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Peter Schilling | |
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 Schilling in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Pierre Michael Schilling |
| Born | 28 January 1956 Stuttgart, West Germany |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | WEA |
Peter Schilling (born Pierre Michael Schilling; 28 January 1956) is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes like aliens, astronauts and catastrophes. He is best-known for his 1983 hit single "Major Tom (Coming Home)" which was an international success.
Schilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany. [1] His 1983 album, Error in the System , generated his only international hit single, "Major Tom (Coming Home)", a retelling of David Bowie's classic 1969 song "Space Oddity". [1] Although the song was originally recorded in German, the international hit version was sung in English. In 1984 and 1985, Schilling released the albums 120 Grad and 120 Grad's English-language version, 1985's Things to Come. From 1986 to 1989, Schilling released non-album singles and put out his 1988 compilation The Different Story. [2] In 1990, Schilling suffered from burnout and the following year he took a break. In 1994, he married his girlfriend Catyana. They divorced in 2003. He has been married to his second wife since 2012.
In the late '90s, Schilling formed a side project called Space Pilots, [1] which appeared on the first issue of the popular dance music compilation Dancemania series. [3] The band included Catyana Schilling, J. Feifel, and P. Magnet. They have recorded only one song, titled "Trip to Orion". It was released on vinyl and CD in 1995, and appears on the Japanese dance compilation CD Dancemania 1. The song is based on and includes vocal samples from the German science-fiction TV show Raumpatrouille Orion .
At the beginning of the 2000s he formed a new band and currently plays live concerts with his band, touring Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Since 2018, Tessloff Verlag has published the children's book series Der kleine Major Tom in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Bernd Flessner, as well as illustrations by Stefan Lohr. In the radio plays based on the books, Peter Schilling himself voices the great Major Tom. At the International Astronautical Congress 2018 in Bremen there was a world premiere of Major Tom by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in a purpose-made classical arrangement by Oliver Groenewald. Major Tom can also be heard in the official DLR soundtrack and trailer for Mission Horizons. The songs Alles an Dir and the English-language counterpart All the things you are are the musical inspiration for official DLR videos for the Cosmic kiss space mission with the German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer.
Since 2020, Schilling has experienced something of a revival due to the success of his older songs, both the originals and new live versions and his newest album ‘Vis Viva’ on his YouTube channel. [4]
On March 24, 2024, a petition was initiated [5] to make "Major Tom" the new anthem for the German national football team for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
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Error in the System is the first English album by German singer Peter Schilling, and is the English counterpart to the German album Fehler im System. The English and German versions have been combined and sold as a single box set in several parts of the world.
The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime) is the third English album by German singer Peter Schilling.
"Major Tom (Coming Home)" (German: Major Tom [völlig losgelöst], 'Major Tom [completely detached]') is a new wave song written and sung by German musician Peter Schilling, released as the lead single from his album Error in the System. Featuring the story of a character unofficially related to "Major Tom", an astronaut depicted in British musician David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity" and other releases, Schilling's track describes a protagonist who leaves Earth and begins drifting out into outer space as radio contact breaks off with his ground control team. His fate is left ambiguous as the song ends.
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