"Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter

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 ...

. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band

Arnold Corns Arnold Corns was a band, formed by David Bowie in 1971, the name of which was inspired by the Pink Floyd song "Arnold Layne". History This was one of Bowie’s side projects and something of a Dry Run (testing), dry run for ''The Rise and Fall ...

in May 1971 on

B&C Records B&C Records (which stood for Beat & Commercial) was a British record label run by Trojan Records' owner, Lee Gopthal. It existed primarily between May 1969 and September 1972. In 1971, the progressive and folk artists that were still signed to ...

. Bowie subsequently re-recorded the song later that year with his backing band the Spiders from Mars—

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

Trevor Bolder Trevor Bolder (9 June 1950 – 21 May 2013) was an English rock musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with the Spiders from Mars, the backing band for David Bowie, ...

and

Mick Woodmansey Michael "Woody" Woodmansey (born 4 February 1950) is an English rock music, rock drummer best known for his work in the early 1970s as a member of David Bowie's core backing ensemble that became known as the Spiders from Mars in conjuncti ...

—for release on his 1972 album ''

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was ...

''. The re-recording was co-produced by

Ken Scott Ken Scott (born 20 April 1947) is an English record producer and engineer known for being one of the five main engineers for the Beatles, as well as engineering Elton John, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, Davi ...

and recorded at

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...

in London in November 1971. The re-recording is a

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

song that uses melodic and harmonic hooks, as well as percussion and guitar influenced by heavy metal. On the album, the song directly introduces the character

Ziggy Stardust Ziggy Stardust was a glam alter ego of musician David Bowie in the early 1970s. It may refer specifically to: * Ziggy Stardust (character) * ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'', a ...

, who describes himself as a

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

alien rock superstar who will save the Earth from the impending disaster described in the opening track " Five Years". It features saxophone played by Bowie and a guitar solo and string arrangement by Ronson. Since its release, "Moonage Daydream" has received critical acclaim, with many deeming Ronson's guitar work its clear standout. Retrospectively, it has been named one of Bowie's greatest songs. He played it in concert throughout 1972–73 on the

Ziggy Stardust Tour The Ziggy Stardust Tour was a 1972–73 concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, to promote the studio albums '' Hunky Dory'', '' The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' and '' Aladdin Sane''. Bowie was ...

and on later tours. The ''Ziggy'' recording has since appeared on multiple

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 and in the 2014 film ''

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

'', while the Arnold Corns recording has appeared on reissues of '' The Man Who Sold the World'' (1970) and ''Ziggy Stardust''. The ''Ziggy'' recording has been remastered multiple times, including in 2012, which was subsequently included as part of the ''

Five Years (1969–1973) ''Five Years (1969–1973)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in September 2015. The period of Bowie's career from 1969 to 1973 is summarised over twelve discs and thirteen LPs. Exclusive to the box sets is '' ...

'' box set in 2015, along with the Arnold Corns recording.

Composition and recording

"Moonage Daydream" was written during Bowie's US promotional tour in early February 1971. After the tour Bowie formed a short-lived band,

, named after the

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

song "

Arnold Layne "Arnold Layne" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. Released on 10 March 1967, it was the band's first single and was written by Syd Barrett. Lyrics The song is about a man whose strange hobby is stealing women's lingerie from washing l ...

". Led by Bowie, the band consisted of guitarist Mark Carr-Pritchard, bassist Peter DeSomogyi and drummer Tim Broadbent, who were known previously as a trio called Rungk. Arnold Corns recorded "Moonage Daydream" and "

Hang On to Yourself "Hang On to Yourself" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie in 1971 and released as a single with his band Arnold Corns. A re-recorded version, recorded in November 1971 at Trident Studios in London, was released on t ...

