"Hallo Spaceboy" is a song by the English musician

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

from his 20th studio album, ''

Outside Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network * '' ...

'' (1995). It originated as an instrumental by

Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. A member of The Cure since 2012, Gabrels is also known for his work with David Bowie and Tin Machine from 1988 to 1999. He also fronts the band Reeves Gabrels ...

called "Moondust", which Bowie and

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

stripped down and used to form the final track. An

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrom ...

and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

track influenced by the

Pixies Pixies may refer to: * Plural of Pixie * Pixies (band) The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...

and

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

, the song contains a hypnotic sound, with

synthesiser A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s, loops and distorted guitar lines. Lyrically influenced by

Brion Gysin Brion Gysin (19 January 1916 – 13 July 1986) was a British-Canadian painter, writer, sound poet, performance artist and inventor of experimental devices. He is best known for his use of the cut-up technique, alongside his close friend, the ...

, the song contains images of apocalypse and continues the androgynous conundrums of former Bowie songs such as "

Rebel Rebel "Rebel Rebel" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK on 15 February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album ''Diamond Dogs''. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a dis ...

". For its release as the third and final

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from ''Outside'' in February 1996, "Hallo Spaceboy" was

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

ed by the duo

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

, who added a

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

edge and lyrics referencing the

Major Tom Major Tom is a persona of David Bowie, referenced in the songs "Space Oddity", " Ashes to Ashes", " Hallo Spaceboy", " Blackstar" and more. Bowie's own interpretation of the character evolved throughout his career. "Space Oddity" (1969) depict ...

character from Bowie's "

Space Oddity "Space Oddity" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips and Mercury Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album, ''David Bowie''. Produce ...

". The single reached number 12 in the UK and charted elsewhere across Europe. Its accompanying music video, directed by David Mallet, mixes shots of both Bowie and Pet Shop Boys with footage of science fiction clips, atomic bomb testing footage and television advertising clips. Both versions of "Hallo Spaceboy" have been positively received and have appeared on lists of Bowie's best songs. Bowie performed "Hallo Spaceboy" frequently on his concert tours, recordings from which have appeared on

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

Writing and recording

Written by

and

, "Hallo Spaceboy" developed from an

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

instrumental piece written by guitarist

called "Moondust". Initial work on the track began during a recording session at

Mountain Studios Mountain Studios was a commercial recording studio founded by American singer and composer Anita Kerr and her husband Alex Grob in 1975 within the Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. The studio was under the ownership of Queen (band), Q ...

in Montreux in 1994, shortly after the main sessions for the ''Leon'' project concluded. Bowie biographers

Nicholas Pegg Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, director and writer. Education Educated at Nottingham High School and graduating with a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Exeter, Pegg subsequently trained at the Guildford School of ...

and Chris O'Leary point to the influence of poet and artist

, who developed a cut-up technique with

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

that Bowie had, on several occasions, utilised for song lyrics. During the recording, Bowie spoke the "If I fall, moondust will cover me", reportedly Gysin's final words before his death in 1986. Work halted on the track following the session, as Bowie believed "there wasn't anything special going on with that piece". The track resurfaced on 17 January 1995 during the ''

'' sessions in New York City at

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History In 1969, songwriter Jerry Ragavoy opened a recording studio in New York City and named it ''The Hit Factory.'' On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, ...

. Eno wrote in his diary that it was "stripped down to almost nothing eforeI wrote some lightning chords and space and suddenly, miraculously, we had something." The final track features Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, guitarist

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any other musician. History The son of a Pentecostal mi ...

, bassist

Yossi Fine Joseph Thomas Fine (; born December 7, 1964), known professionally as Yossi Fine (), is an Israeli bassist and producer. Fine fronted the world music/reggae/funk band Ex-Centric Sound System. Biography Personal life Fine was born in Paris, Franc ...

, pianist

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight, The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur, CSS and The Pretty Reckless. Early caree ...

and drummer

Joey Baron Bernard Joseph Baron (born June 26, 1955 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American drummer best-known for working in avant-garde jazz with Bill Frisell and John Zorn. Music career Baron, who is of Jewish heritage, was born on June 26, 1955, in Ric ...

. After finishing the track, Bowie said "I adore that track. In my mind, it was like

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

meets industrial. When I heard it back, I thought, 'Fuck me. It's like

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

Doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide secu ...

.' It's an extraordinary sound." Gabrels later expressed disappointment in not receiving a co-writing credit for the song.

