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A producer and a singer kiss in the shade of the Berlin wall, an artist observes this and writes a song about it, the rest is history. Today the song is known as one of the greatest David Bowie hits: “Heroes”. It was assumed that Bowie was not sang about himself. But now a new BBC documentary, which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on September 14th, outlines a completely different history.
“Bowie in Berlin” illuminates how the song may have been inspired by a special day, which he spent with his then friend Clare Shenstone. Shenstone, which had a relationship with the musician in the 1970s, shares her memories of the hours together and the supposed connections to the lyrics in the documentary.
According to the British, the day began with a conversation about a dream she had told her boyfriend in which she swam with dolphins. This experience seems to be reflected in the text line “I wish you could swim / like dolphins can swim” of the song.
From Checkpoint Charlie to the Berlin Wall
The 75-year-old also describes how she and David Bowie walked through Berlin and finally reached Checkpoint Charlie. “We spent a few hours at the monument to the unknown soldiers, where the guards marched in step,” she recalls. “We held our hands very firmly and took everything in us. It was such an extreme experience.”
Later they went along the Berlin Wall, which was illuminated by headlights. “We could see the silhouettes of the rifles, and we held our hands as he took my other hand and kissed me. It was so beautiful,” she says today.
When she later heard “Heroes”, she recognized the agreement between the texts and her day together. “I immediately knew what every word meant. The song described exactly the moment after the moment what this day meant for us,” said the artist.
So far, the story was that the text was inspired by a moment that the musician was watching between Tony Visconti and Antonia Maass on the Berlin Wall. The two had kissed under the wall, and Bowie is said to have used this scene as a starting point for the lyrics. This interpretation was given by himself as a central source of inspiration. However, the new documentation questions this previous interpretation.
David Bowie’s “Berlin trilogy”
His time in Berlin was a phase of personal and artistic changes. After moving from California to West Berlin in 1976, David Bowie was looking for a new beginning, both in his life and in his music.
The time in the German capital marked the creation of his “Berlin trilogy”, consisting of the albums “Low” (1977), “Heroes” (1977) and “Lodger” (1979).
During this time, David Bowie created pioneering music together with producer Brian Eno. This work not only redefined his career, but also influenced the direction of rock music.
The music for “Heroes” was described by Eno as “big and heroic”. Production included a variety of instruments and techniques, including innovative synthesizer sounds and experimental instrumentation.