" on 25 February 1971 at

's studios in London. Bowie later hired openly gay dress designer Freddie Burretti, for whom he wrote "Moonage Daydream", to be the group's frontman. Although credited as a vocalist, Burretti did not appear on either recording. Biographer

Peter Doggett Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980, when he joined the London-based magazine '' Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor ...

wrote that the original version had a "playful science-fiction-inspired chorus, two nondescript verses with a single memorable line, and an arrangement that not only racked his voice like a martyr under the Inquisition but virtually defined the word 'shambolic'." According to biographer

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 ...

, the Arnold Corns version lacks the "lightness of touch" of the second. Like Doggett, Pegg criticises the recording's arrangement and Bowie's vocal, calling it a "strained attempt" at an American

rock'n'roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African American music such as jazz, rhythm and ...

vocal, along with an additional "come on, you mothers!" lyric. According to

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 ...

, the Arnold Corns version is melodically the same as the ''Ziggy'' version, but with a slightly different chorus. Doggett believes that had the track and "Hang On to Yourself" not been re-recorded for ''Ziggy Stardust'', they would have been forgotten. Author Kevin Cann writes that once the lyrics were revised and "given the Ziggy treatment", it became a "glittering glam gem" in the context of the album. Bowie re-recorded "Moonage Daydream" on 12 November 1971 at

in London for inclusion on ''

''. Co-produced by

, the lineup consisted of Bowie's backing band known as the Spiders from Mars—comprising guitarist

, bassist

and drummer

. The group recorded the track in two takes, as well as "

Soul Love "Soul Love" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his 1972 album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars''. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it features Bowie's backing band known as the Spiders f ...

", "

Lady Stardust "Lady Stardust" is a song written by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie that appeared on the album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (1972). Co-produced by Ken Scott, Bowie recorded it with his backing band ...

" and a re-recording of '' The Man Who Sold the World'' (1970) track "

The Supermen "The Supermen" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, written in 1970 for his third studio album, '' The Man Who Sold the World'', released later that year in the US and in April 1971 in the UK. The song is one of several on the albu ...

" during the session. The re-recording, like its parent album, is a

song that uses melodic and harmonic hooks, as well as percussion and guitar influenced by heavy metal. Doggett states that after learning from the "vocal agonies" of the Arnold Corns recording, the Spiders decided to record the song three semitones lower than before. Ronson begins the song on guitar with a D chord that has been described as an "avalanche", a "pile-driver", and an "opening thunderbolt" that is Ronson's "declaration of intent". Pegg writes that the chord "cuts across the fade-out" of "

" taking the listener "into the morass of sleazy sex and surreal science fiction that occupies the album's heart." After a short pause, Bowie begins his vocal, which Doggett believes sounds far better than the "metallic rasp" of his 1970 recordings. Bowie plays a saxophone and a

pennywhistle The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistl ...

during Ronson's solo, which are inspired by

the Hollywood Argyles The Hollywood Argyles were an American musical ensemble, assembled for studio recordings by the producer and songwriter Kim Fowley and his friend and fellow musician Gary S. Paxton. They had a US number one hit record, "Alley Oop" (Lute Records ...

' 1960 song "Sho Know a Lot About Love"; Bowie recalled in 2003 that he thought the combination of sax and flageolet was "a great thing to put in a rock song". Ronson's guitar solo was mostly improvised after Bowie had conveyed the mood he wanted using an unconventional method. Bowie later recalled in his 2002 book ''Moonage Daydream'' that he would use a crayon or felt-tip pen to draw the "shape" of a solo. This song's solo began as a flat line that became "a fat megaphone type shape" and ended as "sprays of disassociated and broken lines". He stated that he read somewhere that

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

had used the same method to communicate solos to his musicians. Bowie was impressed that Ronson was able to use this method to bring the solo to life. The song's strings, arranged and orchestrated by Ronson, appear at the return of the chorus, climaxing in a "steep pizzicato descent". They appear again during the fadeout, this time having a "swirling phased" effect that was Scott's idea during the mixing stage. Doggett said, "Only in the final moments did Ronson's guitar provide the climactic release that the daydream demanded, continually returning to the same motifs as if in ecstatic spasm."

