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WD_425/ 2008
(  Satoshi Kinoshita )
| Series: | Works on paper: Drawings 5 | | Medium: | oilstick on paper | | Size (inches): | 25.6 x 17.9 | | Size (mm): | 650 x 455 | | Catalog #: | WD_0425 | | Description: | Signed, date and copyright in pencil on the reverse.
Heroes (David Bowie song) -
Single by David Bowie
from the album "Heroes"
Released 23 September 1977
Format 7" single
Recorded Hansa Studio by the Wall, Berlin July-August 1977
Length 3:32 (Single edit)
6:07 (Full-length album version)
Label RCA Records PB 1121
Producer David Bowie, Tony Visconti
"Heroes" is a song written by David Bowie and 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 a 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. It has been cited as Bowie's most covered song after "Rebel Rebel".[1]
Music and lyrics:
The title of the song is a reference to the 1975 track "Hero" by the band Neu!,[2] 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.[1] 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 embraced in front of Bowie as he looked out of the Hansa Studio window.[5] Bowie's habit in the period 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 Hopkin at the time, contends that Bowie was protecting him and his affair with Maass. Bowie confirmed this in 2003.[1]
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 the piece always "sounded grand and heroic" and that he had "that very word - heroes - in my mind" even before Bowie composed the lyrics.[1] 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 sitting 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 vocals at the start of the song, with the first and second opening on the louder passages, and all three on the loudest parts, creating progressively more reverb and ambience the louder the vocals became.[6]
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" also appears as downloadable content in the music video game Rock Band in a 3-song pack along with other David Bowie songs "Moonage Daydream" and "Queen Bitch". The Australian television mockumentary We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year (title outside Australia: The Nominees) took its title from "Heroes". A cover of the single was used as ITV's theme song for its coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Track listing:
7": RCA / PB 11121 (US)
1. "Heroes" (David Bowie, Brian Eno) – 3:38
2. "V-2 Schneider" (Bowie) – 3:10
7": RCA / 20629 (Australia)
1. "Heroes" (English version) (single edit) - 3:29
2. "Héros" (French version) - 3:31
3. "Helden" (German version) - 3:32
4. "V-2 Schneider" - 3:10
12": RCA / JD-11151 (US)
1. "Heroes" (album version) - 6:07
2. "Heroes" (single edit) - 3:29
* US promo
12": RCA / PC-9821 (GER)
1. "Heroes" /"Helden" (English / German version) - 6:09
2. "Heroes" /"Héros" (English /French version) - 6:09
* Super Sound Single 33 rpm restamped to 45 rpm "Disco-Remix"
Production credits:
* Producers:
o Tony Visconti
o David Bowie
* Musicians:
o David Bowie: Vocals, Guitar, Saxophone, Keyboards
o Robert Fripp: Lead Guitar
o Carlos Alomar: Rhythm Guitar
o George Murray: Bass
o Dennis Davis: Drums
o Brian Eno: Synthesizer
Live versions:
* A concert version recorded at the Philadelphia Spectrum in April 1978 was released on the live album Stage.
* The rendition 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.
* Robert Fripp's band King Crimson performed the song live in 2000; it was released on the album Heavy ConstruKction.
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:
o Chameleon (Australia and New Zealand 1979)
o Best of Bowie (1980)
o Fame and Fashion (1984)
o Sound + Vision (1989) - "Helden"
o Changesbowie (1990)
o Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
o The Singles Collection (1993)
o The Best of 1974/1979 (1998)
* It was released as a picture disc in the RCA Life Time picture disc set.
Notes:
1. ^ a b c d Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: pp.90-92
2. ^ Mat Snow (2007). "Making Heroes", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: p.69
3. ^ a b Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: pp.90-92
4. ^ NME interview in 1977 with Charles Shaar Murray. Retrieved from Bowie: Golden Years 20 February 2007.
5. ^ a b c David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story: pp.323-326
6. ^ Richard Buskin (October 2004). "Classic Tracks: Heroes", Sound on Sound. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
7. ^ John J. Miller (May 26, 2006). "Rockin' the Right", National Review Online. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
8. ^ David Buckley (1999). Op Cit: p.424
References:
* Buckley, David [1999] (2000). 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. New York: Avon. ISBN 0-380779-66-8.
* Pegg, Nicholas [2000] (2004). The Complete David Bowie. London: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-14-5.
