Written and recorded in Berlin, 1978-the lyrics are an allusion to the Berlin Wall, the story, mostly fictional, was about 2 lovers, who lived on opposite sides of the wall, and had to meet in secret, clandestinedly--Bowie’s vocal is amazing, it gets louder and more expressive, and more desperate, and forlorn as the song goes on...he’s truly an actor in this song--it’s amazing--.........once, my younger friend Elijah asked my friend Dan to “burn him a Bowie mix cd”, Dan said “sure”....the next day, at work, he gave it to him.....on the way home from work, listening to it, Elijah soon discovered that Dan had just put the song “heroes” on the disc about 15 or 20 times in a row---lol---it’s one of Bowie’s most ridiculously great masterpieces--not a lot at the time sounded like that, or had subject matter like that--it’s was very, very modern
@@mnomadvfx it was partly done as joke, in a humorous way to make a point--he made him the real mix about a week later--mixes need to be thought out a bit for maximum effectiveness--it was just a placeholder--haha
This song the story, inspired a great film from Spain "El niño y el muro" (the boy and the wall) 2 german kids separated by the Berlin Wall...is a great movie from my childhood (from the 70s)
I can't believe she doesn't care for BOWIE! I like watching them but l don't care for some of the artists they react to and now l'm sure they're not going to be doing anymore Bowie 😔✌
Lex does not grasp the lyrics and the emotion in this song ………. Then it sure does not ring a bell …… maybe reading about the song before listening to it is a good tip in the future
When I was barely a teenager and just starting to learn about the history of music in the early 80's - a close friend of mine began teaching me about the importance of Bowie. He started me with Ziggy Stardust and then took me up to the present period. And though I didn't spend alot of time listening to Bowie - I was always aware of how important his music was. What i learned over time is there are some artists that are so prolific that they are admired by all other artists within their profession - and Bowie was that musical artist. Every musician across every genre admired Bowie. Bowie was a musician, a lyricist, a performance artist, a social commentator, and ultimately he was a mirror - being held up to the rest of us to see our own selves - the human condition that connects us. I hope you keep listening to more of his music and do your best to catalogue it - aggregate it - and re-listen to it. Your viewer named Vincentvancraig wrote a terrific summary of this song - and you have only scratched the surface with Bowie. Thank you for your reactions.
"and ultimately he was a mirror - being held up to the rest of us to see our own selves - the human condition that connects us." Your entire comment is extremely well said and that specific part really caught my attention. I just want to say thank you for sharing this man and I will definitely be thinking about this for a while Also, Ziggy Stardust was my first conscious listen to Bowie too and I will never forget hearing that opening guitar riff for the first time. Within a second I was completely hooked
1975 to 1979-80 was an amazing time for Bowie, he pretty much invented “art rock” and the “new wave”, almost.....almost singlehandedly....by 1977, others were doing it, but he took it even more to the extreme...amazingly prolific time for him...and he got more and more off drugs as that time period progressed, people said “the straighter looking he gets, the weirder the music becomes”....he was completely sober by about 1981, and never touched anything again until his death 35 years later
She is right again Inspired by the sight of Bowie's producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall, the song tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin.
Oh no! It makes me kinda sad that Lex isn't "feeling" Bowie yet. He was such a huge inspiring force for so many decades. All of his songs sound different, which made him unexpected and recognizable simultaneously, an almost impossible feat in the music industry. Maybe check out "Changes" or "Lazarus" for some really hardcore meaningful lyrics. Thanks for the reaction!
I was totally thrown when Black Star came out, the thing is with Bowie, it's works of art. You think of when Ashes to Ashes came out in 1980. It was like nothing going around at the time. Bowie was a genius. Tony Visconti, genius also for arranging this song heroes and working on Blackstar. They were such an awesome team.
It's worth finding a documentary about this song. IIRC, this song was initially not thought of very highly but it's become one of the most iconic songs in the portfolio of one of the most iconic singers. It's been covered a ton and is ranked pretty highly in the "top songs of all time" lists.
I know it wasn't written for these events, but two times I saw him do this live made me tear up. Once at Live Aid, and once at the Concert for New York City, which was to honor the first responders, a few weeks after 9/11. At Live Aid, the artists were theoretically being heroes with the benefit concert, and in MSG they were honoring real heroes, and their families. The lyrics don't match up so much, but the chorus does. You should check those out when you can. We can ALL be Heroes even if it's just for one day...
I know what you mean by he doesn't seem like he's singing, more like he's talking and that is part of the art to Bowie. In this case the angst of separation, of the situation they're in, the desperation. Think of Bowie's music as little plays/art pieces and he sings accordingly. His range is incredible, from angst, soulful, alien, rocknroll etc... he does it all, and he does it very, very well :) Love Bowie
This song is everywhere...TV commercials, movies. What a message...We can be heroes just for one day. Powerful. If you don't feel it then you just don't
Bowie lived in Berlin from 1976-1979. He recorded what Brian Eno called the Berlin Trilogy. The albums Low, Heroes and Lodger. On Heroes the A-side were songs while the B-side were instrumental. One of them are Sense of Doubt. So good!
Of all the Bowie songs you could have chosen, this would not have been in my top 30. Most anything is better. I'd vote for "Changes" but after hearing this, you may never do another Bowie song.
It's indeed about the Berlin Wall. Or more precisely the feeling of division of the soul, of unrootedness, and the search for a meaning of the meaningless that it represented in all of us who lived under the shadow of the Cold War, trying to find that ever elusive light at the end of the tunnel.
As another comment says, this is about two lovers meeting by the Berlin Wall (with guns firing over their heads) during the years that Berlin & Germany were divided into Western and Communist/Eastern halves. Bowie recorded this in Berlin, in sight of the Wall.