Lyrics

As the third track on the album, "Moonage Daydream" directly introduces the character of Ziggy Stardust, following " Five Years" which describes an impending disaster that will result in Earth only having five years left and "

" in which numerous characters deal with love before the impending disaster. Once introduced, Ziggy proclaims himself "an exotic hybrid of rock's past and mankind's future": "an alligator" (strong and remorseless), "a mama-papa" (non-gender specific), "the space invader" (alien and phallic), "a rock'n'rollin' bitch" and a "pink-monkey-bird" (gay slang for a recipient of anal sex). Ziggy also praises the virtues of "the church of man, love" (or heard as "the church of man-love"); Pegg believes that this line is inspired in part by the proposed "Church of God, Love and Man" by philosopher

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...

, who Bowie often referenced indirectly (and directly on the 1990

Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual approach to the instrument, his ...

collaboration "Pretty Pink Rose"). Doggett believes that the "carefree" imagery Ziggy presents heightens the "erotic fantasy" of the chorus, described as "a wet dream that was 'moonage' for the era of the

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

missions" and for the tradition of "muse poetry" by

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

, which is linked to "ancient cults that worshipped the moon, accessing the imagination without involving the intellect." Doggett continues that as philosopher

Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English existentialist philosopher-novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...

said in 1971, "the moon goddess was the goddess of magic, of the subconscious, of poetic inspiration." Hence, a "moonage daydream" might represent "an ecstatic, instinctive path to creativity", or nothing more than an homage to "

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly i ...

's brand of lyrical imagery". Bowie used several Americanisms on the original version of the song, most of them retained on the re-recording, using abbreviations such as "comin'", "'lectric" and "rock'n'rollin'", as well as phrases such as "busting up my brains", "lay the real thing on me", "freak out" and "far out". According to Pegg, there are several homages present—including one to

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

, whose lyric "she got a TV eye on me" turns into "keep your 'lectric eye on me", and one to

Legendary Stardust Cowboy Norman Carl Odam (born September 5, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas), known professionally as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is an outsider performer who is considered one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s. ...

, whose lyric "I shot my space gun" turns into "put your ray gun to my head".

Release and reception

The original version of "Moonage Daydream" by the short-lived band Arnold Corns was released in the UK by

as a 7-inch single with "Hang On to Yourself" as the B-side in May 1971. The re-recorded version was released as the third track on Bowie's fifth studio album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', between "Soul Love" and " Starman", on 16 June 1972 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. Discussing the song's placement in the album's track-listing, Pegg describes it as its "keystone" if one identifies the opening and closing tracks ("Five Years" and "

Rock 'n' Roll Suicide "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, originally released as the closing track on the album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' on 16 June 1972. Co-produced by Ken Scott, ...

", respectively) as the album's framework. Since its release, "Moonage Daydream" has received critical acclaim, with many deeming Ronson's guitar work as the clear standout. In his book ''The Complete David Bowie'', Nicholas Pegg praises Ronson's guitar solo, calling it "spectacular" and a "vital ingredient" of the recording. He describes it as arguably Ronson's finest on a Bowie recording and renowned among guitarists as an "all-time classic". Reviewing the album for its 40th anniversary, Jordan Blum of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' describes "Moonage Daydream", "Hang On to Yourself" and "It Ain't Easy" as "invigorating rockers" that are highlighted by Ronson's "electrifying timbres". Following Bowie's death in 2016, ''Rolling Stone'' listed "Moonage Daydream" as one of his 30 essential songs, giving unanimous praise to Ronson's guitar work, calling it some of the most "jaw-dropping" of his career.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

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 ...

praises Ronson's guitar work, writing " onsonplays with a maverick flair that invigorates rockers like '

Suffragette City "Suffragette City" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released in April 1972 as the B-side of the single " Starman" and subsequently appeared on his fifth studio album ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardu ...