Composition

Characterised by commentators as

and

, Pegg describes "Hallo Spaceboy" as "a hardcore maelstrom of sci-fi noise, hypnotic high-speed drumming and an insistent, speaker-hopping four-note guitar riff". The song's influences range from the

and ''

Pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

''-era

Cure A cure is a substance or procedure that resolves a medical condition. This may include a medication, a surgery, surgical operation, a lifestyle change, or even a philosophical shift that alleviates a person's suffering or achieves a state of heali ...

and

the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...

; Bowie himself reportedly stated he was aiming for a Nine Inch Nails-type sound. Featuring

s, loops and distorted guitar lines, a few reviewers compared the song's sound to Bowie's 1974 album ''

Diamond Dogs ''Diamond Dogs'' is the eighth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 24 May 1974 through RCA Records. Bowie produced the album and recorded it in early 1974 in London and the Netherlands, following the disbanding o ...

'' and his work with the rock band

Tin Machine Tin Machine were a British–American Rock music, rock band formed in 1988. The band consisted of English singer-songwriter David Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on bass and vocals ...

. Author Dave Thompson argued that the song would not have felt out of place as a bonus track on that album. Lyrically, Pegg states that "Hallo Spaceboy" captures the "millennial angst" of the ''Outside'' album and continues the androgynous conundrums of songs such as 1974's "

" and 1979's "

Boys Keep Swinging "Boys Keep Swinging" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on 27 April 1979 by RCA Records in the United Kingdom as the lead single from his 1979 album '' Lodger''. It was written by Bowie and Brian Eno and recorded in Montreux an ...

" with the line "Do you like girls or boys? / It's confusing these days". Some of the words and ideals, such as "chaos", "dust" and "hallo", and visions of a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

apocalypse were recycled from Tin Machine's " Baby Universal" (1991).

Release and promotion

"Hallo Spaceboy" was released as the sixth track on ''Outside'' on 25 September 1995. Bowie featured the song prominently on the 1995

Outside Tour The Outside World Tour was a tour by the English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the ''Outside (David Bowie album), 1. Outside'' album which it supported. T ...

, often together with Nine Inch Nails on the US leg and after as the closing number. Bowie intended "Hallo Spaceboy" to be his next single after " Strangers When We Meet", performing the song twice in Birmingham and again on

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...

's '' Later...'' in late December the same year. Both Birmingham performances were later released on the live album '' No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)'' in 2020.

Pet Shop Boys remix

Believing that in its original state, "Hallo Spaceboy" was uncommercial as a potential hit single in 1996, Bowie commissioned

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...

of the

the song for release as the third single from ''Outside''. Tennant, a lifelong Bowie fan, stripped the song's anger with electronics and added Pet Shop Boys' signature backing vocals to the mix. Combined with the original only containing a single verse, and a lyric including feelings of alienation, Tennant and bandmate

Chris Lowe Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981. Biography Christopher Sean Lowe was born and raised in Bla ...

added lyrical fragments from Bowie's 1969 song "

", using a Gysin-style cut-up technique, to create a second verse: "Ground to Major, bye bye Tom / dead the circuit, countdown's wrong / Planet Earth is control on?" O'Leary states the additions turned the song's cry of "this chaos is killing me" into a plea from an astronaut "strung out in heaven". Bowie himself initially expressed reservation about the additions when Tennant told him during a telephone conversation, but later agreed that they worked well. Tennant told ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' in a 1997 interview that he and Lowe, working alongside Bowie, had completed what Tennant called the "

trilogy", in reference to the fictional astronaut who first appeared in "Space Oddity" and later appeared in 1980's " Ashes to Ashes". Tennant explained, "I said to

owie Injury is physiological damage to the living tissue of any organism, whether in humans, in other animals, or in plants. Injuries can be caused in many ways, including mechanically with penetration by sharp objects such as teeth or with b ...

'It's like Major Tom is in one of those Russian spaceships they can't afford to bring down,' and he said, 'Oh wow, is that where he is? Compared to the original version, the remix features a

edge. Released on 19 February 1996, the single was released through several formats, including a 7" single through

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations Music publishing companies * Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 ** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that was pur ...

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, a CD single through Arista/RCA and a 12" promo in the US through

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

. The CD single was packaged with a reissue of "

The Hearts Filthy Lesson "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" (no apostrophe in "Hearts") is a song by English musician David Bowie from his 20th studio album, ''Outside'' (1995), and issued as a single ahead of the album. Released in September 1995 by Arista, BMG and RCA, it ...