The studio, where David Bowie recorded, in West Berlin in 1977-'78, was literally next to the Berlin Wall (1961-1989) -look up if not familiar with history. I saw the Berlin Wall in 1985, and as it came down in '89-90, when I traveled and lived in Europe (I was 16, and 21 years then) -As I was a fan of David Bowie, and his contemorapry music friends as Iggy Pop, and U2 who recorded in the same Berlin studio -this song. and the albums around it, have been favorites of mine for year. The couple kissing, next to the Wall, under watch of the East German guard tower and gun, have been reported to be Bowie's Record Producer, and a Woman of Berlin (extra-marital affair), seen by David, from a window of Hansa Studio.
there are several versions of "Heroes", from the pretty one to this, the more desperate and dissonant one, not always an easy listen but so powerful. Robert Fripp's guitar here really gives this song the landscaped feeling it has.
Bowie has an amazing catalogue, Cygnet Committee, 5 Years, Changes, Moonage Daydream, Absolut Beginners, Starman, Lady Stardust, Ziggy Stardust, Ashes to Ashes, Quicksand, and so many others, I can't even recommend a specific one because they're all so good and so different.
Yes I agree Mr Lopes but at this moment in time, what I want too know is this. Are we related? My last name just happens to be "Lopes" also. I welcome a new cousin anytime if that is the case.😀
You should listen to this again , it’s heroic , it’s also a little desperate , Bowie is using his voice as an instrument to evoke , Brian Zeno and Fripp and co are creating a beautiful raw soundscape …. Miss you David
Bowie's got a lot of phases. Folkie young guy with an acoustic guitar, and then glam rocker with wild costumes, then a definite R&B influence when he came to the states and began working with more African American musicians, and after that a move to Berlin and some new collaborative partners drawing from European electronica. This song is from his Berlin period in the late 70s, and it is definitely about the Berlin Wall. The wall didn't come down until 1989. But there's an interesting story about Bowie performing this song at a music festival in Berlin in 1987. The city was still divided, but the concert promoters in the west got permission to broadcast into the eastern part. They also put the stage near the wall so that people in the eastern part could gather and hear the music live. Bowie performed on the second of three nights and said that singing this song was incredibly emotional because he could hear people singing along from both sides of the wall. But that's not all that happened. On the third night of the festival, the East German police decided they had enough of the crowds gathering on their side and cracked down with water cannons and mass arrests. A week later Ronald Reagan went to Berlin and famously asked Mr. Gorbachev (then leader of the Soviet Union) to "tear down this wall." That period is considered a turning point in public opinion in East Germany, and two years later the wall was down.
Inspired by the sight of Bowie's producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall, the song tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin. Bowie's performance of "'Heroes'" on 6 June 1987, at the German Reichstag in West Berlin has been considered a catalyst to the later fall of the Berlin Wall. Following his death in January 2016, the German government thanked Bowie for "helping to bring down the Wall", adding "you are now among Heroes".
Bowie was someone unique, both as a signer and has a person Bowie had gone through many changes and phases through the decades, wich show the adaptability and inguinity of the man as his Vision. Everyone can find a Bowie that vibes with them. One of my favorite things about Bowie, was when in an Interview, when the internet was brand new and still mostly unkown or misunderstood, he said something( and i'm paraphrasing)" The internet will be an exciting place, something that can be either Fantastic or terrible, depending on what we do, the Internet is the new Frontier, its the Wild West" The Dude had insigth.
It is about the Berlin Wall. The backstory is that Bowie was recording the album at a studio near the wall in West Berlin in 1977 at the height of the Cold War. There was a lot of paranoia in West Berlin at the time for fairly obvious reasons and that came through in a lot of the music recorded there at the time. Anyway, Bowie and the crew took a short break from recording one night and his producer, Tony Visconti and Visconti's girlfriend decided to go for a walk outside. A little bit later Bowie went outside to have a cigarette and he found Visconti and his GF having a make out session right near the wall in full view of one of the East Berlin guard towers and the the armed guards in the tower were enjoying themselves watching it all. There's no particular reason why Visconti and GF stopped then and there for their make out session, that's just where they happened to be when the moment overtook them. OTOH, Bowie decided to reimagine it as a heroic, defiant, f-you to the commies on the other side of the wall and wrote the song as we now know it.
I seem to recall this being the “best of” shortened version and the original is much longer and provides more detailed lyrics. The Heroes album is one album I have not picked up in my time.
I had a classical music training and I am perhaps too critical of much popular music ... but this song is so powerful and emotive and pulls at the heart strings. It's one of the all time greatest pop songs as it drags in so many emotions.
Can anyone imagine what it was like to be a seven or eight year old little boy who has older siblings, the eldest almost seven years older, and having young parents, mom was 25 yrs old when I was born the fourth child. Music was a constant in our home, that and sports. When I first started listening to music other than what was played on AM radio, I started to go into my oldest sister's bedroom and I would put on headphones and thumb through her record albums, not really knowing who these bands were, but, Bowie's Ziggy Stardust was one, Bad Co, Yes, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Who, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Beatles, etc... just to name a few. But, Bowie was both of my sisters favorite and I was a fan from the first time hearing Suffragette City but Bowie takes a lot of time, especially for a seven year old, to get his music and him as a performer. You have to listen to his songs multiple times, reading the lyrics off the liner notes and I still couldn't make sense of what he was writing because I hadn't experienced life yet. I really loved and still do love when an artist or band printed the lyrics to their songs on the sleeve or on the album cover for fans to read. Bowie has been one of my very favorite artists ever since, 50 years later he still is in my top 3 all time favorites, if I was stuck on an Island with the ability to only play ten albums for the rest of my life Bowie would get two of those ten.
