Heroes

David Bowie recorded “Heroes” in July and August 1977 at Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin, within sight of the Berlin Wall. Bowie and Tony Visconti produced the track with Brian Eno contributing synthesizer treatments and Robert Fripp adding the sustained guitar lines, while Visconti’s gated multi-microphone vocal setup shaped Bowie’s escalating lead performance. Released by RCA in 1977 as the title track and lead single from Heroes, it reached number 24 on the UK Official Singles Chart during its original run. Its Berlin setting, defiant lyric and expansive production made it the central anthem of Bowie’s late-1970s Berlin period. The track became one of Bowie’s most enduring songs and later reached wider symbolic status through performances at Live Aid, the Concert for Berlin and the 2012 London Olympics. Its cover history, reissues and posthumous chart returns made it one of the defining recordings of his catalogue.