Question about Ashes to ashes by David Bowie..?

The whole song is a sort of sequel to Space Oddity, which on the surface simply focuses (quite sadly and beautifully) on an astronaut named Major Tom... but is most often said to actually be a reference to heroin addiction. In Space Oddity, Major Tom is essentially lost in space...he dies. In Ashes to Ashes, it's a follow up, saying that Major Tom was actually a junkie. SO, considering Space Oddity's Major Tom is a heroin reference...then the last lines to Ashes to Ashes would be a metaphor for not doing drugs. And since Bowie wrote this not TOO long after he kicked his habit...well, that makes sense to me.

On a semi-side note. There is also another 'sequel' to Space Oddity, called "Major Tom (Coming Home)", by Peter Schilling.

there's another line in that song, " ashes to ashes funk to funky you know major tom's a junkie"

many artists reference their older songs, just for the sake of doing it. the beatles did it in glass onion, john lennon did it in god, etc... i didn't catch that line until you mentioned it, though... well, i got it, but i didn't really think about it being a reference to space oddity... i'm so stupid...