Intro
D G D G
Riff 1
E|------------------------------------------|
B|---/10~~~-7~-12~-7/10~~-------------------|
G|------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
Riff 2
E|------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|--5-5-----5~-5-5-------5~-5-5-------------|
E|------7-5-----------7-5-------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|---------2-3-5----------------------------|
E|7-5-3~-3----------------------------------|
Riff 3
E|------------------------------------------|
B|----7b8r7p5-5h7-------7b8r7p5-5h7---------|
G|---------------7~----------------7~-------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
B|7b8r7p5-5h7------------7b8r7p5-5h7--------|
G|-----------4~---------------------5~------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
B|-7b8r7p5-5h7---------7b8r7p5-5h7----------|
G|------------4~------------------2~--------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
Solo
E|------------------------------------------|
B|-5b7r5p3h5p3~~---------3-----3~-3---------|
G|------------------4~~-----4-----------2~~-|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|
( D G D G )
D G D G
I, I will be King, and you, you will be Queen
C D
Though nothing will drive them away
Am Em D
We can beat them, just for one day
C G D
We can be heroes, just for one day
G
And you, you can be mean
D G
And I, I'll drink all the time
D G
'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact
D G
Yes we're lovers, and that is that
C D
Though nothing, will keep us together
Am Em D
We could steal time, just for one day
C G D
We can be heroes, for ever and ever
What d'you say?
( D G D G )
D G
I, I wish you could swim
D G
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim
C D
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
Am Em D
We can beat them, for ever and ever
C G D
Oh we can be heroes, just for one day
( D G D G )
D G
I, I will be king
D G
And you, you will be queen
C D
Though nothing will drive us away
Am Em D
We can be heroes, just for one day
C G D
We can be us, just for one day
What d'you say?
D G
I, I can remember (I remember)
D G
Standing, by the wall (by the wall)
D G
And the guns, shot above our heads (over our heads)
D G
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall)
C D
And the shame, was on the other side
Am Em D
Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever
C G D
Then we could be heroes, just for one day
G D
We can be heroes
G D
We can be heroes
G
We can be heroes
D
Just for one day
G
We can be heroes
C D
We're nothing, and nothing will help us
Am Em D
Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay
C G D
But we could be safer, just for one day
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, for ever 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, for ever 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 us 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, for ever 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
Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-ohh, just for one day
Traducción literaria al español — fiel al sentimiento del autor, no es cantable.
Yo, yo seré rey, y tú, tú serás reina
Aunque nada los hará huir
Podemos vencerlos, aunque sea por un día
Podemos ser héroes, aunque sea por un día
Y tú, tú puedes ser cruel
Y yo, yo beberé todo el tiempo
Porque somos amantes, y eso es un hecho
Sí, somos amantes, y así es
Aunque nada, nada nos mantendrá juntos
Podríamos robarle tiempo al tiempo, aunque sea por un día
Podemos ser héroes, por siempre y para siempre
¿Qué decís?
Yo, yo quisiera que pudieras nadar
Como los delfines, como los delfines saben nadar
Aunque nada, nada nos mantendrá juntos
Podemos vencerlos, por siempre y para siempre
Oh, podemos ser héroes, aunque sea por un día
Yo, yo seré rey
Y tú, tú serás reina
Aunque nada nos hará huir
Podemos ser héroes, aunque sea por un día
Podemos ser nosotros, aunque sea por un día
¿Qué decís?
Yo, yo puedo recordar (recuerdo)
De pie, junto al muro (junto al muro)
Y los disparos, por encima de nuestras cabezas (sobre nuestras cabezas)
Y nos besamos, como si nada pudiera derrumbarse (como si nada pudiera caer)
Y la vergüenza, estaba del otro lado
Oh, podemos vencerlos, por siempre y para siempre
Entonces podríamos ser héroes, aunque sea por un día
Podemos ser héroes
Podemos ser héroes
Podemos ser héroes
Aunque sea por un día
Podemos ser héroes
No somos nada, y nada nos puede salvar
Tal vez estamos mintiendo, entonces mejor no te quedes
Pero podríamos estar más seguros, aunque sea por un día
Traducción literaria al italiano — fiel al sentimiento del autor, no es cantable.
Io, io sarò re, e tu, tu sarai regina
Anche se niente potrà scacciarli via
Possiamo batterli, solo per un giorno
Possiamo essere eroi, solo per un giorno
E tu, tu puoi essere cattiva
E io, io berrò senza smettere
Perché siamo amanti, e questo è un fatto
Sì, siamo amanti, e così è
Anche se niente ci terrà insieme
Potremmo rubare il tempo, solo per un giorno
Possiamo essere eroi, per sempre e per sempre
Che ne dici?
Io, vorrei che tu sapessi nuotare
Come i delfini, come sanno nuotare i delfini
Anche se niente, niente ci terrà insieme
Possiamo batterli, per sempre e per sempre
Oh, possiamo essere eroi, solo per un giorno
Io, io sarò re
E tu, tu sarai regina
Anche se niente ci scaccerà via
Possiamo essere eroi, solo per un giorno
Possiamo essere noi stessi, solo per un giorno
Che ne dici?