" and live renditions of "

Under Pressure "Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album ''Hot Space'' (1982). The song reached number one on the U ...

" and "

Moonage Daydream "Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band Arnold Corns in May 1971 on B&C R ...

", recorded on the Outside Tour on 13 December 1995 in Birmingham. The single was a success across Europe, reaching number 12 in the UK, becoming Bowie's highest charting single since 1993's "

Jump They Say "Jump They Say" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his 18th album ''Black Tie White Noise'' (1993). It was written by Bowie, produced by Nile Rodgers and released as the first single from the album in March 1993 by Arista R ...

". On top of a number 1 placement in Latvia, the remixed "Hallo Spaceboy" charted in Australia (36), Austria (37), Belgium

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

(48) and

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

(30), Finland (8), Germany (59), Ireland (21), the Netherlands

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

and

Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...

(24 and 33, respectively), Scotland (10) and Sweden (12). The music video for "Hallo Spaceboy" was directed by longtime Bowie director David Mallet, mixing shots of both Bowie and Pet Shop Boys into a rapid-fire montage of

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

era retro-footage of science fiction film clips, atomic bomb testing footage and television advertising clips. Bowie performed the song with Pet Shop Boys at the 1996 Brit Awards on 19 February 1996, and again on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' on 1 March. According to O'Leary, Bowie "thrashed around" during these performances while Tennant sang calmly. The Pet Shop Boys remix replaced "Wishful Beginnings" on the ''Outside – Version 2'' album, and is included on some editions of the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

s ''

Best of Bowie ''Best of Bowie'' is a greatest hits album by English recording artist David Bowie. Released in October 2002, four months after the critical and commercial success of the '' Heathen'' album, the songs range from his second album, ''David Bowi ...

'' (2002), ''

Nothing Has Changed ''Nothing Has Changed'' (stylised as ''Nothing has changed.'') is a compilation album by English musician David Bowie. It was released on 18 November 2014 through Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings in t ...

'' (2014) and ''

Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie) ''Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie)'' (also known as ''Legacy'') is a greatest hits album by English musician David Bowie, released on 11 November 2016 through Sony Music Entertainment in the US and Warner Music Group in the UK and several t ...

'' (2016). The remix was later included on ''Re:Call 5'', released as part of the ''

Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) ''Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 26 November 2021. A follow-up to the compilations '' Five Years (1969–1973)'', ''Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', '' A New Career in ...

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

in 2022. Four additional remixes, excluding the single one, were compiled on the 2004 two-disc edition of ''Outside''. An extended Pet Shop Boys remix is included on their 2007

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

'' Disco 4''.

Critical reception

Both versions of "Hallo Spaceboy" have received positive reviews from music critics and biographers. Discussing the original, biographer

Marc Spitz Marc Spitz (October 2, 1969 – February 4, 2017) was an American music journalist, writer and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock and roll and popular culture appeared in ''Spin (magazine), Spin'' (where he was a Senior Writer) as well as ''Th ...

called it Bowie's "most convincing rocker" since "

", and David Buckley said the track is "quite daring, with a hard, industrial menace and a great use of dynamics". Some have recognised the original as a highlight of the ''Outside'' album.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Christian Huey said that the song was "the most successful spin since

980's 98 may refer to: * 98 (number) * Windows 98, a Microsoft operating system * 98 Ianthe, a main-belt asteroid * Oldsmobile 98, a full-sized luxury car Years * 98 BC * AD 98 * 1998 * 2098 See also * Californium (atomic number), a chemical element * ...

'' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'' on his recurring 'urban nightmare' motif."

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called the original "pummelling, chaotic and hypnotic".

Paul Lester Paul Lester is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster from Elstree, Hertfordshire. Career He began his career as a freelance journalist, for ''Melody Maker'' in the early 1990s, as well as ''City Limits'', '' 20/20'', '' Sky Maga ...

from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' said, "'Hallo Spaceboy', drenched in the theatrical mockneyisms that begat

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (, ; born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman, main vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Blur (band), Blur and the co-creator and primary musical con ...

and

Brett Anderson Brett Lewis Anderson (born 29 September 1967) is an English singer best known as the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted the Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004� ...

