THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

118-David Bowie-Heroes.

1977-Number 24 single. After Bowie’s death in 2016 the song re-entered the chart, and this time it peaked at Number 12.

Best Bit-At 3.59. In 2009 the finalists for the British television music competition ‘The X Factor’ released a version of ‘Heroes’ for the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity, Regarding this version, the writer Nicholas Pegg who is considered to be the worlds most noted authority on the life and work of David Bowie wrote that it introduced, ‘A new generation to David Bowie, by subjecting one of his greatest songs to the anodyne arrangements, Eurovision key-changes, and sub-Mariah Carey karaoke yodeling, which are the core ingredients of The X Factor’s ongoing mission to eradicate real music from planet earth.’

Tired with the stresses of fame, touring, and his lifestyle, Bowie (see also best songs 807-440-334-302-209-186-47-31 and 5) uprooted to make a complete change when moving to West Berlin, Germany, in late 1976. This was where his three consecutively released Albums known as the ‘Berlin Trilogy’ were conceived,’Low,’ (1977) ‘Heroes,’ (1977) and ‘Lodger’ (1979.)

‘Heroes’ is track 3 on side 1 of David Bowie’s 12th studio Album of the same name, and was the first of two singles taken from the Album, the other being ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ ‘Heroes was co-written by Bowie, and Brian Eno, (see also best songs 766-302-190-109 and 57) who collaborated on all three Albums of the ‘Berlin Trilogy,’ with the production being credited to Bowie, and Tony Visconti, (see also best songs 386-302 and 209) who had worked with Bowie on many previous occasions.

From where David Bowie was living at the time, he looked out of the window at the Berlin Wall, and had seen Tony Visconti kissing his girlfriend, the backing singer Antonia Maass. At that time Visconti was still married to Mary Hopkin (see also best songs 692) but their marriage was failing, and this got Bowie thinking about couples who had to steal moments together because they were being kept apart by the Berlin Wall divide of East and West Germany. Bowie also got inspiration for the song from Otto Mueller’s (1874-1930) painting ‘Lovers Between Garden Walls’ (1916.) Bowie and Iggy Pop (see also best songs 701 and 219) had seen the painting at Berlin’s ‘Brucke Museum,’ which depicts an embracing couple between two walls, representing the brutality of World War I. Bowie also took inspiration from Alberto Denti di Pirajno’s (1886-1968) book ‘A Grave for a Dolphin.’ (1956) which concerns a doomed love affair between an Italian soldier, and a Somalian girl during World War II, ‘Heroes’ is a song about two lovers, one from East Berlin, and the other from the West. Under constant fear of death, they dream they are free, swimming with dolphins.

‘Heroes’ has been a slow burner, it is one of those that has grown in popularity over the years, and is now considered to be one of Bowie’s greatest songs, having initially only reached Number 24 in the UK, and totally failing to reach the Billboard Hot 100 in America. Bowie has said,’This is a strange phenomenon that happens with my songs Stateside. Many of the crowd favourites were never radio or chart hits, and “‘Heroes'” tops them all.’ Following his death in 2016 the German government thanked Bowie for ‘Helping to bring down the wall,’ adding,’ You are now among Heroes.’

‘I, I can remember, standing by the wall, and the guns, shot above our heads, and we kissed, as though nothing could fall. And the shame, was on the other side, oh, we can beat them, forever and ever. Then we could be heroes just for one day.’