David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally… Read Full Bio ↴David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved massive commercial success in the 1980s starting with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).

During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists in history. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie

Studio albums
David Bowie (1967)
David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
"Heroes" (1977)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Let's Dance (1983)
Tonight (1984)
Never Let Me Down (1987)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
Outside (1995)
Earthling (1997)
Hours (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)
Blackstar (2016)

Heroes
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I, I will be king
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can beat them, just for one day
We can be heroes, just for one day

And you, you can be mean
And I, I'll drink all the time

'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact
Yes, we're lovers, and that is that

Though nothing will keep us together
We could steal time, just for one day
We can be heroes forever and ever
What'd you say?

I, I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them forever and ever
Oh, we can be heroes, just for one day

I, I will be king
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be heroes, just for one day
We can be us, just for one day

I, I can remember (I remember)
Standing, by the wall (by the wall)
And the guns shot above our heads (over our heads)
And we kissed as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall)
And the shame was on the other side
Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever
Then we could be heroes, just for one day

We can be heroes
We can be heroes
We can be heroes
Just for one day
We can be heroes

We're nothing, and nothing will help us

Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay
But we could be safer, just for one day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of David Bowie's song Heroes seem to be about two individuals who come from different backgrounds, but are united through their love for each other. They are aware that the world may try to tear them apart with its prejudices and problems, but they refuse to give up on each other. They find solace in the fact that, even if it's only for one day, they can be heroes.

The opening verse, "I, I will be king/ And you, you will be queen/ Though nothing will drive them away," suggests a sense of determination and defiance of the societal boundaries that would try to keep them apart. The chorus, "We can be heroes, just for one day," offers a reminder that a brief moment of bravery and love can change everything, at least temporarily. The second verse, "And you, you can be mean/ And I, I'll drink all the time/ 'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact/ Yes, we're lovers, and that is that," indicates that they will stick together through thick and thin, regardless of what they may face.

In the bridge, Bowie's clever use of metaphor is evident with the lines, "I, I wish you could swim/ Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim/ Though nothing, nothing will keep us together," as they suggest that they may be better off as creatures of the sea, far away from humanity's problems. However, they keep fighting against all odds, "And the shame was on the other side/ Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever/ Then we could be heroes, just for one day."

Line by Line Meaning

I, I will be king
I want to be in charge, to have power and control.

And you, you will be queen
And you can be with me, we can rule together.

Though nothing will drive them away
Even though we may have opposition, we won't be discouraged.

We can beat them, just for one day
We can triumph over adversity, even if it's just for a brief moment.

We can be heroes, just for one day
We can achieve greatness and be admired, even if it's temporary.

And you, you can be mean
You can be cruel or unkind, but I'll still love you.

And I, I'll drink all the time
I'll cope with life's difficulties by drinking excessively.

'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact
Because we're romantically involved and that is true.

Yes, we're lovers, and that is that
Yes, we're in love, end of story.

Though nothing will keep us together
Despite external factors that may try to tear us apart.

We could steal time, just for one day
We could enjoy each other's company without worry, even if it's just for a brief respite.

We can be heroes forever and ever
We can be admired and respected for all time.

What'd you say?
Do you agree? Are you on board with this idea?

I, I wish you could swim
I wish you could feel free and uninhibited, like dolphins swimming in the ocean.

Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim
Graceful and majestic creatures, unencumbered by the limitations of land.

And we kissed as though nothing could fall
We were so in love and caught up in the moment that nothing else mattered, not even danger.

And the shame was on the other side
The party that caused the conflict or harm should be the one feeling shame.

Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever
We can triumph over our enemies for all eternity.

Then we could be heroes, just for one day
We could live boldly and courageously, even if it's only for a brief time.

We're nothing, and nothing will help us
We are insignificant and alone, with no one to aid us.

Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay
Perhaps we're deceiving ourselves, and it's best for you to leave.

But we could be safer, just for one day
But we could still find comfort or solace in each other's presence, at least for a short time.

We can be heroes
We can be exceptional, courageous individuals.

We can be heroes
We can overcome adversity and inspire others.

Just for one day
Even if it's only for a fleeting moment.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Peter George Eno, David Bowie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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