, is

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

py (dub it up, Portishead!)" Roger Morton from ''

'' declared it as "a viscerally thrilling glassed-guitar'n'driller rhythm rocker". Gareth Grundy from '' Select'' wrote, "'Hello Spaceboy's sci-fi pop is a new, quasi-industrial '

'". Reviewing the Pet Shop Boys remix,

Simon Price Simon Price (born 25 September 1967) is a British music journalist and author. He is known for his weekly review section in ''The Independent on Sunday'' and his books ''Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)'' and ''Curepedia: An ...

from ''Melody Maker'' said that "this sounds like the Pet Shop Boys without anything you could call a chorus. The bit where Bowie's gin-and-lemon voice mixes with Neil Tennant's Amaretto Disaronno on the line ''Do you like girls or boys? It's confusing these days...'' is one to hoist aloft around the room on a red velvet cushion, though." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' rated the song four out of five, writing that the song "has been transformed into a

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

anthem with chart appeal to the max". ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' magazine writer Mark Paytress opined that adding Pet Shop Boys was a "masterstroke". Huey called the remix a success, with "less uncompromising" drama and "less disturbing" results. "Hallo Spaceboy" has appeared on lists ranking Bowie's best songs by '' Far Out'' (number 21), ''The Guardian'' (number 40) and ''Mojo'' (number 70). In 2016, ''

Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' placed the single at number 79 (out of 119) in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best.

Live performances

"Hallo Spaceboy" featured regularly on Bowie's setlists throughout 1996 and 1997, and made return appearances during his 2000 summer shows, 2002 Heathen and 2003–2004 A Reality tours. A version recorded on 18 July 1996 at the

Phoenix Festival The Phoenix Festival was set up by John Vincent Power of the Mean Fiddler Music Group in 1993 as an alternative to the established Glastonbury and Reading Festivals. It was held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and wa ...

in England appeared on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

compilation ''Phoenix: The Album'' in 1997. A July 1997 recording from the

Earthling Tour The Earthling Tour was a 1997 concert tour by English musician David Bowie, in promotion of his album ''Earthling''. The tour started on 7 June 1997 at Flughafen Blankensee in Lübeck, Germany, continuing through Europe and the Americas before ...

was also released on the live album '' Look at the Moon!'' in 2021, and 2 November recording in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

from the same tour appeared on the live album '' LiveAndWell.com'' in 2000 (re-released in 2021). Pet Shop Boys also performed their own version of "Hallo Spaceboy" during their residency at London's

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

in 1997. At Bowie's fiftieth birthday concert in New York in January 1997, the song was performed together with

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

. Three years later, he performed it at the

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

on 25 June 2000, released in 2018 as ''

Glastonbury 2000 ''Glastonbury 2000'' is a live album by English musician David Bowie. It was recorded during his Sunday night headline slot at the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 2000, part of his Mini Tour. The album marks the first time the full video and au ...

''. Bowie performed the song live at

BBC Radio Theatre The BBC Radio Theatre (originally named The Concert Hall) is a theatre situated within the BBC's Broadcasting House complex. It is used for live broadcast and audio recordings. History Originally named The Concert Hall, the theatre was desig ...

, London, on 27 June 2000, and a recording of this performance was included on the bonus disc of ''

Bowie at the Beeb ''Bowie at the Beeb'' is a compilation album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three-CD set, the third, bonus CD being a live recording made on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre, pa ...

'' in 2000; the full concert later appeared on ''Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)''. A November 2003 performance from the A Reality Tour is included on the 2004 ''

A Reality Tour A Reality Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie in support of his 2003 album ''Reality''. The tour began on 7 October 2003 at the Forum Copenhagen, Denmark, continuing through Europe, North America, Asi ...

'' DVD, and the 2010 ''

'' album.

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary: *

– lead and backing vocals, baritone sax *

–

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

– lead guitar, loops,

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Image texture, the spatial arrangement of color or intensities in an image * Surface texture, the smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface c ...

s *

– rhythm guitar *

– bass *

– keyboards *

– drums *

– lead and backing vocals (remix) *

– synthesisers, programming (remix) Technical *David Bowie – producer *Brian Eno – producer * David Richards – engineer

Charts

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{authority control 1995 songs 1996 singles David Bowie songs Pet Shop Boys songs Songs written by David Bowie Songs written by Brian Eno Song recordings produced by Brian Eno Song recordings produced by David Bowie Arista Records singles LGBTQ-related songs Major Tom Music videos directed by David Mallet (director)