Major Tom (Coming Home)
| "Major Tom (Coming Home)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Peter Schilling | ||||
| from the album Error in the System | ||||
| Released |
January 3, 1983 (West Germany) September 24, 1983 (USA) | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Neue Deutsche Welle, new wave, synthpop, space rock | |||
| Length |
4:33 (German edit) 5:00 (English Version) 8:02 (Extended Version) | |||
| Label |
Elektra (United States) WEA Records (Germany) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Peter Schilling, David Harland Lodge | |||
| Producer(s) | Armin Sabol, Peter Schilling | |||
| Peter Schilling singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Major Tom (Coming Home)" (German: Major Tom (völlig losgelöst), translation: "Major Tom (completely detached)"), is a song by singer Peter Schilling from his album Error in the System. With a character unofficially related to "Major Tom", the protagonist of David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity", the song is about the character being caught in an accident in space.
The song was originally recorded in German and released in West Germany on January 3, 1983. It reached No. 1 in Austria, Switzerland, and West Germany. The English version was first released in the United States on September 24, 1983. It reached No. 1 in Canada, No. 4 in South Africa and peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart the week of December 24, 1983.[1] The English-language version of the song also reached No. 2 on the dance chart in the US.[2]
In 1994, Schilling made and released a remixed version along with Bomm Bastic, titled "Major Tom 94". Another remix was released in 2000, titled "Major Tom 2000", and yet another in 2003, titled "Major Tom 2003".
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 57 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[5] | 2 |
| French Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] | 13 |
| South African Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart[7] | 42 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[8] | 10 |
Use in film and television
- The song was featured in a fourth season episode of US TV show Breaking Bad as a karaoke song sung by character Gale Boetticher.
- In 2013 the song was featured in the independent film I Used to Be Darker.[9]
- The song was used for the opening credits of the US and UK broadcasts of German-language series Deutschland 83. The original German version features on the accompanying soundtrack.
- The song featured in a fourth season episode of US TV show The Americans.
- The German version of the song was also featured in the 2017 film Atomic Blonde.
- Used in The Blacklist in an episode titled The Major.
References
- ↑ "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling (Hot 100) – Billboard.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 228.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Collectionscanada.gc.ca". Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ↑ Top 40 Hit dossier 1956-2001 ISBN 90-257-3349-2
- ↑ "charts.org.nz Peter Schilling "Major Tom (Coming Home)"" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ↑ "OfficialCharts.com". Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JANUARY 14, 1984". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2017-08-20. . Cash Box magazine.
- ↑ Greene, Eric Kohn,Steve (30 December 2013). "'The Past,' 'The Unknown Known' and 'The Selfish Giant' Join Ten Others on Updated List of Best-Reviewed 2013 Films Among Criticwire Members". Retrieved 27 August 2018.