David Bowie’s “Heroes” turns 47 today (which I find hard to believe!)
Released on 14 October 1977, “Heroes” is one of David Bowie’s most haunting works. Recorded at Hansa Studios in West Berlin with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti, it captures both the creative liberation and the political tension of a city divided by the Wall.
Bowie had run away from Los Angeles, where he had been leading a less than salubrious life, to rediscover himself in Europe, along with his mate, Iggy Pop. In Berlin, he found an atmosphere charged with danger and possibility, which was an ideal backdrop for experimentation.
Although the actual music to this, the title track, had already been composed, there were no lyrics. What inspired them was producer Tony Visconti’s secret kiss with his lover beside the Wall. Apparently, Bowie was looking out of the window of the studios when he spied them locked in an embrace, and the fragility of the moment may have caused him to think of the couples that had been separated by the Wall.
What stands out most about the song is its humanity: amid Cold War gloom, Bowie carved out a moment of hope. When the single was released, it certainly wasn’t an instant success: its most memorable moment would come 10 years later, when Bowie performed it live at the Platz der Republik Festival, right across from the studio in Berlin where it was conceived. “I’ll never forget that” he recalled. “It was one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever done. I was in tears. They’d backed up the stage to the Wall itself so that it was acting as our backdrop. We kind of heard that a few of the East Berliners might actually get the chance to hear the thing, but we didn’t realise in what numbers they would.
"And there were thousands on the other side that had come close to the wall. So it was like a double concert, where the Wall was the division. And we would hear them cheering and singing along from the other side. God, even now I get choked up. It was breaking my heart. I’d never done anything like that in my life. And I guess I never will again.”
The song has become something of an anthem - even if you’ve never heard anything else by Bowie, you will surely have heard this. I’ll leave you with the performance. I can’t watch it without getting goosebumps.
