The sound control on Major Tom has come to an end, as Commander Chris Hadfield’s out-of-this-world rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ has returned to the Internet.
And it’s Ziggy Stardust we have to thank for it.
On May 13th, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was forced to remove the viral hit from YouTube when a one-year agreement with the British singer ended. The clip, which featured Hadfield singing an acoustic version of the 1969 hit while floating through the International Space Station, had garnered more than 23 million views, and made him a household name.
And now the video has returned in all its unplugged glory. As Hadfield outlined in a post on his blog, it’s all about promoting space exploration.
"Sometimes, as in the case of Oddity, it has let us see our ideas and creations, ourselves, in a new light," Hadfield writes. "I had hoped to be able to capture the feeling of this one small step for humanity, and share it with you all."
The astronaut said he worked with Bowie, his publisher and the Canadian Space Agency to create something as unique as possible. When it was pulled six months ago, Hadfield immediately started working on securing the rights for the song, made all the more difficult by the fact it was performed in orbit above many jurisdictions.
As Hadfield writes: "The Space Station was built by 15 countries, and depending on where I floated while singing and playing, whose copyright laws applied? Which Space Agency owned the recording? Whose jurisdiction was I in?"
The Canadian reached out to David Bowie, who gave the video his endorsement, and now it has been returned to YouTube to inspire a whole new generation of space explorers and guitar strummers.
"We’re proud to have helped bring Bowie’s genius from 1969 into space itself in 2013, and now ever-forward," Hadfield said.
Check out the brilliant cover here:
And in December, Newstalk helped bring Commander Hadfield's music back to Earth with an exclusive performance with the Chieftains. You can see that video here.