Bowie is Bowie, like no other. He can take a bit of getting into but then one day it will just click and then you'll really appreciate him. Total genius, one of the few.
This was Bowie's 'Thin White Duke' phase. Bowie had five major personas throughout his career. Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane, Holloween Jack, and his finale, The Blind Prophet. Each had its own unique sound.
Bowie was definitely in the dramatic. Throughout his career he continued to experiment with musical styles and reinvented himself many times taking on different personas, such as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack, and the Thin White Duke. He was without a doubt one of the greatest influences in 60s, 70s and 80s rock ‘n’ roll.
I love this song. And speaking of war. Peter Gabriel does a remake of this song for the movie Lone Survivor about Marcus Luttrell and Operation Redwings in Afghanistan where Marcus survived but his three other team members were killed. It’s a much darker and somber version of this song. It drove me to tears. As a combat vet who lost 14 men I call brother and seeing them put a new meaning to the song for me. It showed the men who died in their family lives and it’s a very difficult thing to see with them gone. Sorry for the droning on.
Peter Gabriel I think absolutely nailed it in the way he sang Heroes In that movie. I can compare it to how Johnny Cash covered Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. Beautifully done
Queen, Bowie & Rundgren are my all-time favorite artists because they can't be classified as one genre. They were all so eclectic you never knew what to expect.
@@TheOneAndOnlyFloridaMan - You know that and so do I. However, I'll actually confess to liking Lulu's version the best... probably because of Bowie's backing vocals and sax which makes the song a bit more sinister to me!
I love every thing Bowie but when I bought this lp and heard this for the first time it blew my mind. I never tried to figure out what it meant I just love this song. Bowie doing this live sends shivers down your back. I always thought this was about beating the odds over something you believe in with your heart and soul. Bowie sang a Christmas song With Bing Crosby. This is singing.
I was in NYC on October 11, 2001 right after the World Trade Center tragedy. On the way across the Brooklyn Bridge, I heard this song being performed live in NYC by Bowie on the radio. Right after that was Billy Joel's New York State of mind. It was a truly sad day.
The Guitarist on this is Robert Fripp….his band…King Crimson released their 1st album in 1969…..and shook the world of music…..and is still playing brilliant progressive music to this day……David Bowie can be your doorway to works of music that are stunning….Progressive rock…Glam rock…..never to be confused with hair bands…..and Art rock….enjoy the journey if you decide to take it😊
For me, the song's always been sort of this pull between desperation and exultation - this weird sort of energy that is part of the human experience but is so hard to capture - there's this narrative of this doomed love between this couple, but then this experience they're sharing as the Berlin wall is torn down - which must have been this amazingly joyful, hope-filled moment for anyone standing there. Feeling like a god or a hero, standing on the edge of this amazing beginning, holding on to that moment than you know will not last. And you get that tension - that sort of agonized but ecstatic shreik that the vocals slowly build up to. The song is strange and raw and powerful, almost torn from his lungs, but I get why the first listen might not impress someone, especially without watching the music video, sung by a young, androgynous, nearly skeletal, David Bowie. Let's Dance is a more classic pop song of his. The Man Who Sold the World is another favorite. I've always loved Little China Girl and The Heart's Filfthy Lesson though. 🖤
I remember being in a punk-rock disco way past midnight near the Ku’dam in Berlin during the summer of 1980 and this was blaring out of the speakers. The next song was, of course, Marianne Faithfull’s Broken English. One of my favorite memories.
'Heroes' was used, along with a plethora of other classic love songs, including The Beatles' 'All You Need is Love,' and U2's 'In the Name of Love' as part of the 'Elephant Love Medley' that Ewan McGregor and Nichole Kidman sang as a duet in the movie 'Moulin Rouge.' Fun movie, and both McGregor and Kidman showed off some pretty impressive vocal talent.
Agreed! ' Heroes' was sung like an Anthem in that 'Moulin Rouge' medley. That interpretation made me love that Bowie song! Before I appreciated the lyrics but felt his performance was too ' dull'
This song kept me alive during the worst time of my life. Depression, unemployment, substance abuse, family crisis after family crisis, loneliness, fury, suicidal thoughts, rejection, darkness, the whole lot. David Bowie, wherever you are now, I love you and thank you 💖
This Version is in the movie Christian F. (1981) - A movie about a bored 13-year-old growing up in mid-1970s West Berlin, to 14-year-old heroin addict. Based on the 1978 non-fiction book Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (We Children from Zoo Station), transcribed and edited from tape recordings by Kai Hermann and Horst Rieck.
I have always liked this song, I never knew what it was about, it just felt like 'hope' (Which surprised me when Lex said she wasn't getting a feeling from the song) Now reading the comments and getting the backstory, I like it even more. What a song!
The song Heroes was also an important part of the soundtrack for "Christiane F". a German movie about young heroin addicts in Berlin in the 70s / early 80s. In the context of the movie, the song can be interpreted as an expression of the hopes and dreams of young drug addicts. David Bowie played himself in the movie, which would not have been the same without his participation.
Hello from germany! Yes he means the Berlin Wall! He spent some time in Berlin, and he really liked Berlin and all the crazy thinks there! I really like your reactions! ❤️👍
I love, love, LOVE this song. I'd heard Bowie before, but this was the first Bowie I *loved*. This song turned me onto Brian Eno, who produced the album and did keyboards, too.
Lex hit this one, and so did Brad!!! It is about the Berlin Wall and it is about lovers. The lovers live on opposite sides of the wall and are desperate to be together. Bowie has so many great songs...some are different and some are eclectic; a few are even "main stream" for their time.
