Space Oddity

Posted by Moonage | Filed under Interpretations, Sound, Vision

It just suddenly struck me that in my desire to “interpret” some of my favorite Bowie tunes, I’ve forgotten probably his signature song, Space Oddity. If you don’t know the lyrics to this one by heart, you’re probably not hanging out here much. My interpretation is it’s a song about isolation, about being totally alone floating around Earth. However, another interpretation is Scott Carpenter, the astronaut, went into space about that time and did some very odd things while there, like reciting poetry and such. A lot of people credit this event as being the inspiration to Space Oddity. I believe it’s a combination of both. Regardless, there are MANY versions of this song, some better than others. But, it was this song that got me hooked on Bowie around 1975 or so when he appeared on The Midnight Special. Here is what I saw then:


It was basically the final farewell as Mick and David wouldn’t perform together for nearly two decades. The original demo to Space Oddity is a riot. But, it just doesn’t seem quite right here. So, I’ll save it for later. For reasons beyond my comprehension, the 1980 Floor Show has never been released in any capacity. Bowie would quickly ditch Ziggy after this show for the Young American and his glam days were over. But, boy, did he go out with a bang. More on that later.

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Permalink | September 22nd, 2006

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    • 13 Squawks to “Space Oddity”

    1. BLAESY67 Squawked:
      December 29th, 2006 at 3:42 pm

      [..YouTube..] En francais , c’est aussi SUPER , et nouveau a chaque version que je decouvre !! FABULOUS YEAH !

    2. swallmiff Squawked:
      January 6th, 2007 at 4:59 am

      [..YouTube..] to see Bowie and Rono together onstage makes any Bowie fan choke and with such a great version of this song too.The bass was needed to keep the tune moving i think and i loved the Spiders from Mars guitar,bass and drums!

    3. lakeanna1950 Squawked:
      February 8th, 2007 at 1:35 pm

      [..YouTube..] yes do you have anymore ofdavid bowies 1980 floor show?also where can i get a copy of the 1980 floor show?ive got to know thank you

    4. stu57stu Squawked:
      February 8th, 2007 at 6:32 pm

      [..YouTube..] here here !

    5. jonnyringo3 Squawked:
      February 28th, 2007 at 12:44 am

      [..YouTube..] Saw this on The Midnight Special in 75 or so… as a child. Anyone know if that’s Woody on drums, or is it Aynsley Dunbar (of Journey)?

    6. moonage Squawked:
      February 28th, 2007 at 8:35 am

      [..YouTube..] It’s Aynsley.

    7. blueturk Squawked:
      May 10th, 2007 at 5:58 pm

      [..YouTube..] Aynsley Dunbar. Of course you know that Journey screwed him over. One of the best drummers ever…..

    8. skateboarding118 Squawked:
      May 15th, 2007 at 7:52 am

      [..YouTube..] This was really off tune. David and Rono screwed up a couple times on the song, where the drummer was changing it’s rythm from fast to slow or vice versa. Must be because of the drugs. Bowie’s voice is great in this video.

    9. moonage Squawked:
      May 15th, 2007 at 8:24 am

      [..YouTube..] If you’ve ever heard the studio version, it is intentionally sung off key. It’s a method that wasn’t used very often then, and not at all any more. It’s called discordance. They sang it perfectly as written. And, if you’ve ever tried to do it, it’s harder than hell.

    10. lennon54601 Squawked:
      May 26th, 2007 at 8:12 pm

      [..YouTube..] yeah, sounds fine to me. Almost identical to the studio version.

    11. boi10111213 Squawked:
      June 24th, 2007 at 4:07 pm

      [..YouTube..] I do it all the time.

    12. pie579 Squawked:
      July 5th, 2007 at 3:24 am

      [..YouTube..] HE LOVE’S HIS WIFE VERY MUCH!

    13. plath81 Squawked:
      July 20th, 2007 at 8:30 pm

      [..YouTube..] incredible! especially love the keyboard and guitar solos at the beginning and end.

    Squawk like a pink monkey bird!