Error in the System
1983 studio album by Peter Schilling

Error in the System is the English-language debut album by German singer-songwriter Peter Schilling, and is the counterpart to the German-language album Fehler im System, released through Elektra Records on 24 March 1983. The English and German versions have been combined and sold as a single box set in several parts of the world.
Singles
The English version contains the song "Major Tom (Coming Home)", which reached the top 15 in New Zealand and the US, and the top 50 in the UK. The German version includes the songs "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)", which reached number one in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and number two on the Dutch Top 40, as well as "Die Wüste lebt". Because "Major Tom (Coming Home)" was his one and only entry into the top 40 on the US charts, he is generally considered a one-hit wonder in that country.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Error in the System” as 1983 studio album by Peter Schilling. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1983 studio album by Peter Schilling. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2843980. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1983.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Error in the System” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.