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On Thursday, we tape. And maybe, just maybe, we on @Political_Beats can be heroes just for one day.
"'Heroes'" (it's slowly lost its scare quotes over time, and Bowie himself was largely responsible for this as he embraced its deeply-embedded sincerity) is a song that still staggers in every possible way. Music, lyrics, theme, hope against hope. It is hauntingly deathless.
For all the talk about how Bowie was an artificer, uncommitted to true expression (total bollocks), "Heroes" was always his truest heart. He was perhaps afraid to acknowledge it initially. But the soul wins out eventually.
Maybe we're all nothing, and nothing will help us. Maybe we're all cogs in the machine. But we don't have to act as we are. We can still express things like love, conscience, artistic truth, even in the teeth of horrifying oppression. Even if just for a moment. That's "Heroes."
What I love about the lyric of "Heroes" is how it upfront admits that its protagonists are flawed, human clay. "You can be mean/and I'll drink all the time." They're not cardboard cutouts! They have major failings. But they can ASPIRE. They can TRY. You don't have to be perfect.
The greatest art (at least for me, de gustibus and all that) has always demonstrated *empathy*, an understanding of the life of others. Not non-judgmentalism, but judgment leavened by mercy and understanding. That's Bowie's achievement on "Heroes." Yeah, I like this song.
Remember: "and the shame was on the other side/oh we can beat them, forever and ever." That's not non-judgmentalism. That's recognizing that there are things which are right and are wrong, and even flawed people can aspire to stand up for what is genuinely right.
"Heroes" actually isn't my pick for David Bowie's greatest song (it's top five, but not #1), but it most certainly is his most moving and inspiring song. A work of the deepest artistic and moral maturity. It lives forever.
This is not quite true, but if you listened to our @Political_Beats "Best Covers" episode, then you know that this was *literally* the first track I mentioned in the episode. It's that a great of a cover. https://twitter.com/fsuglommer/status/1346315107362615297
Gabriel doesn't try to redo Bowie or Fripp (who produced his second LP!), he makes it into an orchestral requiem. And even though he edits the lyrics, it's majestic. If you haven't heard it, please hear it. Goodnight, god bless you all.
