Heroes

Album: Forever (2014)
Charted: 6 31
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The follow-up to Alesso's collaboration with Calvin Harris "Under Control," this single finds the Swedish DJ teaming up with his fellow countrywoman Tove-Lo. "The song gives me the feeling that something might be over, but it's okay, we're still here together after it," Alesso said. "This might be the last time we'll be in that moment, but we can create new ones afterwards."
  • Tove Lo's lyrics were inspired by an episode of the TV series Heroes that she'd randomly watched. "I was thinking of being a kid and wishing I had these powers when I would pretend," the Swedish singer told Artist Direct. "There's nothing extraordinary about me in that way, but you always wish you could have that. Something will set me off, and I'll start writing. Then, I'll circle back to my own experience."
  • Speaking to Billboard magazine about the song's inspirational message, Alesso said: "I'm a pretty emotional person. Sometimes that's what's missing in the electronic landscape: the real emotions. I have a euphoric sound, so when you combine that with an emotional message, it connects with people."
  • Alesso explained how he originally connected with Tove Lo. "My team and I reached out to her to see if she'd be interested in a collaboration, and a couple months later, we began writing the lyrics that would go over these instrumentals," he said. "We discussed what it should be about - we knew it should be an emotional record -- and she came back with this gorgeous topline."
  • This appropriates the chorus lyrics of the famous David Bowie song. However, the words of each of the verses differ entirely from the Thin White Duke's. Bowie's 1977 track told the story of a German couple who are so determined to be together that they meet every day under a gun turret on The Berlin Wall. Alesso and Tove Lo's version is about the street-life interactions of a couple.
  • Alesso used Tove Lo's original demo performance of the song as he didn't want something that was too produced and perfect. He explained to Billboard magazine: "When Tove Lo was doing the demo vocal we were like, 'This is great.' Then she started polishing it and we were like, 'Wait, stop, we need to go back, the demo was the best one.' So we went back to the first demo, just because we didn't want it to be that polished. We wanted to get that feeling back where it started."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."