It's David Bowie's third-most-streamed song on Spotify, an anthemic classic that been covered by everyone from Oasis to Motörhead, Peter Gabriel to Depeche Mode. And now, 47 years on from it's 1977 release, the true inspiration behind 'Heroes' has emerged.
During his lifetime, Bowie always stated that the title track of his 12th studio album was written after he observed his friend and producer Tony Visconti share a kiss with German singer Antonia Maass close to the Berlin Wall, during his time living in the city.
But in an upcoming BBC Radio 4 documentary, Archive on 4: Bowie in Berlin, set for broadcast on on September 14, it's claimed that the song actually depicts a day the singer spent in the then-West German capital with English artist, actor and model Clare Shenstone, who he was dating during his residency.
Recalling the day in question, Shenstone says it started with her telling her lover about a dream that involved swimming with dolphins, before they visited a museum show, then crossed into East Berlin.
“We spent a couple of hours at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the guards were goose-stepping,” she tells the documentary's producer Francis Whately. “We held hands very tightly and just took it all in, it was so extreme as an experience. We walked along the other side of the wall. There were spotlights and you could see the guns silhouetted and we were holding hands and he took my other hand and he kissed me. It was so beautiful.”
Shenstone says that when she heard 'Heroes' for the first time, she “recognised it immediately”.
“I knew what each word meant, and it described exactly from moment to moment what that day was about.”
'Heroes', which features Robert Fripp on guitar, peaked a number 24 in the UK charts upon its original release. Fripp has also covered the song with King Crimson, and with his wife Toyah Willcox, as part of their popular Sunday Lunch series on YouTube.
Talking last year, Fripp recalled, “I flew to Berlin, and I believe in a total of three days, I played my guitar parts on Heroes, and it was lots of fun, lots of laughter, play, humour... It was great. And David showed me some interesting places in Berlin, too.”
