"Major Tom (Coming Home)" (, ) is a new wave song written and sung by German musician

Peter Schilling Peter Schilling (born Pierre Michael Schilling; 28 January 1956) is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes like aliens, astronauts and catastrophes. He is best-known for his 1983 hit single " Major Tom (Comi ...

. It was released in 1983 as the lead

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 his album '' Error in the System''. Featuring the story of a character unofficially related to "

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 ...

" (an astronaut depicted in British 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 ...

's 1969 song "

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 ...

" and other releases), Schilling's track describes a protagonist who leaves Earth and begins drifting out into outer space as radio contact breaks off with his ground control team. His fate is left ambiguous as the song ends. The song is one of multiple singles by various artists with a

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

related style influenced by the

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

roboticism associated with

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany. It is specifically a part of the "

Neue Deutsche Welle Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Ritmeester on the popular na ...

" (NDW), a

social movement A social movement is either a loosely or carefully organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or Political movement, political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to re ...

in the arts within German society, and is one of its pieces that crossed over into the

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

of other nations. Versions in both the English language and in Schilling's native German have earned critical and commercial acclaim over multiple decades.

Background

The song describes a calm, reflective astronaut known as

who is detached from the

psychological stress In psychology, stress is a feeling of emotional strain and pressure. Stress is a form of psychological and mental discomfort. Small amounts of stress may be beneficial, as it can improve athletic performance, motivation and reaction to the envi ...

of his colleagues and spends a significant amount of time engaging in certain

scientific experiments An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

about which he feels uncertain. An emotional insight breaks through his senses while he happily experiences

weightlessness Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...

. The protagonist then meets his ambiguous fate after losing radio contact with other human beings. One line describes the Major as realizing that "mich führt hier ein Licht durch das All" (or "''a light now guides me through space''"). He leaves Earth and begins drifting out into outer space. The English version ends with the line "coming home" followed by repeating the chorus "home," while the German lyrics ends with the chorus repeating "los" (loosely, "go" or "away").

Chart performance

The song was originally recorded in the German language and released in West Germany on 3 January 1983. It reached No. 1 in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

as well as in both Austria and Switzerland. The English version was first released in the United States on 24 September 1983. This version reached No. 1 in Canada, No. 4 in South Africa and peaked at No. 14 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100 chart the week of 24 December 1983. The English-language version of the song also reached No. 2 on the US Dance chart.

Reception

In retrospect, journalist Gavin Edwards of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' has stated that "Major Tom" became a key part of "a brief-lived flowering of Kraut-pop in the nitedStates" during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Schilling's work proved to be "a hit in its English-language version" alongside other commercial "successes". Those include Trio's "

Da Da Da "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha" (usually shortened to "Da Da Da") is a song by the German band Trio. Trio was formed in 1980 by Stephan Remmler, Gert "Kralle" Krawinkel and Peter Behrens. Released as a single in 198 ...

" and After the Fire's " Der Kommissar" (which was a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...

of a release by Falco), with Nena's "

99 Luftballons "99 Luftballons" (, "99 balloons") is a song by the West German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons" (), with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also released by Nena on the album '' 99 Lu ...

" crossing over the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to commercial praise even in an untranslated version.

Other versions

In 1994, Schilling released a remixed version along with Boom-Bastic, titled "Major Tom 94". Other remixes were released in 2000, titled "Major Tom 2000", and in 2003, titled "Major Tom 2003". On 24 March 2024, a petition was initiated to make "Major Tom" the new goal song for the Germany national football team for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship. The song was used during two previous friendly matches as individual goal songs are not allowed by

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

. During the UEFA Championship in the summer 2024, the song was played after each German victory and the original version of "Major Tom" re-entered the top ten of the German singles chart after more than 40 years. Schilling stated publicly that he felt emotionally overwhelmed by the support and praised his fans.

Charts

Certifications

Cover versions

Plastic Bertrand Roger François Jouret (born 24 February 1954), better known as Plastic Bertrand, is a Belgium, Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single "". Biography Early life ...

released a

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

cover of the song in 1983 from the album '' Chat va?...Et toi?''. *English singer-songwriter

Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...

released a mashup of "Major Tom (Coming Home)" together with

's "

" titled "Space Oddity / Major Tom (Coming Home)". This release reached No. 77 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1984. *A cover version by

Shiny Toy Guns Shiny Toy Guns is an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, in 2002. The band comprises guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree, vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Carah Faye Charnow, keyboardist/bassist Jeremy Dawson, ...

, was released in 2009; an advertising commercial for the

Lincoln MKZ The Lincoln MKZ, is a four-door, five-passenger mid-size luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed as the Zephyr ( MY 2006) and as the MKZ (MY 2007–2020) by Ford's Lincoln brand across two generations in both gasoline and hybrid gas/elect ...

, featured this cover. * American hard rock band

Heaven Below Heaven Below is an American hard rock band based in Los Angeles. The band's debut album ''Countdown to Devil'' was released March 2009. History The band was formed in late 2007 by Patrick Kennison (Union Underground), Marty O'Brien (Disturbe ...

released a cover in 2009 on their debut album ''

Countdown to Devil ''Countdown to Devil'' is the first studio album by rock band Heaven Below. The album was released on February 11, 2009. Composition The Laughing Dead "The Laughing Dead", the tenth track on the album, was at one time, a candidate for the ...

'' and included a live recording on its companion album ''Reworking the Devil'' that same year. *Actor

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

released a cover in 2011 on the space-themed album ''

Seeking Major Tom ''Seeking Major Tom'' is the fourth studio album by William Shatner. It was released October 11, 2011 in the US by Cleopatra Records. Production The album features many noted musicians, including Patrick Kennison, Sheryl Crow, John Wetton, Patri ...