The verse about the wall was written about the Berlin wall. The studio was in west Berlin where this was recorded. Bowie needed another verse for the song. the band took a break so Bowie could come up with a verse. one of the musicians was hooking up next to the wall with guards overhead, hence the verse.
I saw David Bowie in 1983 with my dad and younger sister for the serious moonlight tour LET'S DANCE ALBUM BIGGEST CROWD IN ONE PLACE EVER IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND TO THIS DAY AND AN AMAZING SHOW THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE FENCE AROUND WESTERN SPRINGS STADIUM BECAUSE OF THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T GET TICKETS PUSHED THE FENCE OVER IT WAS EPIC LIKE A TIDAL WAVE of people the cop's and security guards just stood aside and watched
Since Im assuming you guys might not have heard it before, try out Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel as well. Im loving this roll y'all have been on. Nostalgia City.
I ❤️ this song so much! Bowie was one of my first crushes ( along with Freddie Mercury) around the age or 5. I'm 36 and my parents were former hippies who basically raised me and my siblings on the greatest of music. My father is a huge Bowie fan and I saw an old photo of him, a friend and their dates dressed to go see Bowie in concert. My dad had glitter on his face, dressed in a lavender suit with platform shoes on! I found it so funny and strange seeing my dad " Glam". Now I am frightful of when my own son( 12) finds pictures of my ex ( his father) and I dressed in our rave wear. We met at 17 and were together over 10 years so there's lots of horrible pics. 😂
Good questions! It's musically quite a triumphant song, and if you see Bowie sing it live (there are recordings, including Live Aid) it's an upbeat anthem. His original recording here has a feeling of angst that transforms it. In general, a lot of Bowie takes you to emotions that don't have names.
One of my all time favorite "Bowie" songs is GOD KNOWS IM GOOD it never made it as a hit, but it shows his great story telling side. Give a listen then I think you might understand where he's coming from.
"I think it's about the Berlin wall.." (jaw drops) Once AGAIN!!!!! Lex is tapped in to SOMETHING! Is anyone keeping track of how many times she intuitively picks up a detail or message from the music that is dead on about something the rest of us already know about the song or artist?????!!!!
With songs like these from performance artists like Bowie, you really really need to watch and comment on the videos. David Bowie was making videos before MTV came into existence. David Bowie was so far ahead of everyone in the music industry. He has a special place in the afterlife.
Written and recorded in Berlin, 1978-the lyrics are an allusion to the Berlin Wall, the story, mostly fictional, was about 2 lovers, who lived on opposite sides of the wall, and had to meet in secret, clandestinedly--Bowie’s vocal is amazing, it gets louder and more expressive, and more desperate, and forlorn as the song goes on...he’s truly an actor in this song--it’s amazing--.........once, my younger friend Elijah asked my friend Dan to “burn him a Bowie mix cd”, Dan said “sure”....the next day, at work, he gave it to him.....on the way home from work, listening to it, Elijah soon discovered that Dan had just put the song “heroes” on the disc about 15 or 20 times in a row---lol---it’s one of Bowie’s most ridiculously great masterpieces--not a lot at the time sounded like that, or had subject matter like that--it’s was very, very modern
It's great for sure, but not 15-20 times on a CD worth when he recorded so many great songs.
@@mnomadvfx it was partly done as joke, in a humorous way to make a point--he made him the real mix about a week later--mixes need to be thought out a bit for maximum effectiveness--it was just a placeholder--haha
This song the story, inspired a great film from Spain "El niño y el muro" (the boy and the wall) 2 german kids separated by the Berlin Wall...is a great movie from my childhood (from the 70s)
Very thorough and thoughtful breakdown there mate. Nice 😎
Recorded July-August 77, released September 77 as a single, October 77 on the album "Heroes".
I get goosebumps when this song starts even before his voice starts. Sad that Lex isn't feeling it.
Me too.
I can't believe she doesn't care for BOWIE! I like watching them but l don't care for some of the artists they react to and now l'm sure they're not going to be doing anymore Bowie 😔✌
I'm kinda right there with her as his career went on, got a little esoteric for me. Loved, absolutely loved his first what 6-9 albums.
Same
Lex does not grasp the lyrics and the emotion in this song ………. Then it sure does not ring a bell …… maybe reading about the song before listening to it is a good tip in the future
For me Bowie was as much a performance artist as he was a musician. He was pure genius and one of a kind.
Heroes In Berlin LIVE demonstrates this perfectly:)
When I was barely a teenager and just starting to learn about the history of music in the early 80's - a close friend of mine began teaching me about the importance of Bowie. He started me with Ziggy Stardust and then took me up to the present period. And though I didn't spend alot of time listening to Bowie - I was always aware of how important his music was. What i learned over time is there are some artists that are so prolific that they are admired by all other artists within their profession - and Bowie was that musical artist. Every musician across every genre admired Bowie. Bowie was a musician, a lyricist, a performance artist, a social commentator, and ultimately he was a mirror - being held up to the rest of us to see our own selves - the human condition that connects us. I hope you keep listening to more of his music and do your best to catalogue it - aggregate it - and re-listen to it. Your viewer named Vincentvancraig wrote a terrific summary of this song - and you have only scratched the surface with Bowie. Thank you for your reactions.
Very well put! 👏👏
"and ultimately he was a mirror - being held up to the rest of us to see our own selves - the human condition that connects us." Your entire comment is extremely well said and that specific part really caught my attention. I just want to say thank you for sharing this man and I will definitely be thinking about this for a while
Also, Ziggy Stardust was my first conscious listen to Bowie too and I will never forget hearing that opening guitar riff for the first time. Within a second I was completely hooked
Jedd, I am a Heavy Rocker, but have LOVED Bowie's Music since the start! Keep Learning,,, Bob
1975 to 1979-80 was an amazing time for Bowie, he pretty much invented “art rock” and the “new wave”, almost.....almost singlehandedly....by 1977, others were doing it, but he took it even more to the extreme...amazingly prolific time for him...and he got more and more off drugs as that time period progressed, people said “the straighter looking he gets, the weirder the music becomes”....he was completely sober by about 1981, and never touched anything again until his death 35 years later
I'd agree if it weren't for Queen, Roxy Music, Bolan, etc. Bowie was always good at catching the wind.
