So many people used to believe his eyes were each of a different colour, when in fact, due to the damage he sustained, each pupil was of a different size, giving the illusion of colour change
Seph you are very entertaining and I've subscribed. That being said, we don't need to know ever single thought that pops into your head. We can't even hear the song!
Hi Seph! You nailed it : there are many different interpretations to this song. And that's completely intended : Bowie made a point in never being too direct or straightforward and (to my knowledge) never gave any denitive explanation to his songs. For Space Oddity, you've got the astronaut Major Tom interpretation, the junkie explanation... You can even imagine this a song about Bowie himself : Space Odditiy was release in '69 : he was starting his carreer, so it could be intrepreted as a message to the world ("I'm up to the stars, on my own journey, I won't be dragged back down by anyone - Ground Control). Ashes to ashes was made 11 years later : Bowie had the time to experience many things in his stardom journey (including a severe addiction to cocaine he could eventually break free from). Ashes to ashes could reflect his mixed feeling about this journey so far ("What did it get me, eventually ?...). The last part of this trilogy of songs is Blackstar, in 2016 (yes : 36 years after Ashes to ashes...) : though there is no reference to Major Tom in the lyrics, everybody (including the director of the official video) instantly connected it to the 2 previous ones. I won't spoil it, but I strongly advise you to check it out ;). 2 things to keep in mind when you do : - Bowie recorded this song knowing he had a terminal cancer and was about to die (he passed away 2 days after the release of his album). - With Bowie, never be surprised to be surprised!
This is the 1st time watching one of your reaction videos. I LOVED it! I love Bowie (every version of him) but what got me was your enthusiasm and genuine interest in every part of the song. You seem very genuine. I see this was done last year, but I hope you're still doing reactions because I just subscribed. Nice job!
The story of Major Tom is in four parts. Space Oddity (1969) would be the first, then Ashes to Ashes (1980). Afterwards, there's Hallo Spaceboy (1995), though some don't necessarily include it within the Major Tom storyline (it got connected in through a remix done by the Pet Shop Boys, where a line was added about Major Tom). Though the best version of the song, in my opinion, would be the live performance he did with the Foo Fighters for his 50th birthday concert: ruclips.net/video/XNcH2Zzg8mk/видео.html. The last part to the story would be Blackstar (2016): ruclips.net/video/kszLwBaC4Sw/видео.html, which was from an album which he released 2 days before he died. They're both great songs, and you should totally do reactions to them. Also, like an edited in side note, some people are saying that this song is about drugs, which I think is only partially correct, but it is more complicated than that. A lot of this album Space Oddity (or originally just eponymously David Bowie (1969)) is about isolationism. Many of the songs are about one-off characters (other than Major Tom) who exhibit different issues Bowie himself was experiencing. This song may reflect his feelings towards his ex-girlfriend, Hermione Farthingale, who had just left him to pursue her dreams of dancing; there is also a song literally entitled Letter to Hermione (quite good) which is about this situation, as he really did love her (she gets mentioned in passing in a few other songs such as Life on Mars). His father had also just passed away, and there's some influence from that in the album. Ashes to Ashes repurposes an old character from his first hit, and he reinterprets the character for the situation of 1980, which is vastly different from the original Space Oddity. Bowie's entire discography is almost like an abstract autobiography, which is what makes it so interesting. They all reflect the books he was reading, the movies he watched (obviously for this song, 2001: Space Odyssey), whatever situations he was going through, the arts, everything. But a lot of it is so abstracted and meshed together, which is what makes the analysis so fun.
100% agree with that live version..I have watched it so many times.The PSB version made it too poppy sounding and I am not a fan, It was Bowie's kinda more industrial period, like that whole album is and that live performance is awesome with 3 drummers going at it.I also agree I do not feel Hallo Spaceboy is tied in with the whole Major Tom thing.
@@TimothySmiths I love industrial era Bowie; Outside is one of my favorite albums, and yeah, that is my main complaint with the PSB version, it kinda removed what was so cool about the original Hallo Spaceboy.
