NASA is gearing up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon and it just wouldn’t be a party without everyone's favorite Spaceman! In news just announced, a new music video for David Bowie’s 1969 breakthrough single “Space Oddity” will be premiered at a NASA event in Washington on the 20th of July, commemorating 50 years since Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, as well as the 50th anniversary of the original “Space Oddity” release.
Bowie tapped into a global obsession when he penned the iconic concept song about a fictional astronaut called Major Tom. “Space Oddity” was released at the peak of space-mania, just five days before The United States' launched Apollo 11 and ten days before the first man walked on the moon. It was Bowie's first single to chart in the UK and also won him the 1970 Ivor Novello Special Award for Originality.
In 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield proved that Bowie’s concept of life in space was more accurate then we coud have imagined when he performed “Space Oddity” aboard the International Space Station; making the first ever music video shot in space.
The new video will pair footage of David Bowie performing “Space Oddity” at his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997, with footage shot for the onscreen backdrop of Bowie’s 1990 Sound & Vision tour. The 1990 footage was projected on to large screens so that David effectively performed “Space Oddity” with himself.
The premiere will take place at the National Symphony Orchestra Pops Apollo 11: A Fiftieth Anniversary…One Small Step, One Giant Leap on the 20th of July. The event, held at the Kennedy Space Center, will be hosted by Mythbusters' Adam Savage and will feature appearances by Pharrell Williams, Mark Armstrong (son of the late Neil Armstrong) and astronauts on the International Space Station. The new “Space Oddity” video will be streamed on YouTube shortly after the show has finished.
A new audio mix of “Space Oddity” will be released on the 12th of July as part of a 50th anniversary double 7” box set. The set includes a replica of the ultra-rare original promotional UK sleeve housing single 1 and a new sleeve containing single 2 featuring a Ray Stevenson shot of David taken during a performance of "Space Oddity" at the ‘Save Rave ‘69’ concert at the London Palladium on 30th November, 1969, in front of a backdrop featuring a NASA astronaut. Available to pre-order here.
Bowie never lost his forward momentum. Underneath the opulent 12-string acoustic guitars and lavish arrangements is a wealth of progressive wisdom and unmatched originality. Venture into the great beyond with Space Oddity on Spotify:
Listen to Space Oddity on Apple Music: