Album: Error In The System (1983)

Charted: 42 14

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• Standing there alone,
  The ship is waiting.
  All systems are go.
  "Are you sure?"
  Control is not convinced,
  But the computer
  Has the evidence.
  No need to abort.
  The countdown starts.
  
  Watching in a trance,
  The crew is certain.
  Nothing left to chance,
  All is working.
  Trying to relax
  Up in the capsule
  "Send me up a drink."
  Jokes Major Tom.
  The count goes on...
  
  4, 3, 2, 1
  Earth below us
  Drifting, falling.
  Floating weightless
  Calling, calling home...
  
  Second stage is cut.
  We're now in orbit.
  Stabilizers up,
  Runnning perfect.
  Starting to collect
  Requested data.
  "What will it affect
  When all is done?"
  Thinks Major Tom.
  
  Back at ground control,
  There is a problem.
  "Go to rockets full."
  Not responding.
  "Hello Major Tom.
  Are you receiving?
  Turn the thrusters on.
  We're standing by."
  There's no reply.
  
  4, 3, 2, 1
  Earth below us
  Drifting, falling.
  Floating weightless
  Calling, calling home...
  
  Across the stratosphere,
  A final message:
  "Give my wife my love."
  Then nothing more.
  
  Far beneath the ship,
  The world is mourning.
  They don't realize
  He's alive.
  No one understands,
  But Major Tom sees.
  "Now the light commands
  This is my home,
  I'm coming home."
  
  Earth below us
  Drifting, falling.
  Floating weightless
  Coming home...
  Earth below us
  Drifting, falling.
  Floating weightless
  Coming, coming
  Home...
  Home..... Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 34

• The Aliens from OuterspaceWe in fact did take Major Tom.
• Jox from IlPeter Schilling also sounds like he sampled Peter Frampton in this hit, particularly the chorus, as it sounds like the counterpoint to "Baby I Love Your Way".
• Sub Zero from MarylandIn the German version, there's a light guiding Major Tom to outer space, I assume aliens. Such a good song.
• Sub Zero from MarylandMajor Tom comes back to earth alive at the end of the song.
• Will H Burrow from Lago Vista TxA pop rock star female that recorded at least 22 album recorded an album with the lyrics “ Major Tom” she is in her forties. I just can not remember her name. I hope you can help me?!
• Laerenmishasedai from Minneapolis, MnSince the original song was inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Major Tom is somewhat about the character David Bowman, Major Tom is actually going to go live with the aliens in space. That's why he abandons his mission and shuts off communications with Earth.
  
