"Space Oddity" – David Bowie

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On this day in 1969, David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was released as a single. Its release was timed to capitalize on the upcoming Apollo 11 Moon landing.

The song tells the tale of an astronaut's doomed spaceflight and was partly inspired by the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which Bowie watched multiple times. It was also influenced by the heartache and loneliness Bowie felt after a romantic relationship ended, as well as the musician-songwriter's unhappiness about the state of his career at the time.

"Space Oddity" won Bowie an Ivor Novello Special Award For Originality, and it has been included on numerous "Greatest Songs" lists. In 2018, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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helenS · 36-40, F

Rick Wakeman (the prog God, of YES fame) played mellotron, as a session musician, for the song.
Ahhh, the mellotron... 🥰

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Pfuzylogic · M

@helenS Saw Rick Wakeman at Riverfront Coliseum in October 1975.
For the life of me I don’t recall the iconic bands Gentle Giant or Procol Harem there but “Journey to the Center of the Earth” was very happening at the time.

helenS · 36-40, F

@Pfuzylogic I sometimes feel like I was born in the wrong decade 😐

Pfuzylogic · M

@helenS If the progressive music means that much then possibly. I saw Yes in addition to that 3 times. They had a strange light show with lasers that looked like colored stars.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

It is uniquely distinctive track.
Probably sums up the hopes and fears for the age pretty well.

The song Commander Chris Hadfield chose to perform live from the international space station to Earth.

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Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@Rutterman That's nice. I wondered if he'd needed special permission to perform it. What with copyright laws and such.
But then, do earthly laws apply in space ? 😁

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Rutterman · 46-50, M

@Picklebobble2 Bowie's publisher initially granted Hadfield a one-year license to the song, but it was later extended.

uncalled4 · 56-60, M

I'll be playing this with my band in NYC on Saturday!

SW-User

@uncalled4

Did you know he hurried this up to be done for the moon landing in 1969? Finished it 9 days before

The BBC played it constantly in their coverage. Helped shoot it to #1

Rutterman · 46-50, M

@uncalled4 Cool. Hope you get a big crowd for the performance.

uncalled4 · 56-60, M

@Rutterman it's not sold out, but we've sold quite a few tickets.

Pfuzylogic · M

I was given the 1972 RCA reissued Space Oddity album by a friend’s Mom. No one else had it since the music was a bit ahead of its time for the U.S. The back cover is enough to explain why.