@@undeadredead8368 Agreed, I love Outside as well,I enjoy the whole concept album thing,with it telling a story. Earthling is quite good too from that period, But i prefer Outside.
What an incredible emotional ride you express in this one. Starting with the goosebumps you get when you realize that "he's gonna be going to the moon" (4:15) to your suspicion that this might be about drugs (10:57) to the realization that he's stuck in space (11:50) to when you realize he might be lost with "is he alright?" (13:20) to your sorrow when you conclude "he's gone." (14:40) Watching your reaction here is even more moving than the song. This is Seph gold. Your reaction is a mini-movie in itself. One of the commenters below complained "we don't need to know every single thought that pops into your head." On the contrary, this is exactly what makes your reactions so compelling.
This is the start of his Ziggy Stardust persona period, and the so called 'glam rock' era start. His vocal ability is amazing. No auto tune at this time but if you single his vocals out and put them into software that shows how close to the actual notes he hits repeatedly, he is spot on. He has been in many films ....The Man Who Fell to Earth is a favorite and Labrynth 😊
Hi Seph, I did some research and found this: David Bowie’s total vocal Range is B1 - Eb6 ! 😵 B1 ("China Girl") Eb6 (towards the end of "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" live Anaheim 1974) In „Somebody up there Likes me“ (1974 Anaheim) He hits several D6 Falsettos effortless. His total Range is B1 - Eb6. Freddy Mercury’s vocal range was F2 - D6 for example. So he even had a wider range than Mercury or Robert Plant (C2 - C6).
@@SephPlays Yes it is! 😊 That’s why I love his voice so much. There are many amazing things about him: like playing 14 instruments, or being a painter etc. And making each song into a different piece of art. Most musicians always have the same style over and over. But he is the only one who played in all genres! And he kept on changing his persona and because of him many artists and bands came into existence. They wouldn’t exist without him. 6 decades of music! Madonnas first concert was David Bowie. That’s why she later also worn so many different outfits! There is a tape somewhere on RUclips where he imitates different singers! He was able to completely changes his voice into someone else’s! On that tape he sings the same piece of a song over and over but keeps changing it info different singers voices! There are also a few tapes where he imitates Elvis! They were both born on the same date! David said in an interview that he used his voice as an instrument. So there are many incredible things about him. But I love his voice!!! It has this vibration to it. And he can also go very deep: there is a song called: the drowned girl (official video). Please play that next. “The Drowned Girl” is a musical setting of a 1920 poem of the same name (“Vom ertrunkenen Mädchen”) by Bertolt Brecht about the murder of German communist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg. It will show you how deep he can go. Then you can connect it with Wild Is the Wind which is a very beautiful melodic song which he sang at the same time. His voice goes up and down at that one! 😊
Bowie also spent time with Iggy Pop in Berlin. Iggy was broke and drugged out. Bowie covered iggys China Girl and directed all the royalties to him. Bowie also wrote and produced the Iggy Pop hit Lust for Life. They were lifelong friends.
Great reaction seph. The bbc apparently refused to play this until apollo 11 landed safely. As it ended badly in the song. This track and darkstar are the only 2 tracks i have heard that i like.
@@SephPlays hi Seph, no you can do all of his songs, people make reactions (even on his most famous songs which have copyright) all the time. They never get blocked. Maybe don’t put the title in the top. Or cut the song up in parts. . I don’t know how this works and how the others are doing it. But it should work. You can also play a lot of them live.
@@SephPlays I just thought about this: sooo many people put up David Bowie Videos here on RUclips every day. None reaction videos. And none of them get blocked. There are hundreds of people who put up space oddity or other songs. I don’t know how they do it. Space oddity also has copyright. All of his songs of all 25 albums were bought by Warner brother music a few years ago. Please just keep going with his music, it might just have been a one time occurrence.
