“I'm stepping through the door”
David Bowie entered the Official UK Singles Chart Top 30 for the very first time fifty years ago today.
Space Oddity blasted off on Friday 11 July 1969. Eight weeks later on Saturday 06 September it reached #48 and that seemed to be that.
However, another two weeks later on Saturday 20 September it re-entered at #39 and the following week it entered the Top 30 at #25 and continued its slow climb to #5, where it peaked on Saturday 01 November, 1969...sixteen weeks after it was released.
Here’s an excerpt from an NME article from 04 October 1969, headlined: DAVID WAITED FIVE YEARS
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"SPACE Oddity," the strangely appealing, highly contemporary disc, inspired by Kubrick's "2001 A Space Oddysey," has given David Bowie the chart break he has waited five years for. Major Tom, the astronaut, who simply chooses to remain in deep-space rather than return home, is a space-age drop out. "Home for Bowie and Major Tom," says David, "is the world we inhabit, where we eagerly sub-scribe our taxes to finance the space programme and where all we want in return is to know what our helmeted heroes eat for breakfast."
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As you know, the song did eventually hit the top spot when it was re-issued by RCA. It gave Bowie his first UK #1 on 08 November 1975, six years and one week after it peaked the first time around.
#SpaceOddity50 #BowieOCC