Major Tom - Peter Schilling (english)

What this video is

Released in 1983 as the English-language version of Peter Schilling's German hit 'Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)', this video arrived during a brief but commercially potent wave of German synth-pop crossing into American mainstream consciousness — a phenomenon The New York Times later described as 'a brief-lived flowering of Kraut-pop in the States.' The single peaked at #14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of the NDW-to-New Wave crossover, this video demonstrates how early MTV's appetite for international content created pathways for non-English-language artists to achieve US chart success via English-language re-recordings. The hybrid documentary-performance format pioneered…

The director

British cinematographer and music video director (1948–2026) active in the early MTV era. Worked for Limelight Productions and Medialab, filming over 200 music acts. Credited director on 'Karma Chameleon' (Culture Club, 1983), 'Major Tom (Coming Home)'…