Lots of Art Rock and New Wave artists before 1975, though not as well known.
To me the Ziggy Stardust days where the best.
She is right again
Inspired by the sight of Bowie's producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall, the song tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin.
Bingo. This is it. What you said. ✌🏼♥️
Visconti also played bass and provided backing vocals.
Beautiful song. RIP David Bowie
Such a beautiful song .. music like this is what made Bowie a legend 🙌🏻❤️
He didn't write it!
This isn't the original version.
@@joelspringman7748 he might of not written the song but Bowie brought us amazing music .. the people he created music wit were all genius like him ..
@@joelspringman7748 What are you talking about? He did indeed write it, with Brian Eno.
Oh no! It makes me kinda sad that Lex isn't "feeling" Bowie yet. He was such a huge inspiring force for so many decades. All of his songs sound different, which made him unexpected and recognizable simultaneously, an almost impossible feat in the music industry. Maybe check out "Changes" or "Lazarus" for some really hardcore meaningful lyrics. Thanks for the reaction!
She needed to start out with Ziggy Stardust. Though my favorite LP of his is Diamond Dogs.
no. just let them not get it
She needs some 80's Bowie, I think.
More straight forward & relatable
"Modern Love"
"Let's Dance"
"China Girl"
I was totally thrown when Black Star came out, the thing is with Bowie, it's works of art. You think of when Ashes to Ashes came out in 1980. It was like nothing going around at the time. Bowie was a genius. Tony Visconti, genius also for arranging this song heroes and working on Blackstar. They were such an awesome team.
It's worth finding a documentary about this song. IIRC, this song was initially not thought of very highly but it's become one of the most iconic songs in the portfolio of one of the most iconic singers. It's been covered a ton and is ranked pretty highly in the "top songs of all time" lists.
I know it wasn't written for these events, but two times I saw him do this live made me tear up. Once at Live Aid, and once at the Concert for New York City, which was to honor the first responders, a few weeks after 9/11. At Live Aid, the artists were theoretically being heroes with the benefit concert, and in MSG they were honoring real heroes, and their families. The lyrics don't match up so much, but the chorus does. You should check those out when you can. We can ALL be Heroes even if it's just for one day...
I know what you mean by he doesn't seem like he's singing, more like he's talking and that is part of the art to Bowie. In this case the angst of separation, of the situation they're in, the desperation. Think of Bowie's music as little plays/art pieces and he sings accordingly. His range is incredible, from angst, soulful, alien, rocknroll etc... he does it all, and he does it very, very well :) Love Bowie
This song is everywhere...TV commercials, movies. What a message...We can be heroes just for one day. Powerful. If you don't feel it then you just don't
Bowie lived in Berlin from 1976-1979. He recorded what Brian Eno called the Berlin Trilogy. The albums Low, Heroes and Lodger. On Heroes the A-side were songs while the B-side were instrumental. One of them are Sense of Doubt. So good!
Brad & Lex: You'll love their "Fame", "Changes" and "Young Americans"!! Happier tone!!
Of all the Bowie songs you could have chosen, this would not have been in my top 30. Most anything is better. I'd vote for "Changes" but after hearing this, you may never do another Bowie song.
Lex you are exactly right! Its about a couple in love. One on each side of the berlin wall and they can't be together.✌❤
Rebel, Rebel, while you have Bowie in mind. Relax, y'all are the best.
It's indeed about the Berlin Wall. Or more precisely the feeling of division of the soul, of unrootedness, and the search for a meaning of the meaningless that it represented in all of us who lived under the shadow of the Cold War, trying to find that ever elusive light at the end of the tunnel.
Beautifully worded my friend. You have the spirit of a poet!! Cheers\=/\=/
Bowie was constantly reinventing himself. Each album was cohesive with itself, but you never knew what the next album would sound like.
As another comment says, this is about two lovers meeting by the Berlin Wall (with guns firing over their heads) during the years that Berlin & Germany were divided into Western and Communist/Eastern halves. Bowie recorded this in Berlin, in sight of the Wall.
This song was perfect in the end of the movie " Jo Jo Rabbit "
si 👍
The studio, where David Bowie recorded, in West Berlin in 1977-'78, was literally next to the Berlin Wall (1961-1989) -look up if not familiar with history. I saw the Berlin Wall in 1985, and as it came down in '89-90, when I traveled and lived in Europe (I was 16, and 21 years then) -As I was a fan of David Bowie, and his contemorapry music friends as Iggy Pop, and U2 who recorded in the same Berlin studio -this song. and the albums around it, have been favorites of mine for year. The couple kissing, next to the Wall, under watch of the East German guard tower and gun, have been reported to be Bowie's Record Producer, and a Woman of Berlin (extra-marital affair), seen by David, from a window of Hansa Studio.
"What do we do now?"💃🕺💃🕺💃🕺
there are several versions of "Heroes", from the pretty one to this, the more desperate and dissonant one, not always an easy listen but so powerful. Robert Fripp's guitar here really gives this song the landscaped feeling it has.
I miss you David, RIP. ❤️
good reaction. 🤘🏻
Bowie has an amazing catalogue, Cygnet Committee, 5 Years, Changes, Moonage Daydream, Absolut Beginners, Starman, Lady Stardust, Ziggy Stardust, Ashes to Ashes, Quicksand, and so many others, I can't even recommend a specific one because they're all so good and so different.
