Peter Schilling

Biography

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)×Major Tom (Coming Home)1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Major Tom (Coming Home) (English version)5:05A2Major Tom (Coming Home) (German version)5:05B1Major Tom (Coming Home) (special extended version)8:11B2Major Tom (Coming Home) (instrumental version)4:52" which was an international success, reaching the top positions on charts worldwide.

Life and career

Schilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany. His 1983 album, Error in the System×Error in the System1983 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Only Dreams3:292Lifetime Guarantee6:493The Noah Plan4:244Error in the System3:385Major Tom (Coming Home)4:566Major Tom, Part II3:527(Let's Play) U.S.A.3:238I Have No Desire3:349Silent Night, Holy Night3:30, generated his only international hit single,
"Major Tom (Coming Home)×Major Tom (Coming Home)1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Major Tom (Coming Home) (English version)5:05A2Major Tom (Coming Home) (German version)5:05B1Major Tom (Coming Home) (special extended version)8:11B2Major Tom (Coming Home) (instrumental version)4:52", a retelling of David Bowie's classic 1969 song "Space Oddity". 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×120 Grad1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Hitze der Nacht5:222Hurricane4:323Region 8044:224Fünfte Dimension5:16510.000 Punkte3:096Einsam überleben4:077Party im Vulkan4:508Terra Titanic5:069120 Grad4:44 and 120 Grad's English-language version, 1985's Things to Come×Things to Come1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Chill of the Night4:04A2City of the Night (Berlin)5:06A3Lone Survivor4:04A4The Hurricane (Hammers on the Shore)4:23A5Where You Are I Am4:40B1Things to Come4:23B2Terra Titanic (Lost to the Sea)3:58B3Zone 8044:11B410.000 Points4:18. From 1986 to 1989, Schilling released non-album singles and put out his 1988 compilation The Different Story. 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, which appeared on the first issue of the popular dance music compilation Dancemania series. 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×Vis Viva15 January 2021 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Willkommen in der Zukunft3:272Helium2:273Mechanik meines Herzens3:424Symmetrie3:235Metall2:566Die Wüste lebt (Version 2019)3:027Acht Milliarden Astronauten2:578Alles an dir2:599Hologramm3:0710X in meiner Gleichung3:0111Potenzial unendlich2:5612Mechanik meines Herzens (Phil TheBeat Remix)3:11’ on his YouTube channel.
On 24 March 2024, a petition was initiated to make "Major Tom×Major Tom1989 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)5:212Fünfte Dimension5:133Ich hab' keine Lust3:314Hitze der Nacht5:215Region 8044:196Hurricane4:337USA3:228Einsam überleben4:079Stille Nacht3:3210Fehler im System3:2911Terra Titanic5:0612Die Wüste lebt4:5413Fast alles konstruiert6:4714120 Grad4:46" the new anthem for the German national football team for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.

Albums and compilations

Fehler im System, WEA 24.0026.1, 1982 [No. 1 Germany, No. 4 Austria]
Error in the System, Elektra 60265-1, 1983 [No. 61 US, No. 33 Canada]
120 Grad, 1984
Things to Come, Elektra 604404-1985
1.000 Augen, 1986 (album was never released)
The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime), 1989 (released in Germany in 1992)
Geheime Macht, 1993
Major Tom 94, 1994
Sonne, Mond Und Sterne, 1994
Von Anfang an...bis jetzt, 1999
Raumnot, 2003
Retrospektive, 2004
Zeitsprung, 2004
Delight Factor Wellness, 2005
Das Prinzip Mensch, 2006
Tauch Mit Mir...In Eine Neue Zeit...Das Beste Von 2003–2006, 2006
Emotionen sind männlich, 2007
Neu & Live 2010, 2010
DNA, 2014
Willkommen in der Zukunft Songs von 1982-2020, 2020
Vis Viva, 2021

