Major Tom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
Major Tom is a fictional astronaut created by David Bowie. He appears in the songs "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to Ashes" and "Hallo Spaceboy" by Bowie, the song "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling, a French cover of "Major Tom" by Belgian artist Plastic Bertrand, "I'm A Soldier" by Stefán, and the song "Mrs. Major Tom" by K.I.A. Due to some similarities in Elton John's "Rocket Man", some presume this song might also be an allusion to Major Tom. In fact, Bowie made the connection during concerts, calling out during the song, "Oh, Rocket Man!"[1] Bowie's lyrics in "Ashes to Ashes" reinterpret Major Tom as an oblique autobiographical symbol for himself.
Contents |
[edit] Songs
In "Space Oddity", on the 1969 album also titled Space Oddity, Major Tom's departure from Earth is successful and everything goes according to plan, but then he loses contact with Ground Control. Bowie followed up the story of Major Tom on the 1980 song "Ashes to Ashes" in which Tom is now a junkie "strung out on heaven's high."
In Peter Schilling's 1983 "Major Tom (Coming Home)" Tom is presumed dead by people on earth, but in reality he has survived and will return to Earth. In this song the word "light" in "now the Light commands" is often heard or transcribed as "life", but the liner notes of the Error In The System LP (and the original German), though, confirm the word "light". The German version differs from the English rendition in that it is implied that rather than being caught in an accident, Major Tom ends his life willingly due to information available to him, but not to Mission Control.
Also in 1983 Schilling's song was recorded by Plastic Bertrand, but with slightly altered lyrics, in which Major Tom prefers to stay away from Earth and its selfishness and danger of nuclear war.
In 1995 Bowie's song "Hallo Spaceboy" was remixed by the Pet Shop Boys, with extra lyrics (sung by Neil Tennant) taken from "Space Oddity".
In "Mrs. Major Tom", released by the artist K.I.A. (on Neuphoria Recordings, 2002), the story is continued, but now told from the perspective of the wife left at home.
The introduction to "Cosmonaut" on Relationship of Command (2000) by At the Drive-In contains a "final message" from Major Tom before he dies in space. The message was commonly used to introduce Cosmonaut at live shows.
Major Tom has also had passing references in other songs, such as Def Leppard's "Rocket" and Marilyn Manson's "Apple of Sodom".
Major Tom also appears in the spoken word acapella "Pride's Paranoia" by American rapper Slug, which was remixed by UK house group Futureshock.
[edit] In other media
Major Tom (or just his name) has been referenced in other media, including TV shows, cartoons, and computer games
Major Tom is referenced as a character in the animated action-comedy television series The Venture Bros., as a test pilot with Jonas Venture's team who is killed in the crash of an experimental aircraft at the beginning of the episode "Ghosts of the Sargasso". Much of the dialogue in that scene is quoted verbatim from "Space Oddity". The Action Man, featured in Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes", is also featured as a character. Major Tom leaves him a message: "I’m happy, hope you’re happy too, I’ve loved all I’ve needed to love" (quoting a line from the latter song).
In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the character of Major Zero uses the codename of Major Tom during the events of the Virtuous Mission (a line of dialogue even reads, 'Can you hear me, Major Tom?'). Although the name was taken from the song, according to the developers, within the fictional context of the storyline Major Zero chooses the name based on one of the escape tunnels in The Great Escape, which was named Tom. He changes his name back to Zero later in the mission (after the 'Can you hear me, Major Tom?' dialogue) because it contrasted the outcome of The Great Escape; Tom was not the tunnel used in the end. Space Oddity was also intended by the game's creator to be the game's final credit theme, according to creator Hideo Kojima.[citation needed] The game also features a line from one of the bosses "The Fury," a former astronaut, who states "I'm Coming Home" upon his defeat. This line appears in Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)."
Adam Sandler sang "Space Oddity" with a group of pilots flying to New York in the movie Mr. Deeds".
In Scud: The Disposable Assassin #10, Scud sings lyrics from "Major Tom (Coming Home)" to himself while floating aimlessly in space. In Friends it is sung by Joey in "the one after vegas" and by Chandler in the episode (name missing) where Joey is on Law and Order and fakes a scene for his grandmother.
