By Peter Pavarini
What does it tell us about a culture that goes from celebrating a song about two heroic lovers living in the shadow of the Berlin Wall to one that is a clever but self-absorbed lament about anti-heroes 45 years later?
As much as I appreciate and support writers of good prose, I find the lyrics of a well-written song to be a better indicator of a society’s moral condition. Consider the following two songs.
David Bowie’s “Heroes”
In 1977, a 30-year-old English singer-songwriter named David Bowie penned a B-side cut for his 12th studio album entitled “Heroes”. Bowie said he was inspired to write this art rock song after seeing two lovers kiss daily beneath a Berlin Wall gun turret. He then recorded the song in Berlin’s Hansa studio, which had previously been a ballroom used by Gestapo officers during World War II. The original recording of “Heroes” and covers by a long list of artists have made it one of the more inspirational popular works of the modern era.[i]
I’ll admit, as much as I liked the song’s instrumentation and David Bowie’s singing, the meaning of the lyrics seemed obscure until I heard Bowie’s explanation years later. Contrary to my first impression, the song wasn’t about a drunk king swimming with the dolphins. Rather, the song’s hook reveals what apparently has captivated listeners for nearly a half-century.
We can beat them, forever and ever
Oh, we can be heroes, just for one day
After I learned that the star-crossed lovers in Bowie’s song had been meeting in secret beneath the watchful eyes of a tyrannical regime, I understood why “Heroes” has resonated with millions of people across the globe.
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”
In comparison, consider Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”, a catchy tune that has burned up the charts since it was released late last year. While admittedly I’m not a member of her target audience, I have to say I’m impressed by her talent and the musical company she keeps.[ii] On the other hand, despite the media hype about being “bigger than the Beatles”, it seems a bit premature to anoint Taylor Swift as their 21st century successor.[iii]
Aside from being Swift’s longest-running #1 song, “Anti-Hero” perfectly encapsulates the angst and confusion of her generation. Watching the Twin Towers fall as an 11-year-old must have been a scaring event in her life as well as in the lives of other young people who came of age then. This is illustrated by the dark imagery she uses throughout the song: “depression”, “graveyard shift”, “ghosted”, “wake up screaming”, “monster on the hill”, “pierced through the heart but never killed”, and “laughing up from hell”. But the real pay-off appears in the song’s chorus.
It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero
I’m sure Taylor Swift’s fans will say the artistry of her lyrics is her brutal honesty. For sure, many songwriters bare their souls to make a point. But is she really doing that? Women’s Health reports that her current 20-month, stadium-only tour is on pace to make $1 billion[iv]. At the end of 2022, Forbes said she was worth approximately $570 million.[v] And to that I say: more power to you, Taylor! Between your music, movies and endorsements, you have certainly worked hard and deserve your fame and fortune.
On the other hand, when listening to “Anti-Heroes”, are we expected to sympathize with a billionaire who feels exhausted rooting for the anti-hero? If that’s Swift’s message, I don’t get it.
What It Means to Be a Hero
The English word “hero” is derived from the Greek word heros which means protector – someone who provides physical protection to others. Until recently, that connotation remained more or less unchanged for centuries. Today, however, the meaning of the word “hero” heavily depends on its cultural context.
The “martial” or “military” kind of hero remains closest to the original Greek meaning. This use of the word generally applies to an individual who gives of him or herself, often by taking exceptional risks for the benefit of others, by manifesting such qualities as bravery, moral integrity, honesty and conviction.
Another kind of hero is described as a “civil” hero, someone who intervenes in an emergency situation to save someone from harm. First responders and Good Samaritans typically are placed into this category.
The last category of hero is the “social” hero. These people are characterized by humanitarian self-sacrifice, giving their time, finances, and social status for the good of mankind. Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi are well-known examples of such heroes.
Unfortunately, once you get beyond these three categories, the modern meaning of hero becomes muddy if not highly controversial. Unlike role models meant to encourage good behavior outside conventional norms, many of the people now held up as heroes can be better described as political activists or champions of popular causes.[vi] Greta Thunberg comes to mind.
Why Heroes Are Needed
Sociologists, psychologists and philosophers have all noted that humans need external reference points for setting goals, standards and behavioral norms. During times of political and economic instability, such as now, the need for role models and heroes increases exponentially. Lacking such figures, the public becomes more attracted to pseudo-heroes like celebrities, online influencers and even anti-heroes. Perhaps that’s what Taylor Swift was alluding to in her song, but it’s only a guess.
What isn’t a guess is the power of a song like David Bowie’s “Heroes” which has only grown in the 46 years since it was first released. Much has changed since then but the message of heroism in the face of oppression and violence hasn’t. Our unsatiable desire for freedom from fear doesn’t go in and out of fashion like pop music styles. It may sometimes be confused with other yearnings, such as the desire to feel secure, but at no time in recorded history has a society thrived under a brutal regime like the one behind the Berlin Wall before it came down in 1989.
A Rallying Cry for Freedom
America in 2023 sorely needs a song to serve as its rallying cry for freedom. There may be ones better than “Heroes” but frankly, I’d rather be swimming freely with the dolphins than, as Taylor Swift says, be “pierced through the heart but never killed”.
[i] Rolling Stone Magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” ranked “Heroes” at #23 in 2021.
[ii] Her list of collaborators over her 15-year career is impressive: among others, Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Marcus Mumford. She also appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone with Paul McCartney in December 2020.
[iii] Arielle Gerber, “Taylor Swift Bigger Than the Beatles?” Music Times, August 17, 2023
[iv] Korin Miller and Olivia Evans, August 10, 2023
[v] Forbes, May 23, 2023.
[vi] See “What does it mean to be an American hero?”, www.historyneedsnewheroes.com
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