Singles

"Träume sind mehr als nur Illusionen"/"Sag nie Good-Bye", 1976 (as Pierre Schilling)
"Gib her das Ding/Frei sein ist schön", 1979 (as Pierre Schilling)
"Heut ist was los auf der Autobahn"/"Sweet Sixteen", 1980 (as Pierre Schilling)
"Lied An Dich"/"Lampenfieber", 1981 (as Pierre Schilling)
"Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)×Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)November 1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst) (extended version)5:022... dann trügt der Schein3:26", 1982 [No. 1 Germany, No. 1 Switzerland, No. 1 Austria, No. 2 Netherlands]
"Die Wüste Lebt", 1983 [No. 5 Austria, No. 10 Switzerland, No. 7 Germany]
"Fehler Im System×Fehler im System2 July 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1…Dann trügt der Schein3:28A2Fast alles konstruiert6:48A3Die Wüste lebt4:56A4Fehler im System3:30B1Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)4:59B2Major Tom3:50B3U.S.A.3:22B4Ich hab’ keine Lust3:31B5Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht3:30", 1983
"Major Tom (Coming Home)×Major Tom (Coming Home)1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Major Tom (Coming Home) (English version)5:05A2Major Tom (Coming Home) (German version)5:05B1Major Tom (Coming Home) (special extended version)8:11B2Major Tom (Coming Home) (instrumental version)4:52", Elektra 7-69811, 1983 [No. 14 US, No. 1 Canada, No. 42 UK, No. 4 South Africa]
"Major Tom (Coming Home)" (12" single), Elektra 0-66995, 1983
"Terra Titanic×Terra Titanic19 April 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksATerra Titanic4:30B10.000 Punkte3:16", 1984 [No. 26 Germany]
"Terra Titanic" (12" single), WEA 249,415-0, 1984
"Hitze Der Nacht×Hitze der Nacht1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHitze der Nacht6:15B120 Grad4:40", 1984 [No. 46 Germany]
"Hitze Der Nacht" (Special Remix), 1984
"Region 804×Region 8041985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksARegion 8043:24BEinsam überleben4:03", 1985
"Chill of the Night×Chill of the Night1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAChill of the Night4:00BThe Hurricane (Hammers on the Shore)4:38" (promo), 1985
"Ich Vermisse Dich×Ich vermisse dich23 May 1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAIch vermisse dich3:20BFür immer jung4:15"/"Für immer jung", 1986 [No. 32 Germany]
"All The Love I Need×All the Love I Need1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAll the Love I Need4:12BIn My Youth3:58"/"In My Youth", 1986
"Alles Endet Bei Dir×Alles endet bei dir1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAlles endet bei dir5:55BWonderful World4:18"/"Wonderful World", 1986
"The Different Story (World of Lust And Crime)×The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime)1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime) (long version)6:452The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime)3:533The Different Story (World of Lust and Crime) (instrumental)3:48", 1988 [No. 10 Sweden, No. 61 US]
"Zug Um Zug×Zug um Zug1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Zug um Zug (single edit)3:522Im Rausch deiner Nacht3:583Geheime Macht - Reprise2:47", 1992
"Bild Der Dunkelheit×Bild der Dunkelheit1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bild der Dunkelheit (single-version)3:032Neue Wege4:133Bild der Dunkelheit (instrumental-version)4:04", 1992
"Viel Zu Heiss", 1993
"Major Tom×Major Tom1989 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)5:212Fünfte Dimension5:133Ich hab' keine Lust3:314Hitze der Nacht5:215Region 8044:196Hurricane4:337USA3:228Einsam überleben4:079Stille Nacht3:3210Fehler im System3:2911Terra Titanic5:0612Die Wüste lebt4:5413Fast alles konstruiert6:4714120 Grad4:46 94", 1994 (released in both English and German) [No. 29 Germany]
"Sonne, Mond Und Sterne×Sonne, Mond und Sterne1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Sonne, Mond und Sterne (radio mix)4:312Sonne, Mond und Sterne (club mix)6:303Sonne, Mond und Sterne (rave mix)6:18", 1994
"Terra Titanic", 1995 (1995 remixes)
"Trip to Orion", 1996 (with the Space Pilots)
"Kingdom of Rain", 2000 (as M*Period)
"Major Tom 2000" (Ground Control vs. Major Tom) [No. 83 Germany]
"Terra Titanic 2003", 2003
"Raumnot×Raumnot29 September 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Terra Titanic3:102Die Wüste lebt3:573Sonne, Mond und Sterne4:154Fehler im System3:405Nichts Ist So Wie es Scheint3:226Major Tom 20034:487Mach einfach laut3:128Raumnot4:039Die Welt Verändert Sich3:4710Die Zeit Wird Verrinnen3:1811Aggression der Liebe3:4112Engel4:11", 2003
"Sonne, Mond Und Sterne 2003", 2003
"Major Tom 2003", 2003
"Experiment Erde×Experiment ErdeSeptember 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Experiment Erde (radio edit)3:172Experiment Erde (extended)5:453Experiment Erde (instrumental)3:154Die Welt verändert sich (remix)5:33", 2004
"Weit Weg×Weit weg2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Weit weg (single version)3:092Weit weg (instrumental)3:093Weit weg (extended version)6:054Alarmstufe Rot3:09", 2005
"Der Menschliche Faktor" (Remixes), 2005
"Es Gibt Keine Sehnsucht×Es gibt keine Sehnsucht2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Es gibt keine Sehnsucht (radio edit)3:072Es gibt keine Sehnsucht (extended version)6:333Es gibt keine Sehnsucht (unplugged version)3:054Manchmal3:12", 2006
"Major Tom (Huttese Version, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew)", 2024
"Antistar", 2026