan Renck
Bo Johan Renck (born 5 December 1966) is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He was originally a singer-songwriter from 1991 to 2001, using the moniker Stakka Bo, and had an international hit with his single " Here We Go" in 1993. Ren ...
said on a BBC documentary "to me, it was 100% Major Tom". That cites an interview which was only available in the UK on the date of access.
Other references in popular culture
Canadian astronaut
Chris Hadfield
Chris Austin Hadfield (born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, and musician. The first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also serv ...
performed "Space Oddity" on board the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
(ISS). With the express permission of Bowie it was released on YouTube on 13 May 2013. This was the first music video to be made in space.
In 2013, Drum Corps International (DCI) world class corps Carolina Crown created a show that told a story of Major Tom. The show went on tour in 2014 and is called "Out of This World" it includes quotations from David Bowie's own music. During the show Major Tom is communicating with Ground Control (GC) for the launch. Once in orbit Major Tom sees a shining spinning object in the distance and promptly loses contact with GC. At the end of the show Major Tom regains contact with GC and enters earth's atmosphere and is back home.
British astronaut
Timothy Peake
Major Timothy Nigel Peake (born 7 April 1972) is a British Army Air Corps officer, European Space Agency astronaut and a former International Space Station (ISS) crew member.
He is the first British ESA astronaut, the second astronaut to bear ...
was regularly referred to by the media as "Major Tim", during his tour of duty on board the ISS, 15 December 2015 - 18 June 2016, (Expeditions
46 and
47).
This was a direct reference to Bowie's fictional astronaut. Peake was on the ISS at the time of Bowie's death and tweeted a tribute to him from there.
In 2017, author Clive Gifford wrote a book aimed at children about Peake's time on board the ISS, titled "Ground Control to Major Tim: The Space Adventures of Major Tim Peake".
Video game designer, director, and producer
Hideo Kojima's admiration for Bowie inspired several elements in the ''
Metal Gear
is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...
'' series. In the first mission of ''
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater'', the character
Major Zero
The ''Metal Gear'' franchise features a large number of characters created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa. Its setting features several soldiers with supernatural powers provided by the new advancements of science.
The series ini ...
codenames himself Major Tom.
In season 3 episode 13 of ''
Rugrats
''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently— Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, ...
,'' "Destination Moon", Tommy says, "This is Major Tom, to ground control, requesting permission for lift off". This is in reference to the song "Space Oddity".
In ''
The Venture Bros.
''The Venture Bros.'' is an American adult animation, adult animated action comedy TV series created by Chris McCulloch (also known as "Jackson Publick") for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. Following a pilot episode on ...
'' season 1 episode "
Ghosts of the Sargasso
''The Venture Bros.'' ran for seven seasons. The first three seasons consisted of 13 thirty-minute episodes (including time for commercials), plus the pilot and one 15-minute Christmas special. The fourth season consisted of 15 thirty-minute episod ...
", a character named Major Tom had a major role in the plot. He first appeared in the opening scene in a flashback as having been a pilot who died in 1969 after
TVC 15
"TVC 15" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on his 1976 album ''Station to Station''. RCA Records later released it as the second single from the album on 30 April 1976. The song was recorded in late 1975 at Cherokee Studios in ...
, an
experimental aircraft
An experimental aircraft is an aircraft intended for testing new aerospace technologies and design concepts.
The term ''research aircraft'' or ''testbed aircraft'', by contrast, generally denotes aircraft modified to perform scientific studies, ...
which shares the name with another song by David Bowie, was piloting crashed into the ocean within the
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterio ...
, and his ghost later appears in the present in the episode. In addition, the opening scene's dialogue references lyrics from both "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to Ashes", and the episode introduces recurring character
The Action Man, his name itself a reference to a lyric in the latter song.
The show contains many other references to Bowie's work, including Bowie "himself" in several episodes.
In series 8 episode 3 of the British space comedy ''
Red Dwarf
''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
,'' "Back in the Red: Part 3," the protagonists attempt to escape from a landing bay.
Cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
activates the intercom and says, "Ground control, this is uh..." at which point
Lister suggests "Major Tom!" and Cat confirms "Yeah, Major Tom!"
The song "
Terrence Loves You
"Terrence Loves You" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey for her album ''Honeymoon'' (2015). It was released as the album's first promotional single on August 21, 2015. Written by Del Rey and Rick Nowels, the song has ...
" by
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...
, whose meaning is speculated by fans to be about David Bowie's brother Terry Burns, contains the lyrics "Ground Control to Major Tom / Can you hear me all night long?" in its bridge.
In the animated series ''
Chaotic
Chaotic was originally a Danish trading card game. It expanded to an online game in America which then became a television program based on the game. The program was able to be seen on 4Kids TV (Fox affiliates, nationwide), Jetix, The CW4Kid ...
'' the main protagonist, Tom Majors, is also known by his online handle "MajorTom".
In
The Cab
The Cab is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Their debut album, ''Whisper War'', was released on April 29, 2008. They have been called "The Band You Need to Know 2008" by '' Alternative Press'' magazine. They were also featured in t ...
's song "Angel with a Shotgun" one line is "And Major Tom, will sing along, yeah they still say I'm a dreamer."
References
External links
Analysis of Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tom, Major
David Bowie
Fictional astronauts
Fictional characters introduced in 1969
Fictional drug addicts
Fictional majors
Songs about outer space
Fictional characters invented for recorded music