  This song goes along with that. Notice the lyric is "Earth below us". Who is "us"? It must mean Major Tom and someone/something else, i.e. the aliens. Major Tom is out there with the aliens, enjoying space. "Now the Light commands" is the light of the aliens, telling Major Tom his home is in space. With them.
• Joshua From Pinellas from CaThese are all the things we should have discussed alot more as human beings. Our deeper feelings likes dislikes how they made us feel. Had we done that far more often than we did I dont believe we would be in the position we are currently in this culture. Had we spent much more time working hard on trying to sincerely connect with and understand each other on the things we loved and why (yes even just a song such as this) maybe just maybe we would have made it. But too many of us chose drugs, addictions in general, frightened egos and the obsessant need to "win" at life over connecting regularly with each other on a much deeper level. Sad and I hope we learn our lessons sooner than later. All these school shootings mass shootings etc etc etc these days exist for a reason. We need to wake up America.
• The Drunk Guy from The End Of The Barthis song has a very interesting opening riff
• Callen from Saxonburg, PaTo add on to David from Deerfield Beach, FL, Oingo-Boingo was also very Sci-Fi in nature.
• Julia from From NyI first heard Major Tom (coming home) in late 1983...I was 25 ...I instantly fell in love with it...the vocals are awesome
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenI saw once source that said Bowie was highly complimentary of this song. One commentator said that it was at that point that Schilling stopped pretending that this song wasn't about the same character.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 17th 1983, Peter Schilling performed "Major Tom" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
  At the time the song was at #15 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and the very next day it peaked at #14 {for 2 weeks} and spent 18 weeks on the Top 100...
  And on January 8th, 1984 it reached #1 {for 1 week} on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart...
  He had one other Top 100 record, "The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime)"; it peaked at #61 in 1988...
  Peter Schilling, born Pierre Michael Schilling, will celebrate his 59th birthday in forty-two days on January 28th {2015}.
• Michael from Santa Cruz, CaI would consider Bowie's song "Ashes To Ashes" a sequel to his own "Space Oddity",but Schilling's song despite the name of the protagonist,is not.Personally I think of Charlton Heston's character Taylor from "Planet Of The Apes (1968)",a loner who just wanted out."Terra Titanic"is my favorite song from Schilling.
• Jim from Peatchtree City, GaSuprisingly Peter Schilling has disavowed any relation between this song and Bowie's. At least he did when it first came out. I've never heard of or read any subsequent interviews to see if he's ever changed his mind. My thought has always been that he did so to keep the lawyers off his back and protect his royalties.
• Ronda from Ashland, KyI agree with Alex from Lima, Peru. I thought that myself.
• Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, MiI remember this song from when I went to the planetarium[Cranbrook Institute of Science] I loved this song.
• Claude from Kingston, MaI was in 10th grade when this song came out. I never thought of it as a sequel to Bowie's song. I always thought it was a total rip off.
• Chase from Miami, FlI heard that if you play the drifting falling part backwards it says we run, (something unidentifiable but two syllables) Sarah will get pissed off
• Roxann from Christmas, FlVIDEO WAS NOT FOUND ON THIS SITE!!
• Lia from Somewhere, AntarticaI personally like the German version a lot better than the English one.
• Mike from Santa Barbara, CaR.H. from Pauls Valley, OK- I just checked it on YouTube.com. It's a good video for its time and has interesting lyrics. The vocals didn't do much for me, however.
  
• R.h. from Pauls Valley, OkMike from Santa Barbara, CA- If you like songs about astronauts you should check out an obscure song from the early 80s called "Why Me?" by Planet P Project. It's a great song about an astronaut with second thoughts about what he's doing.
• David from Deerfield Beach, FlPosted 3/17/2008. "4..3..2..1.. Earth below us, drifting falling, floating weightless, coming coming home..." This "sequel" to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was one very good 80's song! I always liked it and it was fun to sing along with out loud. I always thought sci-fi in rock was a cool idea. Just fun & imaginative stuff. Some other good examples of sci-fi in pop music include "Rocket Man" (Elton John), "Come Sail Away" (Styx) [and though I think it's kind of a dopier song, Styx also had "Mr. Roboto"], "Godzilla" (Blue Oyster Cult), "Twilight Zone" (Golden Earing), "Silent Lucidity" (Queensryche), "Dream Weaver" (Gary Wright), and this one awesome Zeppelin-esque song by Zebra called "Who's Behind The Door?". Check that one out if you can! A lot of 1980's New-wave / Euro-techno groups & songs had that sci-fi vibe as well like "I Ran - So Far Away" & "Space Age Love Song" (A Flock Of Seagulls), or "Red Skies" & "Saved By Zero" (The Fixx) for example, and how about "She Blinded Me With Science" (Thomas Dolby), "Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles), or "Under The Milky Way" (The Church), among many others. There were a lot of bands that were sort of sci-fi by nature. E.L.O. was a little like that especially with their sci-fi concept album "Time" among others, and with there flying saucer-like symbol on several album covers like "Out Of The Blue", etc. Yes had a lot of imaginative album covers & songs like "Starship Trooper", etc. Asia maybe. Rush had their "2112" album & other songs like "Subdivisions", etc. Pink Floyd was always pretty cosmic. Boston had that flying guitar on their album covers that looked like a U.F.O. Alan Parsons Project had "Eye In The Sky", "I Robot", "Pyramid" with that sci-fi feel. The Moody Blues had the Voyager probes on their "Long Distance Voyager" & "The Present" album covers. Journey had many imaginative sci-fi album covers. Though not sci-fi musically, C S & N had these cool-looking blue flying saucers on their "Daylight Again" album cover. The Police had "Walking On The Moon", "Invisible Sun", "Synchronicity II", "Walking In Your Footsteps", etc. Genesis was kind of sci-fi sounding. The Cars had some space-age sounding songs like "Moving In Stereo", "Heartbeat City", "Drive", etc. Queen did soundtracks for "Flash Gordon" & "Highlander", etc. Steve Miller was the "Space Cowboy". "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" soundtrack was sci-fi in a schlocky horror-comic sort of way. David Bowie had "Starman" in addition to "Space Oddity", etc. There are still other examples I could cite. Sorry if I went on too long. I just wanted to pay homage to sci-fi in rock music. Cool stuff. Thanks for letting me indulge.
  