The great thing about Bowie is how he evolved his sound from album to album, so there is something for everyone.
Space Odditty too, Ashes to Ashes is it's 'sequel' as it were mentioning the same Major Tom.
Yes I agree Mr Lopes but at this moment in time, what I want too know is this. Are we related? My last name just happens to be "Lopes" also.
I welcome a new cousin anytime if that is the case.😀
It was also the main song from a German movie called "Christian F" . Epic song, epic man! R.I.P. Mr. Bowie
You should listen to this again , it’s heroic , it’s also a little desperate , Bowie is using his voice as an instrument to evoke , Brian Zeno and Fripp and co are creating a beautiful raw soundscape …. Miss you David
Bowie's got a lot of phases. Folkie young guy with an acoustic guitar, and then glam rocker with wild costumes, then a definite R&B influence when he came to the states and began working with more African American musicians, and after that a move to Berlin and some new collaborative partners drawing from European electronica. This song is from his Berlin period in the late 70s, and it is definitely about the Berlin Wall.
The wall didn't come down until 1989. But there's an interesting story about Bowie performing this song at a music festival in Berlin in 1987. The city was still divided, but the concert promoters in the west got permission to broadcast into the eastern part. They also put the stage near the wall so that people in the eastern part could gather and hear the music live. Bowie performed on the second of three nights and said that singing this song was incredibly emotional because he could hear people singing along from both sides of the wall. But that's not all that happened. On the third night of the festival, the East German police decided they had enough of the crowds gathering on their side and cracked down with water cannons and mass arrests.
A week later Ronald Reagan went to Berlin and famously asked Mr. Gorbachev (then leader of the Soviet Union) to "tear down this wall." That period is considered a turning point in public opinion in East Germany, and two years later the wall was down.
Inspired by the sight of Bowie's producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall, the song tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin. Bowie's performance of "'Heroes'" on 6 June 1987, at the German Reichstag in West Berlin has been considered a catalyst to the later fall of the Berlin Wall. Following his death in January 2016, the German government thanked Bowie for "helping to bring down the Wall", adding "you are now among Heroes".
If you watch a live performance of the song you will definitely feel this song a LOT more. It's an epic anthem when it's performed live.
I wish they wouldn’t react to so many lyric only videos.
Bowie was someone unique, both as a signer and has a person
Bowie had gone through many changes and phases through the decades, wich show the adaptability and inguinity of the man as his Vision.
Everyone can find a Bowie that vibes with them.
One of my favorite things about Bowie, was when in an Interview, when the internet was brand new and still mostly unkown or misunderstood, he said something( and i'm paraphrasing)" The internet will be an exciting place, something that can be either Fantastic or terrible, depending on what we do, the Internet is the new Frontier, its the Wild West"
The Dude had insigth.
In Munich we played this song everytime we went to the Boot a local bar, what memories thank you for reacting to it
It is about the Berlin Wall. The backstory is that Bowie was recording the album at a studio near the wall in West Berlin in 1977 at the height of the Cold War. There was a lot of paranoia in West Berlin at the time for fairly obvious reasons and that came through in a lot of the music recorded there at the time. Anyway, Bowie and the crew took a short break from recording one night and his producer, Tony Visconti and Visconti's girlfriend decided to go for a walk outside. A little bit later Bowie went outside to have a cigarette and he found Visconti and his GF having a make out session right near the wall in full view of one of the East Berlin guard towers and the the armed guards in the tower were enjoying themselves watching it all. There's no particular reason why Visconti and GF stopped then and there for their make out session, that's just where they happened to be when the moment overtook them. OTOH, Bowie decided to reimagine it as a heroic, defiant, f-you to the commies on the other side of the wall and wrote the song as we now know it.
I seem to recall this being the “best of” shortened version and the original is much longer and provides more detailed lyrics.
The Heroes album is one album I have not picked up in my time.
I don't think that was the best recording or version, wasn't what I remembered.. You made good comment..💪
I had a classical music training and I am perhaps too critical of much popular music ... but this song is so powerful and emotive and pulls at the heart strings. It's one of the all time greatest pop songs as it drags in so many emotions.
He sang this at the opening for The Concert for NYC (set up by Paul McCartney) after the 911 attacks. So emotional.
Damn that's intense.
Can anyone imagine what it was like to be a seven or eight year old little boy who has older siblings, the eldest almost seven years older, and having young parents, mom was 25 yrs old when I was born the fourth child. Music was a constant in our home, that and sports. When I first started listening to music other than what was played on AM radio, I started to go into my oldest sister's bedroom and I would put on headphones and thumb through her record albums, not really knowing who these bands were, but, Bowie's Ziggy Stardust was one, Bad Co, Yes, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Who, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Beatles, etc... just to name a few. But, Bowie was both of my sisters favorite and I was a fan from the first time hearing Suffragette City but Bowie takes a lot of time, especially for a seven year old, to get his music and him as a performer. You have to listen to his songs multiple times, reading the lyrics off the liner notes and I still couldn't make sense of what he was writing because I hadn't experienced life yet. I really loved and still do love when an artist or band printed the lyrics to their songs on the sleeve or on the album cover for fans to read.
Bowie has been one of my very favorite artists ever since, 50 years later he still is in my top 3 all time favorites, if I was stuck on an Island with the ability to only play ten albums for the rest of my life Bowie would get two of those ten.
Bowie is Bowie, like no other. He can take a bit of getting into but then one day it will just click and then you'll really appreciate him. Total genius, one of the few.
Bowie live I've seen him a few times just a great performer, a master of changes.
At a concert Bowie was playing this song in West Berlin.... all the people in East Berlin ( like millions) gathered and listened....
