| "Major Tom (Coming Home)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| SinglebyPeter Schilling | ||||
| from the album Error in the System | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 24 March 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1983[discuss] | |||
| Genre | Neue Deutsche Welle, new wave, synthpop, space rock | |||
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| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | Peter Schilling | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Peter Schilling singles chronology | ||||
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"Major Tom (Coming Home)" (German: Major Tom [völlig losgelöst], 'Major Tom [completely detached]') is a song by Peter Schilling from his album Error in the System. With a character unofficially related to "Major Tom", the protagonist of David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity", the song is about the character breaking off contact with ground control and traveling off into space.[1]
The song was originally recorded in German and released in West Germany on 3 January 1983. It reached No. 1 in West Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The English version was first released in the United States on 24 September 1983. It reached No. 1 in Canada, No. 4 in South Africa and peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart the week of 24 December 1983.[2] The English-language version of the song also reached No. 2 on the dance chart in the US. In 1994, Schilling made and 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 March 24, 2024, a petition was initiated to make "Major Tom" the new anthem for the Germany national football team for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
| Chart (1983–1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 57 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart[4] | 3 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[5] | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[6] | 2 |
| French Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 22 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 13 |
| Bolivian Chart[8] | 1 |
| South African Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart[9] | 42 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| US "Billboard" Dance/Disco Top 80[10] | 2 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[11] | 10 |
| Year-end chart (1983) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart[12] | 13 |
| Belgian Singles Chart[13] | 43 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[14] | 22 |
| German Singles Chart[15] | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[16] | 4 |
| Year-end chart (1984) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[17] | 96 |
| American Top 40 Top 100 songs of 1984 | 97 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[19] | 2× Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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