For the most part, Chris Hadfield's tribute to David Bowie, a cover of the song "Space Oddity" before he left the ISS, stays pretty close to the original, but there are some important differences in the lyrics and music video to make it unique. Hadfield's purpose in making the video was to celebrate his expedition that he just finished and spread his fascination with space travel, and his version reflects that. The original carries with it a tone of uncertainty, but Chris Hadfield's version has a more celebratory and uplifting tone. In the original, the main character of Major Tom ends up lost in space, but since Hadfield is on his way home, the song has more a valedictory air to it. Rather than dying in space, he is awed by its majesty and thrilled with his time there. Hadfield also updates the lyrics in favor of accuracy, changing the line "Take your protein pills and put your helmet on" to the more realistic "Lock your Soyuz hatch and put your helmet on" moving the song from science fiction to real life. Hadfield incorporates his knowledge and experience of actually being in space into the song to further his claim of the awesomeness of space. In the music video, Hadfield includes footage from his time in the ISS, to further impress upon viewers the magnificence of space.
- Robert
I like the point you make about the switch from science fiction and reality, both in the text and the visual elements. Do you think the reinstrumentation could also have something to do with the change in the kairotic moment? The instruments in Hadfield's version sound a lot less mysterious to me, but it could just be me.
ReplyDeleteHayley A
Nice catch, I did not think of that! I definitely agree that the change in instruments makes a big difference! The acoustic guitar and piano in Hadfield's version are certainly a great deal less mysterious and otherworldly than the original
Delete- Robert