Actors - Major Tom

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	Actors - Major Tom

Major Tom is a fictional astronaut created by David Bowie. He appears in the songs "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to Ashes" by Bowie and the song "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling. Due to some similarities in Elton John's "Rocket Man", some presume this song might also be an allusion to Major Tom. Bowie's lyrics in Ashes to Ashes reinterpreted Major Tom as an oblique autobiographical symbol for himself, who was addicted to cocaine throughout the 1970s.

Songs

Space Oddity by David Bowie

In "Space Oddity", Major Tom's departure for deep space is more mournful and involuntary:

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

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....

Major Tom by Peter Schilling

Originally recorded in German, An international version of Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst) was recorded in English.

In "Major Tom", he loses control of his craft and dies. Yet, his spirit lives on and welcomes his new condition:

far beneath the ship
the world is mourning
they don't realize
he's alive
no one understands
but Major Tom sees
now the Light commands
this is my home
I'm coming home

The word "light" in "now the Light commands" is ofter heard or transcribed as "life", which would impart a somewhat different meaning on the lyrics - as though Major Tom were still literally alive but severing his connection with Earth. The liner notes of the "Error In The System" LP (and the original German), though, confirm the word "light".

Ashes To Ashes By David Bowie

In "Ashes To Ashes", published by Bowie in the early 80s, Major Tom sends a cryptic message back to earth, signifying that he did not die in the original song.

I've heard a rumour from Ground Control
Oh no, don't say it's true

They got a message from the Action Man
"I'm happy, hope you're happy too
I've loved all I've needed to love
Sordid details following"
...

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low

Introduction to Cosmonaut By At the Drive-In

It seems simply that this is just the final message of Major Tom before his death, this was commonly used to introduce Cosmonaut at live shows, a recording of one instance can be found at youtube.

This was hidden inside the ventilation shaft,
Day No. 33, Captain's Log 445A,
And it seems the captain and it's crew are on it's last legs,
All this culture clash is getting to me now,
Am I the last one up above in the place?
Tell my wife and kids I love them very much I know,
Ground control to Major Tom

Cultural references

Some parts of Ukrain and other areas in the northwest of the former Soviet Union, appears to be the origin of a space race era neo-folk tale about a boy who was in love with the moon and later became a cosmonaut in attempt to reach the moon. The earliest recollection of this tale is unknown but the character was refered to as Major Tom as early as around 1968. In this story, Major Tom does make his way to the Moon, only to be stranded there alone. In popular slang, a person is sometimes refered to as a "Major Tom" if they are generally carefree and focussed on chasing their own goals with no regard for having any way to get back or no regard for safety or whatever consequences. (See also: burning bridges ).

Argentinean musician Luis Alberto Spinetta has his own version of Major Tom, which he includes in his LP El Jardín de los Presentes. Here, Major Tom is called the Captain Beto, and he is not an astronaut, but a bus driver that epitomizes the image of the porteño. He hits space in his bus-starship; the song is full of nostalgia and images of Buenos Aires.

The Major Tom of Bowie's "Space Oddity" is referenced as a character in the Venture Bros. animated action-comedy series, 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 this 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).

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Major Tom ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Major Tom; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

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