• Eddie from Ba, ArgentinaIn Europe, the first 1982 12" release featured the original German version, 'Major Tom (Vollig Losgelost)'. In 1983 the song was re-recorded in English, 'Major Tom (Coming Home)', and re-issued in the UK under a limited edition double-pack 12" format that included a new Dance Mix. Nevertheless, the song never made it to the British Top 40. In the US, however, the single was released as a 4-track 12", including the Special Extended Version, the original German version, the English single version and an instrumental version, reaching #15 that same year.
• Mike from Santa Barbara, CaSongs about astronauts are among the most interesting in Rock. "Rocket Man" by Elton John is another example.
• Echooes from Atlanta, Ga"Major Tom" is probably one of the best tracks from the 80s New Wave genre! After listening to this song I decided to pick up Peter's cd and I think almost 80% of the stuff is very good. Unlike the commercial shiet that comes out now days where the musicians only target to make 1 or maybe 2 songs a hit and not care for the rest...
• Duane from Wheatfield, InGreat song from the '80s continuing a great 70s Bowie song.
• Jameson from Lexington, KyHas anyone seen the station identification blurb on Animal Planet that uses this song? It has this playing behind slo-mo footage of tiny tree frogs jumping off leaves. If you haven't seen this, you may not want to; it's hilarious, but now I can't break the association between the song and the commercial. Damned attack memes...
• Thomas from Suisun City, CaI always though the song was him leaving for a routine mission to space, and once he got there the thrusters wouldn't turn on. He was "going home", or dying and going home to Heaven or whatever you refer to the afterlife. He knew he was dying and wanted to use his last chance to communicate to "send my wife my love". He drifts off into space and dies due to lack of oxygen, food, and the deep cold of space.
• Alex from Lima, PeruHow can't you people realise? It's not too difficult to think of May '68 in Paris, Neil Armstrong and Woodstock, and you'll easily understand this song is an apologetic for LSD. Other interpretations will be precarious and/or shallow.
• Dee from Indianapolis, InThis is a great tune, but Peter has other songs out there as well. I feel he should've got more credit for what he's done. In 1985 he put out "Things to Come" which had a song called "Chill of the Night" that got radio play. I enjoy all his songs,but "Major Tom" gets everyones attention. I highly recommend checking out his other songs, if you can find them.
• Neuphoria from Toronto, Canada"Mrs. Major Tom" by K.I.A. continues the Major Tom story, now told from the perspective of the wife left at home. Beautiful and sad. (You can hear it/get it at iTunes, etc.)
  
  Lyric sample:
  "It was light years long, My Major Tom
  At last back you've come, Yet stil, you're gone...
  You never burned up, my Major Tom
  You just burned out, you just burned out."
• Luke from Manchester, EnglandMajor Tom is a reference to Drugs
• Keith from Slc, UtActually, the lyrics describe a failure in the spacecraft systems, suspected prior to launch. Major Tom is lost in space until, incredibly, he comes back on the air to report that he is on course for return to Earth.

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