Major Tom being stuck in space is an analogy to being adicted. He is isolated in his own world, estranged from his family, completely dominated by addiction.
i always thought it was about having a really strong hallucination/trip on acid or shrooms and the ground control are the ppl irl trying to bring u back to reality 😂
Major Tom is as dead as a doornail... Yeah, could be about drugs. Maybe retrospectively David decided that for Ashes to Ashes. I like Bowie, but I don't know much about his song meanings. I think this track came out in 1969. Amazing sounding for that time.
Nice reaction video. Dunno why everyone is coming up with the "this song is about drugs" theory lately. It's just a sad song about an astronaut dying alone in the lonely abyss of space. The effects at the end sound like him drifting off into the void.
The song became famous for our very first moon shot.
You made a great point about major tom singing back in the song the words and theme of the song are drugs and space.
So many people used to believe his eyes were each of a different colour, when in fact, due to the damage he sustained, each pupil was of a different size, giving the illusion of colour change
Seph you are very entertaining and I've subscribed. That being said, we don't need to know ever single thought that pops into your head. We can't even hear the song!
Ohh gosh i have a feeling you are gonna unsub once you've heard a few more of my videos "As i talk A Lot" haha 😅
@@SephPlays I'm here for awhile. Maybe just take a breath now and again?
If you want to hear David's full vocal range I'd sugest you listen to "Sweet thing Candidate Sweet thing Reprise"
Live version is the best
D. Bowie is the GOAT Pop Artist all time imo, an avant gard one. But DM is my GOAT
Now do Blackstar! A fitting trilogy. Thanks for the Bowie
Hi Seph! You nailed it : there are many different interpretations to this song. And that's completely intended : Bowie made a point in never being too direct or straightforward and (to my knowledge) never gave any denitive explanation to his songs. For Space Oddity, you've got the astronaut Major Tom interpretation, the junkie explanation... You can even imagine this a song about Bowie himself : Space Odditiy was release in '69 : he was starting his carreer, so it could be intrepreted as a message to the world ("I'm up to the stars, on my own journey, I won't be dragged back down by anyone - Ground Control). Ashes to ashes was made 11 years later : Bowie had the time to experience many things in his stardom journey (including a severe addiction to cocaine he could eventually break free from). Ashes to ashes could reflect his mixed feeling about this journey so far ("What did it get me, eventually ?...).
The last part of this trilogy of songs is Blackstar, in 2016 (yes : 36 years after Ashes to ashes...) : though there is no reference to Major Tom in the lyrics, everybody (including the director of the official video) instantly connected it to the 2 previous ones. I won't spoil it, but I strongly advise you to check it out ;). 2 things to keep in mind when you do :
- Bowie recorded this song knowing he had a terminal cancer and was about to die (he passed away 2 days after the release of his album).
- With Bowie, never be surprised to be surprised!
Thank you for this run down 😊
Im glad that i was vaguely on point haha
And yes im gonna have to check this out now to close off the trilogy 😀
This is the 1st time watching one of your reaction videos. I LOVED it! I love Bowie (every version of him) but what got me was your enthusiasm and genuine interest in every part of the song. You seem very genuine. I see this was done last year, but I hope you're still doing reactions because I just subscribed. Nice job!
The story of Major Tom is in four parts. Space Oddity (1969) would be the first, then Ashes to Ashes (1980). Afterwards, there's Hallo Spaceboy (1995), though some don't necessarily include it within the Major Tom storyline (it got connected in through a remix done by the Pet Shop Boys, where a line was added about Major Tom). Though the best version of the song, in my opinion, would be the live performance he did with the Foo Fighters for his 50th birthday concert: ruclips.net/video/XNcH2Zzg8mk/видео.html. The last part to the story would be Blackstar (2016): ruclips.net/video/kszLwBaC4Sw/видео.html, which was from an album which he released 2 days before he died. They're both great songs, and you should totally do reactions to them.
