alenxa and I were driving back from lunch when something reminded me of David Bowie’s “A Space Oddity.” This in turn reminded me of a previous conversation — with somebody — about a story or story idea I had read or thought of. The key issue here was the repeated “Major Tom” theme. There are at least the two songs, and I recall hearing that there is at least one more somewhere.
Anyway, the story idea was this: suppose there was some seriously traumatic event – maybe not 9/11 level, maybe more like Challenger, or any of several celebrities who died before their time – that everyone knew about, and everyone was affected by. Now suppose that all memories and records of this event disappeared. But it’s still sitting there, in the back of people’s minds, and every once in a while there’s a song, or a TV movie, or something about this event that no one remembers really happened.
Imagine “Candle in the Wind” without Marilyn Monroe, for instance. Or imagine that an early astronaut really did drift off into space to be lost, and no one remembers Major Tom except a few songwriters, and even they don’t realize they’re remembering his story and not making it up.
Has anyone read a story like this? If not, would anyone like to?
One is “Major Tom” by Peter Schilling. I first heard the German version in Hollywood ’80s club, and now have the English version on CD (at least once, possibly twice).
Another song referring to “Space Oddity” is Bowie’s own coda to that period, “Ashes to Ashes.”
Two songs referencing “Space Oddity”: Check. 🙂
Now that I’ve hit Google – shoulda done that the first time – I see the Peter Schilling song is the other one I knew (I just couldn’t remember his name – thanks!)
Next, to look up “Ashes to Ashes” …
Reminds me a bit of doublethink in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
I’d be interested in reading such a story.