Life

The Book That Inspired David Bowie’s “Heroes”

image credit: Shutterstock

David Bowie’s iconic song “Heroes” is widely thought to be about the Berlin wall – but the song actually inspired by something else.

In the foreword to his wife Iman’s 2001 memoir, Bowie revealed that the song was inspired by the 1956 book A Grave For a Dolphin – in which a Somali girl and a dolphin embark on a ‘fantastical journey’. It turned out Iman – who is Somali herself – was also a fan of the book growing up.

She told Vogue “of course, finally when we meet, we can’t believe that we both adore the same book.”

What was your favorite book growing up?

To Top