As an alt-celebration of Astronaut Day and a nod to Major Tom - see here - this is more about being "spaced out" than in "outer space".
You can read some of the background here. Bowie was always the master of hitching a ride on the latest bandwagon, while always adding something to the ride. I recall the track as being firmly planted in the New Romantics movement, that also saw the rise of megastars such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.
"... strung out in heaven's high, hitting an all-time low".
One of my favorite songs is Hero, always present in my playlist. Even the last album Blackstar recorded is very very good.
Awesome. I love these Blurtmusic Holiday posts on Blurt ... so much fun to read and listen.