Posts: 1450 |
Nell Posted Sat 28 Feb, 2009 6:49 PM |
Hi there,
As you may know there's a book: The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. For those who know that book already: scroll down: I'm looking for other songs concerning the rocket man/major tom etc.
Bradbury once met a man which had tatoos all over his body. He then learned from that man that every tatoo stands for it's own story - and Bradbury began to write them down and published them in this book.
Now 2 of these 18 stories are called: Rocket Man & Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope: is about a crew of astronauts which are - due to an accident - thrown out of their tin - still procted by their suit and still in contact to the earth but on their sure drift through space to death (There's no chance once your out - to get back). Now they got their last chance to talk and solve things out - especially one astronaut (I think it's Major Tom) is very depressed about his life and it's ending. ....
Now there are several musicians who were so taken by these stories that they worked out a song for the story.
I know 3 so far:
Elton John/Bernie Taupin : The Rocket man (also sung by Dougie P. :) as you know,Jason Mraz & spoken by William Shatner. The song reffers to Bradbury's story: The Rocket man
Rocket Man by William Shatner
Rocket Man - Elton John
Rocket Man - Jason Mraz
David Bowie: Space Oddity It's believed that the song reffers to either The Rocket man or rather Kaleidoscope - as in the song a system-failure was mentioned too - so that he has lost the contact to earth - and also lost his right course -wheareas Major Tom says "And I think my spaceship know which way to go"
Space Oddity
So here too: Something's going terrible wrong - but M.T stays still and calm , tells them to tell his wife he loves her - and that's it!
David Bowie: also mentioned Major Toms fate in the song Ashes to ashes
Peter Schilling: Major Tom (Coming Home) and also Fehler im Sytem (error in the system)
Both songs are dealing with the this story.
Major Tom (German Version)
Major Tom english version
The beautiful view on the earth - til they realise: Somethings wrong -they're not coming back again....
Now: Does anyone of you know any other song reffering to this subject or any other kind of story out of this book? I know there must be more -but wasn't able to find any.
thx
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Posts: 1450 |
Nell Posted Sat 28 Feb, 2009 6:51 PM |
I just found:
Pearls Before Swine : The Rocket Man (also in adaption of that sad story...
Plastic Bertrand
Grandaddy
Both these bands mentioned Major Tom and his fate
Also found this:
Australian band Holocene's song "Rocket" was inspired by "The Long Rain" story from the 1969 film version of "The Illustrated Man". |
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Posts: 959 |
fenchurch Posted Sat 28 Feb, 2009 10:41 PM |
| I've wanted to read that book for ages. I can't find it in any library though :( |
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Posts: 399 |
elodie Posted Sat 28 Feb, 2009 11:43 PM |
Bradbury is one of my favourite writer, although he is not very famous in France.
I've read this fantastic book two months ago... very inspiring indeed
I remember that the song 'Subterranean Homesick Alien' by Radiohead was inspired by the Martian Chronicles for example. |
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Posts: 1450 |
Nell Posted Sun 01 Mar, 2009 2:15 PM |
I'm probably gonna buy it...
but...since you read it: What's the story "Rocket man" all about? ;) |
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