Also, like an edited in side note, some people are saying that this song is about drugs, which I think is only partially correct, but it is more complicated than that. A lot of this album Space Oddity (or originally just eponymously David Bowie (1969)) is about isolationism. Many of the songs are about one-off characters (other than Major Tom) who exhibit different issues Bowie himself was experiencing. This song may reflect his feelings towards his ex-girlfriend, Hermione Farthingale, who had just left him to pursue her dreams of dancing; there is also a song literally entitled Letter to Hermione (quite good) which is about this situation, as he really did love her (she gets mentioned in passing in a few other songs such as Life on Mars). His father had also just passed away, and there's some influence from that in the album.
Ashes to Ashes repurposes an old character from his first hit, and he reinterprets the character for the situation of 1980, which is vastly different from the original Space Oddity.
Bowie's entire discography is almost like an abstract autobiography, which is what makes it so interesting. They all reflect the books he was reading, the movies he watched (obviously for this song, 2001: Space Odyssey), whatever situations he was going through, the arts, everything. But a lot of it is so abstracted and meshed together, which is what makes the analysis so fun.
100% agree with that live version..I have watched it so many times.The PSB version made it too poppy sounding and I am not a fan, It was Bowie's kinda more industrial period, like that whole album is and that live performance is awesome with 3 drummers going at it.I also agree I do not feel Hallo Spaceboy is tied in with the whole Major Tom thing.
@@TimothySmiths I love industrial era Bowie; Outside is one of my favorite albums, and yeah, that is my main complaint with the PSB version, it kinda removed what was so cool about the original Hallo Spaceboy.
@@undeadredead8368 Agreed, I love Outside as well,I enjoy the whole concept album thing,with it telling a story. Earthling is quite good too from that period, But i prefer Outside.
So fun to watch someone experience this for the first time.
It was upsetting! I just listened to it again and it doesnt make it any less sad :(
What an incredible emotional ride you express in this one. Starting with the goosebumps you get when you realize that "he's gonna be going to the moon" (4:15) to your suspicion that this might be about drugs (10:57) to the realization that he's stuck in space (11:50) to when you realize he might be lost with "is he alright?" (13:20) to your sorrow when you conclude "he's gone." (14:40) Watching your reaction here is even more moving than the song. This is Seph gold. Your reaction is a mini-movie in itself.
One of the commenters below complained "we don't need to know every single thought that pops into your head." On the contrary, this is exactly what makes your reactions so compelling.
This is the start of his Ziggy Stardust persona period, and the so called 'glam rock' era start.
His vocal ability is amazing. No auto tune at this time but if you single his vocals out and put them into software that shows how close to the actual notes he hits repeatedly, he is spot on.
He has been in many films ....The Man Who Fell to Earth is a favorite and Labrynth 😊
Hi Seph, I did some research and found this:
David Bowie’s total vocal Range is B1 - Eb6 ! 😵
B1 ("China Girl")
Eb6 (towards the end of "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" live Anaheim 1974) In „Somebody up there Likes me“ (1974 Anaheim) He hits several D6 Falsettos effortless.
His total Range is B1 - Eb6. Freddy Mercury’s vocal range was F2 - D6 for example. So he even had a wider range than Mercury or Robert Plant (C2 - C6).
Geez thats properly insane!! Talented!! 😍
@@SephPlays Yes it is! 😊 That’s why I love his voice so much. There are many amazing things about him: like playing 14 instruments, or being a painter etc. And making each song into a different piece of art. Most musicians always have the same style over and over. But he is the only one who played in all genres! And he kept on changing his persona and because of him many artists and bands came into existence. They wouldn’t exist without him. 6 decades of music! Madonnas first concert was David Bowie. That’s why she later also worn so many different outfits! There is a tape somewhere on RUclips where he imitates different singers! He was able to completely changes his voice into someone else’s! On that tape he sings the same piece of a song over and over but keeps changing it info different singers voices! There are also a few tapes where he imitates Elvis! They were both born on the same date! David said in an interview that he used his voice as an instrument.