This is the song I want played at my funeral ❤️
This was Bowie's 'Thin White Duke' phase. Bowie had five major personas throughout his career. Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane, Holloween Jack, and his finale, The Blind Prophet. Each had its own unique sound.
Bowie was definitely in the dramatic. Throughout his career he continued to experiment with musical styles and reinvented himself many times taking on different personas, such as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack, and the Thin White Duke. He was without a doubt one of the greatest influences in 60s, 70s and 80s rock ‘n’ roll.
You two don't know much about music I can see it every time I check you channel!
I love this song. And speaking of war. Peter Gabriel does a remake of this song for the movie Lone Survivor about Marcus Luttrell and Operation Redwings in Afghanistan where Marcus survived but his three other team members were killed. It’s a much darker and somber version of this song. It drove me to tears. As a combat vet who lost 14 men I call brother and seeing them put a new meaning to the song for me. It showed the men who died in their family lives and it’s a very difficult thing to see with them gone. Sorry for the droning on.
Gabriel's version (actually recorded for his "Scratch My Back" CD) also appears in Stranger Things.
Peter Gabriel I think absolutely nailed it in the way he sang Heroes In that movie. I can compare it to how Johnny Cash covered Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. Beautifully done
" dAViD bOWiE cAnT SiNg"
Ummm... okay. LOLOLOL
Queen, Bowie & Rundgren are my all-time favorite artists because they can't be classified as one genre. They were all so eclectic you never knew what to expect.
You guys have got to check out his song The Man Who Sold The World when you get a chance. Keep it up y'all.
They already did... Nirvana's acoustic version! FML 🤦♂️
@@danosverige Well hopefully they do the original, it's a completely different and in my opinion better song.
@@TheOneAndOnlyFloridaMan - You know that and so do I. However, I'll actually confess to liking Lulu's version the best... probably because of Bowie's backing vocals and sax which makes the song a bit more sinister to me!
I love every thing Bowie but when I bought this lp and heard this for the first time it blew my mind. I never tried to figure out what it meant I just love this song. Bowie doing this live sends shivers down your back. I always thought this was about beating the odds over something you believe in with your heart and soul. Bowie sang a Christmas song With Bing Crosby. This is singing.
I was in NYC on October 11, 2001 right after the World Trade Center tragedy. On the way across the Brooklyn Bridge, I heard this song being performed live in NYC by Bowie on the radio. Right after that was Billy Joel's New York State of mind. It was a truly sad day.
Bowie loved how Lennon glibly summed up his “Glam Rock” day’s as “Rock and Roll with lipstick”
Haha. Snotty boys with lipstick on as Zappa put it
May the healing power of music and love keep us together.
The Guitarist on this is Robert Fripp….his band…King Crimson released their 1st album in 1969…..and shook the world of music…..and is still playing brilliant progressive music to this day……David Bowie can be your doorway to works of music that are stunning….Progressive rock…Glam rock…..never to be confused with hair bands…..and Art rock….enjoy the journey if you decide to take it😊
I was going to suggest they listen to some King Crimson but sadly it’s certain to be blocked. Robert Fripp is a unique guitarist.
For me, the song's always been sort of this pull between desperation and exultation - this weird sort of energy that is part of the human experience but is so hard to capture - there's this narrative of this doomed love between this couple, but then this experience they're sharing as the Berlin wall is torn down - which must have been this amazingly joyful, hope-filled moment for anyone standing there. Feeling like a god or a hero, standing on the edge of this amazing beginning, holding on to that moment than you know will not last. And you get that tension - that sort of agonized but ecstatic shreik that the vocals slowly build up to.
The song is strange and raw and powerful, almost torn from his lungs, but I get why the first listen might not impress someone, especially without watching the music video, sung by a young, androgynous, nearly skeletal, David Bowie.
Let's Dance is a more classic pop song of his. The Man Who Sold the World is another favorite. I've always loved Little China Girl and The Heart's Filfthy Lesson though. 🖤
I remember being in a punk-rock disco way past midnight near the Ku’dam in Berlin during the summer of 1980 and this was blaring out of the speakers. The next song was, of course, Marianne Faithfull’s Broken English. One of my favorite memories.
It’s a style of singing ,that what makes him David Bowie , I think we can agree and say he’s different!
'Heroes' was used, along with a plethora of other classic love songs, including The Beatles' 'All You Need is Love,' and U2's 'In the Name of Love' as part of the 'Elephant Love Medley' that Ewan McGregor and Nichole Kidman sang as a duet in the movie 'Moulin Rouge.'
Fun movie, and both McGregor and Kidman showed off some pretty impressive vocal talent.
Agreed! ' Heroes' was sung like an Anthem in that 'Moulin Rouge' medley. That interpretation made me love that Bowie song! Before I appreciated the lyrics but felt his performance was too ' dull'
David Bowie's music holds up very well to repeated listening.
This song kept me alive during the worst time of my life. Depression, unemployment, substance abuse, family crisis after family crisis, loneliness, fury, suicidal thoughts, rejection, darkness, the whole lot.
David Bowie, wherever you are now, I love you and thank you 💖
David Bowie’s music is meant to make you feel like you have better taste in music than most people because you do 😎
This is not only one of Bowie's greatest songs but one if the greatest, period!
This is even better live...any you tube live version of this is amazing....
Peter Gabriel's version of "Heroes" used for the end credits of the movie "Lone Survivor" is so good and haunting
I much prefer Peter Gabriel's version, like you say it has a very haunting vibe to it.
I always preferred the version done by Motörhead . The video is really a good look at a day in the life of the band.
