David Bowie, ‘Space Oddity’ vs. Foreigner, ‘Starrider': Rock Star Wars
A David Bowie classic goes up against a deep cut from Foreigner's debut in the opening round of our Rock Star Wars tournament.
To try and fill our days between now and the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, we’ve tracked down 32 space-themed classic rock songs and paired them off against each other in 16 first-round battles. The field will be halved every week based on your votes, until only the spaciest song in rock history remains standing.
In this battle, we're asking voters to choose between a pair of songs that occupy different spots on the rock 'n' roll spectrum, but both have their eyes on the final frontier. "Space Oddity," a Top Five U.K. hit for Bowie upon its release in 1969, launched the musical saga of Major Tom, a character who'd go on to appear in subsequent Bowie songs — as well as Peter Schilling's 1983 hit "Major Tom (Coming Home)." A longtime favorite from the Bowie catalog, it bears the unique distinction of being possibly the only song in our tournament to have been performed in space by an actual astronaut.
Foreigner's "Starrider" might not be as well-known as its opponent, but it still occupies a place in the hearts of longtime fans who hear this early cut and remember the band's days as the young six-piece combo responsible for "Feels Like the First Time" and "Cold as Ice." The story of a space voyager who "stole a ride on a passing star," the song also marks one of the only times guitarist Mick Jones has taken the mic for a lead vocal.
So, which of these songs will emerge victorious from this round? It’s your choice. You can listen to both tracks below, and vote once per hour in each of the this round's Rock Star Wars battles until polls close on Nov. 23 at 11:59PM ET. Your choice for our Rock Star Wars champion will be revealed on Dec. 22, 2015.
David Bowie Albums, Ranked Worst to Best