Io, io ricordo (ricordo)
In piedi, vicino al muro (vicino al muro)
E i colpi, sparati sopra le nostre teste (sopra le nostre teste)
E ci siamo baciati, come se niente potesse crollare (niente potesse crollare)
E la vergogna, era dall'altra parte
Oh, possiamo batterli, per sempre e per sempre
E allora potremmo essere eroi, solo per un giorno
Possiamo essere eroi
Possiamo essere eroi
Possiamo essere eroi
Solo per un giorno
Possiamo essere eroi
Non siamo niente, e niente ci salverà
Forse stiamo mentendo, allora è meglio che tu non resti
Ma potremmo stare al sicuro, solo per un giorno
Traducción literaria al portugués — fiel al sentimiento del autor, no es cantable.
Eu, eu serei rei, e você, você será rainha
Mesmo que nada consiga nos afastar
Podemos vencê-los, só por um dia
Podemos ser heróis, só por um dia
E você, você pode ser cruel
E eu, eu vou beber o tempo todo
Porque somos amantes, e isso é um fato
Sim, somos amantes, e é isso
Mesmo que nada nos mantenha juntos
Poderíamos roubar o tempo, só por um dia
Podemos ser heróis, para sempre e sempre
O que você acha?
Eu, eu queria que você pudesse nadar
Como os golfinhos, como os golfinhos nadam
Mesmo que nada, nada nos mantenha juntos
Podemos vencê-los, para sempre e sempre
Oh, podemos ser heróis, só por um dia
Eu, eu serei rei
E você, você será rainha
Mesmo que nada consiga nos afastar
Podemos ser heróis, só por um dia
Podemos ser nós mesmos, só por um dia
O que você acha?
Eu, eu consigo lembrar (eu lembro)
De pé, junto ao muro (junto ao muro)
E as balas, passavam sobre as nossas cabeças (sobre as nossas cabeças)
E nós nos beijamos, como se nada pudesse desabar (nada pudesse desabar)
E a vergonha, estava do outro lado
Oh, podemos vencê-los, para sempre e sempre
E então poderíamos ser heróis, só por um dia
Podemos ser heróis
Podemos ser heróis
Podemos ser heróis
Só por um dia
Podemos ser heróis
Não somos nada, e nada vai nos salvar
Talvez estejamos mentindo, então é melhor você ir embora
Mas poderíamos estar mais seguros, só por um dia
Piano — próximamente
We are preparing the chords
The story behind
The song "Heroes" is a work by British musician David Bowie, forming part of his twelfth studio album, also titled «Heroes». It was written in collaboration with Brian Eno and produced alongside Tony Visconti. The recording took place in mid-1977 at Hansa 2 studio, located in West Berlin. The instrumental base was completed before the lyrics were written; subsequently, Eno and Bowie added layers of synthesizer, while Robert Fripp contributed guitar. To capture the vocals, Visconti implemented a "multiple gates" system, using three microphones at different distances that activated according to the volume of the singing. As with other songs on the album, Bowie improvised the lyrics directly in front of the microphone. The song, in an art rock style, develops progressively throughout its duration. It tells the story of two lovers, one from East Berlin and one from West Berlin, who live under the constant threat of death and dream of being free while swimming with dolphins. Bowie included quotation marks in the title to add an ironic nuance to the romantic or triumphant character of the music and lyrics. The inspiration came from a scene he witnessed near the Berlin Wall, when Visconti kissed singer Antonia Maass. A painting by Otto Mueller and a short story by Alberto Denti di Pirajno also had an influence. On 23 September 1977, RCA Records released an edited version as the album's lead single. Initial reviews were mostly positive, and some outlets considered it a classic addition to Bowie's repertoire. The artist promoted the song extensively through a music video and appearances on television programmes such as Marc, by Marc Bolan, and the Christmas special Merrie Olde Christmas, by Bing Crosby. German and French versions were also released, titled «"Helden"» and «"Héros"», respectively. Despite the promotion, the single only reached number 24 on the UK Singles Chart and did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100, although it did place in the top twenty in several European countries and in Australia. Over time, the song gained recognition and many consider it one of Bowie's finest, as well as one of the greatest in history. Biographers have criticised the edited single version for diminishing the impact of the original composition. Following Bowie's death in 2016, the song reached a new peak in the United Kingdom, climbing to number 12. It remained a regular fixture in his tours and live performances, being his second most covered song after «Rebel Rebel» (1974). In 1998, the band The Wallflowers recorded it for Godzilla: The Album, receiving positive reviews and charting in the United States and Canada. Another version, performed by the finalists of the seventh series of The X Factor, reached number one in the United Kingdom in 2010. Over the years, the song has also been used in advertising campaigns and has appeared in various television series and films. After completing his work as co-producer of Iggy Pop's Lust for Life (1977) and participating in various promotional events, Bowie spent several weeks developing ideas and concepts alongside multi-instrumentalist Eno for his next studio album. One of the proposals was to reuse the G–D chord progression he had employed in Pop's «Success». Eno suggested the title «Heroes» because the sequence sounded "grand and heroic" to him and, according to him, he "had that word in his head". According to biographer Chris O'Leary, the name also referenced «Hero» (1975) by German band Neu!. The recording of the album was carried out entirely in West Berlin, between July and August 1977, at Hansa 2 studio, a former concert hall that had been used as a ballroom by Gestapo officers during the Second World War. The building was approximately 500 metres from the Berlin Wall. The song was co-produced by Bowie and Visconti, with contributions from Eno.