1969 Rock Classic That Soundtracked the Moon Landing Took Six Years to Become a No. 1 Hit
David Bowie is an artist with an expansive legacy that includes plenty of hit songs, but one specific tune has an impressive history related to the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969. Bowie's popular song "Space Oddity" was originally released as a single in July 1969 before helping launch his second studio album.
The track was reportedly inspired by the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which came out the year before. "Space Oddity" tells the story of a fictional character named Major Tom, an astronaut on a lonely journey in space, and its production was rushed so that it could be released days ahead of the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing mission.
As the song started gaining popularity during the Moon landing, the BBC made a surprising decision about "Space Oddity," banning the song from the network until the astronauts from the mission were safe back on Earth. As the song deals with some dark themes, including the apparent death of Major Tom, it isn't too surprising.
But in another unexpected twist, the news of the ban didn't reach the BBC TV team that dealt with the day-of coverage of the landing, and "Space Oddity" ended up being used in the background as the astronauts touched down on the Moon. After that moment, it wasn't used again until the astronauts returned home.
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At the time, Bowie wasn't a huge star yet, but the success of "Space Oddity" helped him gain recognition and acclaim for his music. During the track's initial release in 1969, it reached the fifth spot on U.K. music charts, but it wasn't until six years later that it achieved the impressive milestone of the No. 1 position.
"Space Oddity" was rereleased a few times over the years. Its first rerelease came in 1972, which brought the song to the attention of U.S. audiences, and it reached a peak of 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. But finally, in 1975, Bowie's label rereleased it in the U.K., and it soared to the top of the U.K. Singles chart, becoming his first No. 1 song in his home country.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 3:21 PM.