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_(song)
"Heroes" -
Studio album by David Bowie
Released October 14, 1977
Rykodisc Reissue August 27, 1991
Recorded Hansa Studio by the Wall, West Berlin
July-August 1977
Length 40:36
Label RCA Records
Producer David Bowie, Tony Visconti
"Heroes" (the quotation marks are part of the title, for reasons of irony)[1] is an album by David Bowie, released in 1977. The second installment of his 'Berlin Trilogy' with Brian Eno (the other releases being Low and Lodger) "Heroes" is similar in sound to Low but more robust. Of the three albums, it was the most befitting of the appellation "Berlin", being the only one wholly recorded there. The title track remains one of Bowie's best known, a classic story of two lovers who meet at the Berlin Wall. The album is considered one of his best by critics, notably for the contributions of guitarist Robert Fripp (who flew in from the U.S. to record his parts in one day).[2] John Lennon was quoted as saying that when making Double Fantasy in 1980, his ambition was to "do something as good as "Heroes"."[2][3]
Production and style:
Recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in what was then West Berlin, "Heroes" reflected the zeitgeist of the Cold War, symbolised by the divided city. Co-producer Tony Visconti considered it "one of my last great adventures in making albums. The studio was about 500 yards from the wall. Red Guards would look into our control-room window with powerful binoculars."[4] Bowie again paid tribute to his Krautrock influences: the title is a nod to the track "Hero" on the album NEU! '75 by the German band Neu!,[5] while "V-2 Schneider" is inspired by and named after Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider.[6] This came about because earlier in 1977, Kraftwerk had name-checked Bowie on the title track of Trans-Europe Express. The cover photo was inspired by Erich Heckel's Roquairol, as was that of The Idiot, one of Bowie's collaborations with Iggy Pop that was released the same year.[7]
Though "Heroes" included a number of dark and atmospheric instrumentals such as "Sense of Doubt" and "Neuköln", as well as the sprawling confessional "Blackout", after the melancholy and inward-looking Low it was regarded as a highly passionate and positive artistic statement.[4][6] This was evident not only through "Heroes" the song but in the rocking opener "Beauty and the Beast" (released as the second single in January 1978), the raucous "Joe the Lion" and the light-hearted closer "The Secret Life of Arabia". The lyrics for "Joe the Lion", written and recorded at the microphone "in less than an hour" according to Visconti, typified the improvisational nature of the recording.[8]
Release and aftermath:
"Heroes" was marketed by RCA with the catch phrase, "There’s Old Wave. There’s New Wave. And there's David Bowie..."[6] It enjoyed a positive critical reception on release in late 1977,[2] Melody Maker and NME both naming it 'Album of the Year'.[3][9] It made #3 in the UK and stayed in the charts for 26 weeks, but was less successful in the U.S. where it peaked at #35.
A number of the album's tracks were played live at Bowie's concerts the following year, captured on record as Stage (1978). Philip Glass adapted a classical suite, "Heroes" Symphony, based on this album, a companion to his earlier Low Symphony. The title track has been covered by numerous artists, and has been frequently used as an encore by recent incarnations of King Crimson, whilst "The Secret Life of Arabia" was sung by Billy Mackenzie in 1982 on the British Electric Foundation LP Music of Quality and Distinction.
Track listing:
All lyrics written by David Bowie; all music written by David Bowie except where noted.
1. "Beauty and the Beast" – 3:32
2. "Joe the Lion" – 3:05
3. "Heroes" (Bowie, Brian Eno) – 6:07
4. "Sons of the Silent Age" – 3:15
5. "Blackout" – 3:50
6. "V-2 Schneider" – 3:10
7. "Sense of Doubt" – 3:57
8. "Moss Garden" (Bowie, Eno) – 5:03
9. "Neuköln" (Bowie, Eno) – 4:34
10. "The Secret Life of Arabia" (Bowie, Eno, Carlos Alomar) – 3:46
Reissues:
"Heroes" has been rereleased on CD three times to date. The first CD issue was by RCA in 1984. It was reissued in 1991 by Rykodisc (with two bonus tracks) and again in 1999 by EMI (featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no bonus tracks).
1991 reissue bonus tracks:
1. "Abdulmajid" (previously unreleased track recorded 1976-79) – 3:40
2. "Joe the Lion" (remixed version 1991) – 5:18
Personnel:
* David Bowie – vocals, keyboards, guitars, saxophone, koto, background vocals
* Carlos Alomar – rhythm guitar
* Dennis Davis – percussion
* George Murray – electric bass
* Brian Eno – synthesizers, keyboards, guitar treatments
* Robert Fripp – lead guitar
* Tony Visconti – background vocals
* Antonia Maass – background vocals
Charts:
Album
Year Chart Position
1977 UK Albums Chart 3
1977 Billboard Pop Albums 35
Single
Year Single Chart Position
1977 "Heroes" UK Singles Chart 24
1978 "Beauty and the Beast" UK Singles Chart 39
Notes:
1. ^ Shaar Murray, Charles (1977). NME interview. Bowie: Golden Years. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
2. ^ a b c Pegg, Nicholas (2000). The Complete David Bowie, 307-309.
3. ^ a b Sandford, Christopher (1996, 1997). Loving the Alien, 182-193.
4. ^ a b Buckley, David (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story, 320-325.
5. ^ Snow, Mat (2007). MOJO 60 Years of Bowie, "Making Heroes", 69.
6. ^ a b c Carr, Roy; Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record, 91-92.
7. ^ UNCUT interview. Bowie: Golden Years (1999). Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
8. ^ Pegg, Nicholas (2000). The Complete David Bowie, 112.
9. ^ Gittens, Ian (2007). "Art Decade", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie, 70-73.
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Heroes%22
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