If Emm Gryner had her way, Chris Hadfield would not have performed Space Oddity in zero-gravity on the International Space Station.
The astronaut’s collaborator, who helped put together the stunning David Bowie cover, thought the song choice was too obvious.
Surprisingly, she wanted something a little more odd.
“I kind of suggested some other more obscure space songs, which he didn’t want to go for,” the Juno award nominee told CTV’s Canada AM on Wednesday. “I didn’t know it would get this kind of reception.”
As soon as Gryner heard Hadfield’s flawless vocals, recorded 370 kilometres above the Earth, all her doubts were put to rest.
“It was a beautiful performance,” Gryner said. So beautiful, she decided to scrap possible plans to turn it into a duet.
“When I heard Chris sing, I thought … ‘I want to hear what it’s like for someone to sing in space,’” she said.
In just two days, Hadfield’s video already has 10 million views on YouTube – more than David Bowie’s original.
But between recording in space, cutting video, and getting permission from artist David Bowie, the magical video almost didn’t happen at all.
“I wanted David to know about it, and Chris also wanted his permission, like a true gentleman,” Gryner said. “We just wanted him to give the go-ahead and make sure it was OK.”
With just a month left before Hadfield’s return to Earth, she says she sent a desperate email to Ziggy Stardust himself.
“I remember writing David an email and the subject line was ‘30 days left in space,’” Gryner said.
The rock star was very supportive, she said, going so far as to share the song with his followers on Twitter.
Gryner thinks listeners have really connected with the song’s sincerity and rawness.
“It’s just great for people to hear something that’s real,” she said. “Chris sang it so sincerely and it’s such a great song.”
