Band releases video for “Heroes” for song’s 40th anniversary
When Depeche Mode recorded a number of songs on New York City’s High Line public park ahead of the release of their latest LP, Spirit, one of the numbers they tackled was an impassioned cover of David Bowie’s enduring hit “Heroes.” They’ve made the tune a staple of their current tour, and now they’re releasing a video for the tune to mark the tune’s 40th anniversary, on September 23rd.
“‘Heroes’ is the most special song to me at the moment,” singer Dave Gahan said in a statement. “Bowie is the one artist who I’ve stuck with since I was in my early teens. His albums are always my go-to on tour and covering ‘Heroes’ is paying homage to Bowie.”
Tim Saccenti, who has shot videos for Depeche Mode and Phantogram, directed the clip. Although the music comes from the band’s Highline session, the video itself was shot in a studio with imagery of trees and desert landscapes projected behind them.
Earlier this year, Gahan discussed what doing the cover meant to him in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I was so moved, I barely held it together, to be honest,” he said. “Martin [Gore] listened to ‘Heroes’ once it was mixed and randomly told me, ‘Wow, that was really fucking good.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?'”
Gahan also recalled his reaction to Bowie’s 2016 death. “I had seen the news but it wasn’t until my wife told me he had died that I just broke down in tears,” he said. “My daughter came out and they were both hugging me. It really affected me. I felt a huge gap. One of the things I was most regrettable about was that I had never really gone up to him at any time I’d seen him in passing and said, ‘You know, David, I bump into you every once in a while, but I’ve never told you how much your music has meant to me and continues to mean to me.'”