', 'Moonage Daydream' and 'Hang On to Yourself'." Ned Raggett, also of AllMusic, calls the track one of Bowie's "fiercest rockers ever". He continues, "As a prototype of glam rock's still-influential formula – descending, slow chords; high singing; sexually charged if not exploded imagery; thick, fat feedback; and more –it nails it on every level." He finishes his review writing: "Ronson's keyboards and final, swirling string arrangement, matched with a brilliant guitar solo, prove the icing on the cake, sealing 'Moonage Daydream' forever as a rock classic." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'', in their list of Bowie's ten best songs, listed "Moonage Daydream" at number three, calling it one of the most powerful songs on the album—and of his career. They praised the lyrics and Ronson's guitar work, calling it a "rock'n'roll tour de force". Ian Fortnam of ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'', when ranking every track on the album from worst to best, placed the song at number six, and praised Ronson's guitar work, calling his ending guitar solo "überglamtastic" and "to die for". In 2018, ''

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 ...

'' listed the song as Bowie's 11th-greatest. Alexis Petridis 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 ...

'' ranked "Moonage Daydream" 33rd in his list of Bowie's 50 greatest songs, calling Ronson's guitar solo "mind-blowing" and describing it as the best example of "high-drama rock anthemics" on ''Ziggy Stardust''.

Tim Wheeler Timothy James Arthur Wheeler (born 4 January 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician from Northern Ireland. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Ash (band), Ash. He has written nearly all of Ash's notabl ...

of the Northern Irish rock band

Ash Ash is the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the ...

, in an interview with '' Q'' magazine, said, "With Bowie, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to

sci-fi 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 ...

-inspired songs. But 'Moonage Daydream' is my favourite. It's got a great

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

and it sounds really pretty in a weird kind of way, even though the lyrics are quite dark."

Live versions

Bowie recorded "Moonage Daydream" for 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 ...

radio programme ''

Sounds of the 70s ''Sounds of the 70s'' is the name of a BBC radio programme, currently broadcast on Sundays on BBC Radio 2, with the ''Sounds of the Seventies'' name also having been used by BBC Television for a number of themed music compilations, now repeate ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

'' on 16 May 1972. This recording was later released on the album ''

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. Bowie performed the song throughout 1972–73 on the

, where he would occasionally introduce it as "a song written by Ziggy". A live version from the tour, recorded at

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating ca ...

on 20 October 1972, was released on ''

Live Santa Monica '72 ''Live Santa Monica '72'' is a live album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released on in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It is the official release of KMET (FM), KMET FM's radio broadcast, then bootleg recordi ...

'' (2008). It was also performed during the tour's final concert at the

Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...

, London, on 3 July 1973, where Bowie announced: "This is the last show we'll ever do." This was later understood as the retiring of Ziggy Stardust. This recording was released on '' Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture'' (1983). Bowie subsequently performed the track on the

Diamond Dogs Tour The Diamond Dogs Tour was a concert tour by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie in North America in 1974 to promote the studio album '' Diamond Dogs'', which was released the same year. The first leg of the tour utilized a rock opera-sty ...

, and on the 1995 Outside, 1997 Earthling and 2002 Heathen tours. Recordings from the Diamond Dogs Tour have been released on ''

David Live ''David Live'' is the first official live album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released through RCA Records in October 1974. The album was recorded in July of that year, on the initial leg of Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour, at the ...

'' (1974), ''

Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74) ''Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)'' is a live album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released posthumously as a Record Store Day release on 22 April 2017 through Parlophone record label. Produced by Bowie and mixed by To ...

'' (2017), and ''I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)'' (2020). A live version from the Outside Tour, recorded on 13 December 1995, was released on the "

Hallo Spaceboy "Hallo Spaceboy" is a song by the English musician David Bowie from his 20th studio album, ''Outside'' (1995). It originated as an instrumental by Reeves Gabrels called "Moondust", which Bowie and Brian Eno stripped down and used to form the fi ...

