Heroes (David Bowie song)

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""Heroes""
Single by David Bowie
from the album "Heroes"
Released	September 1977
Format	7" single
Recorded	Hansa By The Wall Studio, Berlin May 1977
Genre	Rock
Length	3:32
Label	RCA Records PB 1121
Producer(s)	David Bowie, Tony Visconti
Chart positions
#24 (UK)
David Bowie singles chronology
"Be My Wife" (1977)	""Heroes"" (1977)	"Beauty and the Beast" (1978)

"Heroes" is a song written by David Bowie together with Brian Eno in 1977. Produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, it was released both as a single and as the title track of the album "Heroes". A product of Bowie's fertile 'Berlin' period, life in the city was crystallized into the simple tale of two lovers who come together in the shadow of the 'Wall of Shame' (though here "the shame was on the other side"). While not a huge hit at the time, the song has gone on to become one of Bowie’s signature tunes and is well-known today for its appearance in numerous advertisements.

Contents 1 Music and lyrics 2 Release and aftermath 3 Track listing 4 Production credits 5 Live versions 6 Other releases 7 Cover versions 8 Notes 9 References

[edit] Music and lyrics

The title of the song is a reference to the 1975 track "Hero" by the band Neu!,^[1] whom Bowie and Eno admired. It was one of the early tracks recorded during the album sessions, but remained an instrumental until towards the end of production.^[2] The quote marks in the title, a deliberate affectation, were designed to impart an ironic quality on the otherwise highly romantic, even triumphant, words and music.^[3][4] Producer Tony Visconti took credit for inspiring the image of the lovers kissing "by the wall", when he and backing vocalist Antonia Maass did just that in front of Bowie as he looked out of the Hansa Studio window.^[5] Bowie's habit in the period immediately following the song's release was to say that the protagonists were based on an anonymous young couple but Visconti, who was married to Mary Hopkins at the time, contends that Bowie was protecting him and his affair with Maass. Bowie confirmed this in 2003.^[2]

The music, co-written by Bowie and Eno, has been likened to a Wall of Sound production, an undulating juggernaut of guitars, percussion and synthesizers.^[5] Eno has said that musically it always "sounded grand and heroic" and that he had "that very word - heroes - in my mind" even before Bowie composed the lyrics.^[2] The basic backing track on the recording consists of a conventional arrangement of piano, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums. However the remaining instrumental additions are highly distinctive. These largely consist of synthesizer parts by Eno using an EMS VCS3 to produce detuned low-frequency drones, with the beat-frequencies from the three oscillators producing a juddering effect. In addition, King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp generated an unusual sustained sound by allowing his guitar to feed back, and standing at different positions in the room to alter the pitch of the feedback. Tony Visconti rigged up a system of three microphones to capture the epic vocal, with one microphone nine inches from Bowie, one 20 feet away and one 50 feet away. Only the first was opened for the quieter opening vocals, with the first and second opening on the louder passages, and all three on the loudest parts, creating progressively more reverb and ambience on the louder parts.^[6]

[edit] Release and aftermath

"Heroes" was released in a variety of languages and lengths ("a collector's wet dream" in the words of NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray,^[3] see Other releases below). In contrast to the bewildering audio situation, the video clip (directed by Nick Ferguson) was a stark and simple affair, the singer captured performing the song in what appeared to be a single take with multiple cameras, swaying in front of a spotlight that created a monotone and near-silhouette effect. Despite a large promotional push, including Bowie’s first Top of the Pops appearance since 1972,^[5] "Heroes" only reached #24 in the UK charts, and failed to make the US Billboard Top 100.

In February 1999, Q Magazine listed "Heroes" as one of the 100 greatest singles of all time as voted by the readers. In March 2005, the same magazine placed it at #56 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004, Rolling Stone rated "Heroes" #46 in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. John J. Miller of National Review rated "Heroes" #21 on a list of "the 50 greatest conservative rock songs".^[7] Bowie has regularly performed the song in concert since its release (see Live versions below). To the consternation of many fans, the song has become a mainstay of advertising in recent years, gracing efforts by Microsoft, Kodak, CGU Insurance, HBO Olé (HBO Latin America) and various sporting promoters throughout the world. It was also used as the intro to the video game NHL 99, released in 1998. "Heroes" has been cited as Bowie's most-covered song after "Rebel Rebel" (see Cover versions below).^[2]