''. *

Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian band that produces a style of electro rock, industrial rock, synth-pop and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene as "futurepop". Apoptygm ...

released an EP in 2013 titled Major Tom that contains a cover and several remixes. *The

outsider art Outsider art is Fine art, art made by Autodidacticism, self-taught individuals who are untrained and untutored in the traditional arts with typically little or no contact with the Convention (norm), conventions of the art worlds. The term ''ou ...

ist

The Space Lady Susan Dietrich, known as The Space Lady (TSL) (formerly Suzy Soundz), born 1948 in Pueblo, Colorado and raised in Las Animas, Colorado, US, is a singer and musician in the genres of space music, synth pop, and psychedelic pop. She is also a parag ...

also covered the song on the 2013 release "Major Tom/Radar Love". *In 2016,

Jay Del Alma Pachanga is a reggaeton and Latin group from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The name of the duo comes from the pachanga genre of music.

released a Spanish-language remake titled "Vuela (Major Tom)" with Schilling on vocals. *Another remix was published in 2020 by

Spinnin' Records Spinnin' Records is a Dutch electronic music record label founded in 1999 by Eelko van Kooten and Roger de Graaf. In September 2017, Warner Music Group acquired Spinnin' Records for over $100 million. Background Van Kooten is the son of former ...

alongside Austrian DJ LUM!X and German DJ duo Hyperclap. *

Ava Max Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koçi; February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max ( ), is an American Pop music, pop singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2018 with the release of her breakthrough single "Sweet but Psycho". The ...

interpolated the chorus melody in the chorus of her 2020 song "Born to the Night".

In popular media

*The song was used as theme song for the international distribution of the TV series ''

Deutschland 83 ''Deutschland 83'' is a 2015 German spy thriller television series starring Jonas Nay as a 24-year-old native of East Germany who is sent to West Germany in 1983 as an undercover spy for the HVA, the foreign intelligence agency of the Stasi. I ...

'', as well as the sequel series ''

Deutschland 86 ''Deutschland 86'' () is a 2018 German spy thriller television series starring Jonas Nay as an agent of East Germany in 1986, in relation to the Angolan Civil War. It is a sequel to the 2015 series ''Deutschland 83'' and precedes the 2020 seri ...

'' and ''

Deutschland 89 ''Deutschland 89'' is a 2020 German spy thriller television series, starring Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch, an agent of East Germany following the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. It is a sequel to the 2015 series ''Deutschland 83'', and 2018 series ...

''. *An instrumental version of the song was used during the 1980s as the introduction music of the

San Diego Sockers (1978-1996) San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996), a soccer team in the North American Soccer League *San Diego Sockers (2001–2004), a soccer team in the World Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer League *San Diego S ...

. *The song was used in

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

's ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...

'', in a scene where

Hank Schrader Henry R. "Hank" Schrader Assistant Special Agent in Charge, ASAC () is a central character in the American crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' portrayed by Dean Norris and created by Vince Gilligan. An agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration ...

, Walter White, and Walter Jr. watch a video of the drug chemist

Gale Boetticher ''Breaking Bad'' is a crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan. It started with the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), and is followed by a prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and a seq ...

singing the song at a karaoke bar on a vacation to Thailand. *In season 2, episode 5 of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series ''

The Umbrella Academy ''The Umbrella Academy'' is an Absurdist fiction, absurdist Superhero fiction, superhero comic book series created by writer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá. It follows a dysfunctional family of adopted superhero siblings with bizarre powers a ...

'', the song was used when Pogo, the chimpanzee character on the show, was traveling into outer space and back to earth. *The song was used in the car escape scene in ''

Atomic Blonde ''Atomic Blonde'' is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by David Leitch (receiving his first credit as feature film director) from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, based on the 2012 graphic novel ''The Coldest City'' by Antony Johns ...

'' (2017) when Lorraine Broughton (

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 201 ...

) fights off would be assailants inside an Audi V8 D1 Typ 4C after arriving in Berlin. *The song was used in the fourth season of the show ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX (TV channel), FX. It aired for six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as showrunners ...

''. *The German version was used in the series ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives ...

'' Season 2 Episode 14 T Earl King VI. *The song appears in episode four of the web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, in which the character

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recounts a humorous story about seducing two skateboarders and performing a

Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...

monologue. *The song was used as part of supposed communication with aliens in Season 1 of ''

Invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

'', an original series by Apple. *The English version was used in season 1, episode 2 of the 2023 ''

'' original series ''

Wrestlers Wrestling is a Martial arts, martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling ...

'' *A cover in the

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

Huttese The Hutts are an alien species in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. They are rotund, voracious and grotesque-looking slug-like creatures with a predisposition to being leaders in organized crime. The most famous Hutt and the first to be depicted was ...

language was created for a trailer for '' Star Wars: Skeleton Crew''. A full-length version titled "Youngee Wim (Bunky Dunko)" was released on December 4, 2024, featuring vocals by the show's sound designer David W. Collins and supervising sound editor Matthew Wood. *In January 2025, a new cover version of the song produced by Koi Music in Berlin was used as background music for an internationally broadcast TV commercial for the Peugeot e-5008.

References

{{authority control 1982 songs 1983 singles Peter Schilling songs Songs in German Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Switzerland RPM Top Singles number-one singles Answer songs Songs about spaceflight Space rock songs Elektra Records singles Warner Music Group singles Major Tom Songs about fictional male characters Songs about outer space