So there are many incredible things about him. But I love his voice!!! It has this vibration to it. And he can also go very deep: there is a song called: the drowned girl (official video). Please play that next. “The Drowned Girl” is a musical setting of a 1920 poem of the same name (“Vom ertrunkenen Mädchen”) by Bertolt Brecht about the murder of German communist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg. It will show you how deep he can go. Then you can connect it with Wild Is the Wind which is a very beautiful melodic song which he sang at the same time. His voice goes up and down at that one! 😊
Probably one of the most well-known David Bowie collaboration is with Queen. A little song called Under Pressure.
Bowie also spent time with Iggy Pop in Berlin. Iggy was broke and drugged out. Bowie covered iggys China Girl and directed all the royalties to him. Bowie also wrote and produced the Iggy Pop hit Lust for Life. They were lifelong friends.
Great reaction! I enjoyed it. You didn't talk too much!!!
Now you need to watch the video for Black Star to see Major tom’s fate….
Listen to heroes by Bowie it’s amazing
Great reaction seph. The bbc apparently refused to play this until apollo 11 landed safely. As it ended badly in the song. This track and darkstar are the only 2 tracks i have heard that i like.
I dont know where Uncle Arthur went? Cant see it anymore. Are you going to do some more Bowie soon?
Gahhh you noticed before i did 😢 that video and a whole bunch of others got copyright blocked world wide 😭
@@SephPlays oh no, but the other Bowie videos are still there. Can you please do more Bowie? 🙂
there might be a hand full of songs of his i can do. I just have to avoid songs that are owned by a certain company >.>
@@SephPlays hi Seph, no you can do all of his songs, people make reactions (even on his most famous songs which have copyright) all the time. They never get blocked. Maybe don’t put the title in the top. Or cut the song up in parts. . I don’t know how this works and how the others are doing it. But it should work. You can also play a lot of them live.
@@SephPlays I just thought about this: sooo many people put up David Bowie Videos here on RUclips every day. None reaction videos. And none of them get blocked. There are hundreds of people who put up space oddity or other songs. I don’t know how they do it. Space oddity also has copyright. All of his songs of all 25 albums were bought by Warner brother music a few years ago. Please just keep going with his music, it might just have been a one time occurrence.
Major Tom being stuck in space is an analogy to being adicted. He is isolated in his own world, estranged from his family, completely dominated by addiction.
The silent music video of dancing in the street by David Bowie and mic jagger is hilarious but you need to watch the original one first 😂😂😂😂😂😂
i always thought it was about having a really strong hallucination/trip on acid or shrooms and the ground control are the ppl irl trying to bring u back to reality 😂
Es un sonido unico
We had to wait until the 80's to get the sequel Ashes to Ashes
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Major Tom is as dead as a doornail... Yeah, could be about drugs. Maybe retrospectively David decided that for Ashes to Ashes. I like Bowie, but I don't know much about his song meanings. I think this track came out in 1969. Amazing sounding for that time.
..... Wow 😢
Yep we had some ok sounds back then ???
I was waiting for you to become sad at the prospect of Major Tom not coming back to earth!
I got more upset after i listened to it again off camera :'(
@@SephPlays To be honest I knew nothing about the perceived drug aspect of the song and the first time I heard it I found it had a profound effect.
Nice reaction video. Dunno why everyone is coming up with the "this song is about drugs" theory lately. It's just a sad song about an astronaut dying alone in the lonely abyss of space. The effects at the end sound like him drifting off into the void.
You best listen to 'Let's Dance" then.
How Dare You. Leave it xx
Actually it's the other way around it was the older song
I always loved this bit of his voice here:
ruclips.net/video/6kO5tD_5Pnw/видео.html
Major Tom is a junkie because he never came back down to earth.... get it?
Strung up in heavens high, hitting an all time low
You talk to much, listen...
Did i not listen? What did i miss?