Space Oddity
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| “Space Oddity” | |||||
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| Single by David Bowie from the album David Bowie (aka Space Oddity) |
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| B-side | "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" | ||||
| Released | 1969 (original) 1975 (reissue) |
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| Format | Vinyl record | ||||
| Recorded | Trident Studios, 20 June 1969 | ||||
| Genre | Folk/Rock, Space Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:33 (single) 5:15 (album) |
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| Label | Philips (UK) Mercury (US) |
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| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | ||||
| David Bowie singles chronology | |||||
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"Space Oddity" is a song written and performed by David Bowie and released as a single in 1969. It is about the launch of Major Tom, a fictional astronaut who becomes lost in outer space. Supposedly released to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landing, it appears on the album of the same title. The BBC featured the song in its television coverage of the lunar landing.
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[edit] Recording and release
Following Bowie's split from record label Deram, his manager Kenneth Pitt managed to negotiate a one-album deal (with options for a further one or two albums) with Mercury Records, and their UK subsidiary Philips in 1969. Next he tried to find a producer. George Martin turned the project down[citation needed], while Tony Visconti liked the album demo-tracks, but considered the planned lead-off single, "Space Oddity", a gimmick track[citation needed], and delegated its production to Gus Dudgeon. An early version of the song had appeared in Bowie's promotional film Love You Till Tuesday.
Following recording of a fresh version, the single was rush-released on July 11, 1969 to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landings. In the UK, it was used in conjunction with the BBC's coverage of the landing, and also promoted via adverts for the Stylophone, which featured on the record. This exposure finally gave Bowie a hit, reaching #5 in the chart. It failed to chart in the U.S., however.
Mogol wrote Italian lyrics, and Bowie recorded a new vocal, releasing the single "Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola" ("Lonely Boy, Lonely Girl") in Italy, reportedly to take attention away from covers by the Italian bands Equipe 84 and The Computers.
The song was awarded the 1969 Ivor Novello Award, together with Peter Sarstedt's "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)".
The song became so well-known that Bowie's second album, originally released as David Bowie in the UK (like his first album), was renamed after the track for its 1972 reissue by RCA, and has since become known by this name.
In December 1972, Mick Rock shot a film clip of Bowie performing the song during the sessions for Aladdin Sane, which was used to promote the January 1973 US reissue on RCA, which reached #15 in the Billboard Chart. This was then used to support RCA's 1975 UK reissue, which gave Bowie his first #1 single in November.
A stripped down version, originally performed on Kenny Everett's New Year's Eve Show was issued in February 1980 as the B-side of "Alabama Song".
| Preceded by "I Only Have Eyes For You" by Art Garfunkel |
UK number one single November 2, 1975 |
Succeeded by "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." by Billy Connolly |
[edit] Track listing
- 1969 original
- "Space Oddity" (Bowie) – 4:33
- "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" (Bowie) – 4:52
- 1975 reissue
- "Space Oddity" (Bowie) – 4:33
- "Changes" (Bowie) – 3:33
- "Velvet Goldmine" (Bowie) – 3:09
[edit] Alternate cover
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[edit] Personnel
Credits apply to 1969 original release:
- Musical
- David Bowie - vocals, guitar, stylophone
- Herbie Flowers - bass guitar
- Terry Cox - drums
- Rick Wakeman - Mellotron, piano
- uncredited string section
- Technical
- Gus Dudgeon - record producer
[edit] Other versions
- Alternate Studio Versions
- (1980) on Alabama Song - An unplugged re-recording of the song.
- Live versions
- (1983) on Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture - recorded July 3, 1973 from Ziggy Stardust tour's farewell concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London
- (1995) on Santa Monica '72 - recorded 20 October 1972 from Ziggy Stardust tour at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
- Cover versions
- (1974) Hermanos Calatrava - Spanish Bizarro Vol. 1
- (1977) David Matthews - "Dune"
- (1993) Saigon Kick - Water (Saigon Kick album)
- (1993) The Flying Pickets - Best of CD; also included on The David Bowie Songbook compilation
- (1998) Cold - Oddity EP
- (1999) Natalie Merchant - Live in Concert
- (1999) Helloween - Metal Jukebox
- (2001) Brix Smith - Diamond Gods: Interpretations of Bowie (2001)
- (2002) Star One - Space Metal (Star One)
- (2002)The Langley Schools Music Project - Innocence and Despair; also included on Starman: Rare and Exclusive Versions of 18 Classic David Bowie Songs, CD premium from the March 2003 issue of Uncut magazine; this version also appears uncredited on BowieMania: Mania, une collection obsessionelle de Beatrice Ardisson (2007)
- (2003) Pitch Black Dream - Spiders from Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie
- (2004) Steel Train - 1969 EP
- (2004) Ayreon - Day Eleven: Love (Single)
- (2005) Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions[iTunes exclusive bonus track]
- (2006) Def Leppard - Yeah!
- (2006) Jupiter Blue - .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie
- (2006) Tripod- Pod August Nights
- (2007) émilie Simon - BowieMania: Mania, une collection obsessionelle de Beatrice Ardisson