This Version is in the movie Christian F. (1981) - A movie about a bored 13-year-old growing up in mid-1970s West Berlin, to 14-year-old heroin addict. Based on the 1978 non-fiction book Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (We Children from Zoo Station), transcribed and edited from tape recordings by Kai Hermann and Horst Rieck.
I have always liked this song, I never knew what it was about, it just felt like 'hope' (Which surprised me when Lex said she wasn't getting a feeling from the song)
Now reading the comments and getting the backstory, I like it even more. What a song!
Recorded in 1977 at Hansa Studio in Berlin - less than 200 yards from the Wall.
The song Heroes was also an important part of the soundtrack for "Christiane F". a German movie about young heroin addicts in Berlin in the 70s / early 80s. In the context of the movie, the song can be interpreted as an expression of the hopes and dreams of young drug addicts. David Bowie played himself in the movie, which would not have been the same without his participation.
He makes you think and feel. He’s romantic. He’s an artist.
Bowie just rocks!! so many great songs
Hello from germany! Yes he means the Berlin Wall! He spent some time in Berlin, and he really liked Berlin and all the crazy thinks there! I really like your reactions! ❤️👍
Bowie could sing in many styles, in 76/77 punk angst was the flavour of the day in the UK.
Hey, I'm a poet. 😉
Love Bowie🥰😎 Thanx once again gettin rite to the music✌ Love that about u 2❤💙
I love, love, LOVE this song. I'd heard Bowie before, but this was the first Bowie I *loved*. This song turned me onto Brian Eno, who produced the album and did keyboards, too.
Lex hit this one, and so did Brad!!! It is about the Berlin Wall and it is about lovers. The lovers live on opposite sides of the wall and are desperate to be together. Bowie has so many great songs...some are different and some are eclectic; a few are even "main stream" for their time.
It’s just a beautiful, perfect love song. The best kind of song. It makes me cry every time I hear it.
The verse about the wall was written about the Berlin wall. The studio was in west Berlin where this was recorded. Bowie needed another verse for the song. the band took a break so Bowie could come up with a verse. one of the musicians was hooking up next to the wall with guards overhead, hence the verse.
They play this song, with German lyrics, at the end of the movie, Jo Jo Rabbit.
It brings chills to my spine. Great movie... Great song.
Bowie was the most influential popular artist of the second half of the 20 th century in my book. Much more than a musician
THE VERSION OF THIS SONG LIVE CONCERT IN BERLIN IS FAR BETTER !!!
You must do his live version of this song . Just brilliant.
Bowie was a pure genius who poured his heart out in this song for the people of Berlin.
Lex, he had the talent and ability to play every musical instrument going.xxxxx.
Eye 👁️, remember as a priest in ancient Egypt.
If you like Bowie you should check out Leonard Cohen too.
Wow Lex. Done it again! Another amazing guess. It's why I tune in to your channel. spot on!
I saw David Bowie in 1983 with my dad and younger sister for the serious moonlight tour LET'S DANCE ALBUM BIGGEST CROWD IN ONE PLACE EVER IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND TO THIS DAY AND AN AMAZING SHOW THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE FENCE AROUND WESTERN SPRINGS STADIUM BECAUSE OF THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T GET TICKETS PUSHED THE FENCE OVER IT WAS EPIC LIKE A TIDAL WAVE of people the cop's and security guards just stood aside and watched
Another legend!!! Explore all Bowie, please!!!
The UK walked out to this at the London Olympics I swear to god I was jumping round the room like a mad man with untold joy
Since Im assuming you guys might not have heard it before, try out Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel as well.
Im loving this roll y'all have been on. Nostalgia City.
Goodnight Saigon - even though I know every beat, every breath, by heart, it still moves me every time.
Space Oddity by Bowie is a great song. Ashes to Ashes too. He was an incredible artist. RIP 😎
Bowie admits he's more of a theatrical performer than a singer. It's about emotion and theatrics. I do love his instrumentals.
I ❤️ this song so much! Bowie was one of my first crushes ( along with Freddie Mercury) around the age or 5. I'm 36 and my parents were former hippies who basically raised me and my siblings on the greatest of music. My father is a huge Bowie fan and I saw an old photo of him, a friend and their dates dressed to go see Bowie in concert. My dad had glitter on his face, dressed in a lavender suit with platform shoes on! I found it so funny and strange seeing my dad " Glam". Now I am frightful of when my own son( 12) finds pictures of my ex ( his father) and I dressed in our rave wear. We met at 17 and were together over 10 years so there's lots of horrible pics. 😂
Love Bowie, love this song, love your channel.
Good questions! It's musically quite a triumphant song, and if you see Bowie sing it live (there are recordings, including Live Aid) it's an upbeat anthem. His original recording here has a feeling of angst that transforms it. In general, a lot of Bowie takes you to emotions that don't have names.
One of my all time favorite "Bowie" songs is
GOD KNOWS IM GOOD
it never made it as a hit, but it shows his great story telling side. Give a listen then I think you might understand where he's coming from.
Bavid Bowie...one of the most influential musicians of that past 50 years.
"I think it's about the Berlin wall.." (jaw drops) Once AGAIN!!!!! Lex is tapped in to SOMETHING! Is anyone keeping track of how many times she intuitively picks up a detail or message from the music that is dead on about something the rest of us already know about the song or artist?????!!!!
With songs like these from performance artists like Bowie, you really really need to watch and comment on the videos. David Bowie was making videos before MTV came into existence. David Bowie was so far ahead of everyone in the music industry. He has a special place in the afterlife.
David Bowie is suck an icon! If you see the movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" you will easily fall in love with this song
It was recorded In Germany in the mid 70's..The wall reference is about the Berlin wall..Probably Bowies most popular record...
David Bowie "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars", "Starman", and "Moonage Daydream" are some other good ones.