Ground Control to Major Tom

“Ground Control to Major Tom” is a famous line from the song "Space Oddity". A song written and performed by David Bowie. Major Tom is an astronaut who was lost in outer space and is a fictional character as well. Space Oddity ranks as one of the best known Bowie songs.

Space Oddity represents the best of early years of David Bowie, and gives the listener a good idea about where this musician was headed in his later work. The album is dominated with an acoustic theme, but there's some good rock & roll as well. It was released in the UK in 1969.

The song was sometimes interpreted to be about destroying oneself and estrangement from humanity. Major Tom's cryptic last message, "Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles - I'm feeling very still - And I think my spaceship knows which way to go - Tell my wife I love her very much", suggests that he is still alive and well and chooses to kill his circuit to ground control. Bowie seems to confirm this interpretation with his 1980 follow up to "Space Oddity", "Ashes to Ashes", where Ground control eventually receives a message from Major Tom.

The song may be considered as an implied comparison for the different view of a person with an altered state of consciousness, may it be through some sort of substance or some other means, and suggest to such elements of pop culture. A Space Odyssey, its overt reference is to a lost or stranded astronaut, and thus draws upon public awareness of the US space program, which was well-known throughout the 1960s.

This is one of Bowie's biggest, and points up one of his favorite themes that of all things extraterrestrial. A gloomy, dark acoustic guitar in a minor key fades in to begin the song, accompanied by some tasteful chiming licks on the electric guitar. Another must have album for people who have a taste on highly refinement in words and music.

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