The Real Meaning Behind David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”

The Real Meaning Behind David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” | Society Of Rock Videos

via David Bowie/YouTube

“Space Oddity” by David Bowie, explained. It was in 1969, in the midst of the cold war when the song was released. Bowie was desperate to make a hit at the time and seems like piggyback riding in the space race.

The song surely became a hit, but it seems like it has caused confusion among those who have listened to it. Some people thought that the song was simply a piece of current cultural commentary.

Even the producer himself, Tony Visconti, thought that he fell into this trap together with BBC who even used the song as background music for the actual moon landing. He commented:

“I thought it was a bad choice for a first single because I saw it as a novelty record. I thought the double-harmonies were derivative, and in my own words I said it was ‘a cheap shot.'”

Bowie told Performing Songwriter:

“I’m sure they really weren’t listening to the lyric at all. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to juxtapose against a moon landing. Of course, I was overjoyed that they did.”

Since the true meaning of the song remains obscured, people started speculating that the song has something to do with drugs following the news about Bowie being a “junkie.” Far from what people have thought that the song is about drugs alone. After the dust had settled, Visconti revealed:

“David said it was actually a song about isolation and he used the astronaut in space as the metaphor. The song was written in that spirit, being isolated in this little capsule, but seeing the Universe from your window.”

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