[edit] Track listing

1. "Heroes" (Bowie, Eno) – 3:32
2. "V-2 Schneider" (Bowie) – 3:10

[edit] Production credits

• Producers:
  • Tony Visconti
  • David Bowie

• Musicians:
  • David Bowie: Vocals, Guitar, Saxophone, Keyboards
  • Robert Fripp: Lead Guitar
  • Carlos Alomar: Rhythm Guitar
  • George Murray: Bass
  • Dennis Davis: Drums
  • Brian Eno: Synthesizer

[edit] Live versions

• A concert version recorded at the Philadelphia Spectrum in April 1978 was released on the live album Stage.
• The rendition performed at Live Aid in 1985 has been described as "the best version of "Heroes" he had ever sung".^[8] This performance featured Thomas Dolby on keyboards.
• It was performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 by Bowie, Mick Ronson and the remaining members of Queen.
• An acoustic version of the song was played at The Bridge Benefit Concert in 1996, and later released on The Bridge Benefit Concert album.

[edit] Other releases

• The edited 7-inch single, running at 3:32 mins and backed with "V-2 Schneider", was released separately in English, French ("Héros") and German ("Helden"). All three of these cuts plus "V-2 Schneider" were released together as an Australian 4-track 7-inch.
• The complete English version as it appeared on the album was released as a Spanish 12-inch single.
• A version featuring the German single edit spliced into the second half of the full-length English track ("Heroes/Helden") appeared on the German pressing of the LP and is also available on Bowie’s soundtrack to the film Christiane F. and on the Rare album.
• It appeared on the following compilations:
  • Chameleon (Australia & New Zealand 1979)
  • Best of Bowie (1980)
  • Fame and Fashion (1984)
  • Sound + Vision (1989) - "Helden"
  • Changesbowie (1990)
  • Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
  • The Singles Collection (1993)
  • The Best of 1974/1979 (1998)
• It was released as a picture disc in the RCA Life Time picture disc set.

[edit] Cover versions

• Blondie - Recorded live (1980); appeared on collection Blonde and Beyond (1993) and on single release; also featured on the album David Bowie Songbook (1997)
• Celtic Frost - Vanity/Nemesis (1990)
• Billy Corgan - Live recording from Dennis Rodman's 36th birthday party in Chicago
• Dead City Radio - slightly slower, extremely violent version on their album Everything Is So Beautiful (2003) that features some other songs reminiscent of Berlin era Bowie
• Enola Gay - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
• Falco - Einzelhaft (1982); his song "Helden von heute" is a transparent German-language rewrite of Bowie's earlier song
• Philip Glass based the first movement of his 1997 "Heroes" Symphony on the song; later that year, Aphex Twin mixed this with Bowie’s vocal over Glass’ interpretation, releasing the result on a bonus CD with the Japanese release of the Glass album
• Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie - Single
• Grant Lee Buffalo - Live recording: Jubilee Tour
• Iva Davies & Icehouse - The Berlin Tapes (1995)
• Indochine - Live recording (1996)

• Kasabian - Used to introduce ITV's FIFA World Cup coverage (2006)
• Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor - Part of "Elephant Love Medley" in the film Moulin Rouge! (2001)
• King Crimson - Live recording: Heavy ConstruKction (2000)
• Love Like Blood
• The Magnetic Fields - Crash Course for the Ravers - A Tribute to the Songs of David Bowie (1996)
• Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps - 2000 repertoire
• Nico - Drama of Exile (1983); this version was also released as a single
• Oasis - B-side of the CD-single "D'you Know What I Mean?" (1997)
• Pink Lincolns - My So-Called Punk Rock Life (various artists)
• Billy Preston - Single (1991)
• P.J. Proby - The Savoy Sessions (1993)
• The Rockridge Synthesiser Orchestra - Plays David Bowie Classic Trax
• Seam - B-side of "Sukiyaki" single (1999)
• Six by Seven - "Helden" B-side of "10 Places to Die" single
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Strange Boutique - Single (1992)
• The Tea Party - Live recording
• Thunderpuss 2000 - "Heroes" - The Dance Mixes (1998)
• The Wallflowers - Godzilla soundtrack (1998); this version was also released as a single, reaching #24 in the U.S. charts, and earned a Grammy nomination for best rock performance by a duo or group
• Mike Williamson - From the Australian TV Special Best of The Mike Walsh Show, 9 Network Australia (1998)
• Wreckage - Goth Oddity - A Tribute to David Bowie

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Buckley, David (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: Virgin. ISBN 0-7535-0457-X. 
• Carr, Roy; Murray, Charles Shaar (1981). David Bowie: An Illustrated Record. London: Eel Pie. ISBN 0-906008-25-5. 
• Pegg, Nicholas (2000). The Complete David Bowie. London: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-14-5.