Chris Hadfield is glad his version of ‘Space Oddity’ “put a big smile” on David Bowie’s face.
The 65-year-old astronaut and spaceship commander performed his own “optimistic” rendition of Bowie’s iconic 1969 hit ‘Space Oddity’ from the International Space Station in 2013, and he has opened up about the process of putting a different spin on the track.
He told the Metro newspaper’s 60 Seconds column: “He wrote that song before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went to the Moon.
“There had been the Apollo 1 accident, where the astronauts burned to death and there was a huge amount of uncertainty and much higher risk than we might be willing to take today.
“So the original was more pessimistic. My song Evan updated the words to have an optimistic take at the end, instead of dying alone in space.
“We got permission and Bowie loved the final version. The great delight for me was it put a big smile on his face in the final years of his life.”
Chris’ version was the first music video to be performed in space, and featured him floating around the space station as he sang and played guitar.
In the original song, the character of Major Tom lost communication with Ground Control and ended up lost in space.
However, in Chris’ story Tom gets orders to land and manages to do so safely.
Bowie – who died aged 69 in January 2016 – referred to the cover on his Facebook page as “possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created”.
Meanwhile, Chris has now admitted he’s received offers to turn his own experiences in space into a feature film, although it’s not something he’s immediately jumped on board with.
He said: “I was approached recently by someone who wants to do a biographical movie. It’s flattering and maybe interesting but…”
If the project did come to fruition, Chris has a simple guideline for who would be best to portray him on the big screen.
He quipped: “Someone with a moustache, I guess! When I was living in London, as I turned 18 that year, that was the last time that I shaved my upper lip.”