Song 91 - "Heroes" by David Bowie

Continuing my tribute to David Bowie, today's song is "Heroes" and although Bowie said We could be heros just for one day, reading all the tributes to him yesterday he was a hero every day for many people in the music world.

Written with Brian Eno in and released in September 1977 as a single from the album with the same name, "Heroes" is part of Bowie's Berlin period, where he had moved away from New York and teamed up with Brian Eno. Although Heroes only reached number 24 on the UK chart, it is probably the most covered of all Bowie's songs. If you are wondering why there are speech marks around the title this is how the title was written by Bowie as it was to add a touch of irony to the title. The music has been likened to a wall of sound production, an undulating juggernaut of guitars, percussion and synthesizes. The basic back track on the recording consists of a conventional arrangement of piano, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums. The juddering effect throughout the melody is created by three oscillators and feedback from a guitar. They created the build up of Bowie's voice by using three microphones to capture the voice each at a set distance away from Bowie and then controlling when they come on throughout the sound. The effect creates a stark metaphor towards the two doomed lovers that who are centre stage throughout the song.

Bowie would go on and performed a live version at the Berlin Wall in 1987, two years before the Berlin Wall was knocked down and together with Bruce Springsteen; is credited as being instrumental in German Unification.

Bowie's Berlin period saw him produce three albums with Eno, which are often referred the Berlin Trilogy; Low, Heroes and Lodger. Bowie used in time in Berlin to get himself clean from drugs and to revitalised his music career after his Tin Man Persona period.  When the first album Low was released there was considerable negativity raised about this change in direction and it took the record label 3 months to release it.

As I have stated above, "Heroes" has been covered by so many artists since it was first release. I think for me, the version after Bowie's that stands out is the one recorded for the film Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann, the song is used in a medley of love songs sung by Ewan MacGregor and Nicole Kidman, although no-one could ever sing it like Bowie and no one ever will.

To hear "Heroes", 
"Heroes" by David Bowie

Written by David Bowie and Brian Eno
Released: September 1977.
Album: Heroes, released October 1977.