X Factor Finalists 2010 – ‘Heroes’
Simon Cowell is a very literal man, isn’t he? When he wanted to get the X Factor finalists to sing a song of support to the children at Great Ormond Street hospital, he went with ‘You Are Not Alone’. When the following year’s crop got behind the Help For Heroes charity – which supports the needs of servicemen and women who have been injured in the line of duty – they chose Enrique’s ‘Hero’.
Now we’re getting David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’, and presumably next year we’ll get either ‘Time for Heroes’ by the Libertines, ‘Search for the Hero’ by M People, ‘Weak Become Heroes’ by the Streets, Mariah’s ‘Hero’, Chad Kroeger’s ‘Hero’, ‘Calling All The Heroes’ by It Bites or ‘Help!’ by the Beatles.
A LOT to look forward to there, I trust you’ll agree.
(No video. You’ll see it tonight.)
And credit where credit is due, even though this does feature the classic Westlife key change, even though it does start relatively small and intimate and grow into something huge, like always, and even though it is essentially a big-hearted bit of spinoff merch from a TV show – if you don’t watch it, you’ve no idea who is who and no reason to care either – this is one of the better re-imaginings of classic old rock tunes that Mr Cowell has been involved in.
Granted, that’s like saying the Fondant Fancy is one of the better sunday roasts that Mr Kipling has been involved in, but still, no sense in being snippy unduly.
It’s partly the lyric, which really does demand a restrained delivery in the verses. You can’t go melisma crazy all over the shop with a line like “I, I wish I could swim like dolphins can swim”, people will be rushing to bring you flippers because they think you’re that desperate.
And even when the bomb does go off at the end, it’s not with all the pomp and ceremony that usually happens. Yes it’s big and blowy and show-offy and muscular, but some punches have been pulled, and for this we really should be grateful.
And also, it’s nice that they left that swooping, seagull-like e-bow guitar in from the original. That’s a lovely bit of tasty “axe-work”, right there.
Download: Out later on
(Fraser McAlpine)
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