‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’: the David Bowie fan-fiction that became a musical hit
In 1969, after a smooth takeoff, Major Tom gazed down at Earth, sizing up its problems and deciding to kick back, letting his spacecraft drift off into the void. “Here am I floating ’round my tin can, far above the moon,” said David Bowie as Tom, “Planet Earth is blue, and there’s nothing I can do.” While most people appreciate this characterisation for its creativity, some write fan fiction about it.
In truth, few songs have captured Bowie’s lasting imaginative reign quite like ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’ by German artist Peter Schilling. Released in 1983, this iconic track took listeners on a cosmic journey through space, weaving a tale of isolation, detachment, and the allure of the unknown. As a narrative-driven song, Schilling tells the story of an astronaut named Major Tom who finds himself adrift in the vastness of space.
The lyrics, sung in German, evoke a sense of weightlessness and detachment as Major Tom floats freely, completely untethered from his spacecraft. As he drifts further away from Earth, he grapples with feelings of loneliness and existential contemplation, pondering the mysteries of the universe and his place within it.
Given its source material, you might be surprised upon learning just how different Schilling’s song sounds compared to ‘Space Oddity’. Schilling’s unofficial sequel to Bowie’s Major Tom story appeared a lot more techno in an effort to seem more haunting yet accessible while still capturing the ambience of space. While it could be perceived as nothing more than a gimmick, the song demonstrates Schilling’s enduring admiration of planetary existence.
“This planet offers an infinite variety of opportunities for us to discover things, to live a beautiful life. And now look at how we treat it,” he said amid the release of his extended greatest hits collection, Coming Home – 40 Years Of Major Tom. “In order to preserve our living environment, sustainability and environmental awareness are essential,” he added, concluding, “It is up to us to think about our everyday behaviour, what we expect from our living environment.”
While this level of urgency doesn’t necessarily drive the synth beats of ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’, the track still effectively uses the Major Tom character as a conduit for exploring existentialism and the loneliness that often comes with it. There’s a sense of pending doom in the lyrics, but it’s somewhat bittersweet, especially considering Tom’s return at the end.
This song might have seemed like nothing more than a dedicated super-fan taking their Bowie obsession to the next level, but it actually showcased Bowie’s knack for thinking outside the box, crafting characters that not only reflect on life and our world but also endure through time. ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’ stands strong on its own, yet it’s also a crucial part of Bowie’s grand artistic vision.