" single in 1996. The entire concert from which the song was taken was released in 2020 as '' No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)'' (2020).

Legacy

The Arnold Corns version (without the spoken intro "Whenever you're ready") was released as a bonus track on the 1990

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

re-release of '' The Man Who Sold the World'' and on the 2002 reissue of ''Ziggy Stardust''. The spoken intro was restored for release on ''Re:Call 1'', part of the ''

'' compilation, in 2015. The ''Ziggy Stardust'' recording has since appeared on multiple

s, including the 1989 box set '' Sound + Vision'', ''

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 Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...

'' (2016). The ''Ziggy'' recording, along with its parent album, has been remastered multiple times, including in 1990 by Rykodisc, and in 2012 for its 40th anniversary. The 2012 remaster and a 2003 remix by producer Ken Scott, along with the original Arnold Corns recording, were included in the box set ''

'' in 2015. A new mix of the track also appears on the 2002 reissue of ''Ziggy Stardust'', on which, in Cann's words, Ronson's guitar is "to the fore." This mix was originally featured in a 1998 Dunlop television commercial. In 2007, "Moonage Daydream" was made available as downloadable content for the ''

Rock Band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

'' music video game series, as part of the "David Bowie Track Pack 01". The pack also includes cover versions of "

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

" and "

Queen Bitch "Queen Bitch" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released on his 1971 album ''Hunky Dory'' before appearing as the B-side of the single "Rebel Rebel" in the United Kingdom in early 1974. Co-produced by Bowie ...

", with "Moonage Daydream" being the only master track in that particular pack. The song appears in the 2014 film ''

'' and on its

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

. It is heard in the film during the Guardians' entrance to

Knowhere Knowhere (pronounced "nowhere") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being and serves as an interdimensional ...

, the headquarters of the Collector. Of all the songs on the soundtrack, "Moonage Daydream" was the only song added in post-production. Director

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...

was unsure about using it initially, but ended up choosing it over "

Wichita Lineman "Wichita Lineman" is a 1968 song written by Jimmy Webb for American country music artist Glen Campbell, who recorded it backed by members of the Wrecking Crew. Widely covered by other artists, it has been called "the first existential country ...

" by

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

and " Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...

. ''Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust'', a book written by Bowie, is named after the song and was published in 2002 by

Genesis Publications Genesis Publications Limited is a British publishing company founded in 1974 by Brian Roylance, a former student of the London College of Printing. His aim was to create a company in the traditions of the private press, true to the arts of pri ...

. It documents the years 1972–73 and is fully illustrated with the photography of

Mick Rock Michael David Rock (born Michael Edward Chester Smith; 21 November 1948 – 18 November 2021) was a British photographer. He photographed rock music acts such as Queen, David Bowie, Waylon Jennings, T. Rex, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and ...

. Bowie met him in 1972 and they formed a working relationship and lasting friendship. Rock was the only photographer authorised to record the two-year career of

. The song also served as the namesake for the 2022 ''

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 ...

'' documentary on Bowie, announced on 23 May 2022, consisting of archival material detailing Bowie's life and career. The documentary is the first posthumous film about Bowie to be approved by his estate.

Personnel

Arnold Corns version Personnel per Kevin Cann and Nicholas Pegg. * David Bowie vocals, rhythm guitar, producer * Freddie Burretti vocals (credited) * Mark Carr-Pritchard guitar * Peter DeSomogyi bass * Tim Broadbent drums, tambourine ''Ziggy Stardust'' version Personnel per Kevin Cann and Nicholas Pegg. * David Bowie lead vocals, acoustic guitar,

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

, producer *

electric guitar, piano, backing vocals,

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

arrangements *

bass * Mick "Woody" Woodmansey drums *

producer

Certifications

References

Citations

General and cited sources

* * * * * * * {{Authority control 1970s ballads 1971 singles 1971 songs David Bowie songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Ken Scott Songs about outer space Songs about the Moon Songs written by David Bowie