Major Tom – Major Tom from David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity”
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Major_Tom
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/Quest:House_Oddity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Tom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Oddity
https://youtu.be/iYYRH4apXDo
Major Tom stops Wizards as they try to enter the Comfort Zone. Later, he can be seen standing watch with other Palace Guards after the Throne Room is retaken.
Major Tom has lost contact with Ground Patrol, a Light Brigade. The brigade was sent on a recon mission to house in Zanadu with unusually high Shadow activity. They haven’t returned. The Major needs your wizard to investigate the house and rescue the Light Brigade.
Major Tom is a persona of David Bowie’s, referenced in songs “Space Oddity”, “Ashes to Ashes”, “Hallo Spaceboy”, and “Blackstar.” Bowie’s own interpretation of the character evolved throughout his career. “Space Oddity” (1969) depicts an astronaut who casually slips the bonds of the world to journey beyond the stars. In the song “Ashes to Ashes” (1980), Bowie reinterprets Major Tom as an oblique autobiographical symbol for himself. Major Tom is described as a “junkie, strung out in heaven’s high, hitting an all-time low”. This lyric was interpreted as a play on the title of Bowie’s album Low (1977), which was inspired by the withdrawal symptoms he suffered while undergoing treatment for drug addiction. Additionally, the choked and self-recriminating tone used in the lyrics “Time and again I tell myself I’ll stay clean tonight” reinforces an autobiographical and retrospective interpretation. A short time later, there is another reversal of Major Tom’s original withdrawal, turning ‘outwards’ or towards space.
German singer Peter Schilling retold and continued the story of Major Tom in his late 1982 release “Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)”, which reached number one in Germany and Austria in early 1983. The English-language version, “Major Tom (Coming Home)”, peaked at number 14 in the United States in late 1983. Other artists who have subsequently made substantial contributions to the Major Tom story include K.I.A. (“Mrs. Major Tom”) and The Tea Party (“Empty Glass”). Due to some similarities in Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, there is a possible connection between the Rocket Man and Major Tom, a connection notably made by Bowie himself, who while singing “Space Oddity” in concert would sometimes call out, “Oh, Rocket Man!”
“Space Oddity” is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album, David Bowie. Produced by Gus Dudgeon and recorded at Trident Studios in London, it is a tale about a fictional astronaut named Major Tom; its title and subject matter were partly inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Bowie’s feelings of alienation at that point in his career. One of the most musically complex songs he had written up to that point, it represented a change from the music hall-influenced sound of his debut to a sound akin to psychedelic folk and inspired by the Bee Gees.
Rush-released as a single to capitalize on the Apollo 11 Moon landing, it received critical praise and was used by the BBC as background music during its coverage of the event. It initially sold poorly but soon reached number five in the UK, becoming Bowie’s first and only chart hit for another three years. A 1972 reissue by RCA Records was Bowie’s first US hit and was promoted with a new music video filmed by Mick Rock. Another 1975 reissue as part of a maxi-single became Bowie’s first UK number-one single. Bowie re-recorded an acoustic version in 1979. A mainstay during Bowie’s concerts, Bowie revisited the Major Tom character in his later singles, notably the sequel song “Ashes to Ashes” (1980).
A range of artists have covered “Space Oddity” and others have released songs that reference Major Tom. A 2013 cover by astronaut Chris Hadfield gained widespread attention; its music video was the first filmed in space. The song has appeared in numerous films and television series, and has a pivotal role in the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In 2019, Visconti remixed Bowie’s original recording to mark the 50th anniversary of its first release, with a new music video directed by Tim Pope. Initially viewed as a novelty track, “Space Oddity” is now considered one of Bowie’s finest recordings and remains one of his most popular songs. It has appeared in numerous “best-of” lists, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”.
The current list of all the (known) Empyrea references can be found here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Major Tom image is from Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
David Bowie as Major Tom image is borrowed from Stanley Kubrick’s Twitter feed. No attribution is given in the tweet.
Space Oddity album cover is borrowed from Amazon.com It is copyright RCA Records.
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
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