The original song “We Can Be Heroes” (often remembered by the line “We can be heroes, just for one day”) is actually David Bowie’s classic 1977 track titled “Heroes” , not a song called “We Can Be Heroes” by another artist.

The Original Song: David Bowie – “Heroes” (1977)

  • The song is officially called “Heroes” , from David Bowie’s 12th studio album of the same name, released in 1977.
  • It was co‑written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, and co‑produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti.
  • The famous chorus line is:

“We could be heroes, just for one day”
which is why many people remember it as “We Can Be Heroes”.

Why the Confusion?

  • Because of that repeated line, fans and casual listeners often refer to the song as “We Can Be Heroes” in conversation, even though the official title is just “Heroes”.
  • There is a separate EDM/pop song called “Heroes (We Could Be)” by Alesso featuring Tove Lo (2014), which also uses the “we could be heroes” phrase, but that is a different track inspired by Bowie’s original.

How to Find the Original

  • On streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube), search for “Heroes” by David Bowie.
  • The most famous version is the original 1977 studio recording, but there are also well‑known live versions, especially Bowie’s emotional performance in Berlin.

So, if you’re looking for the original “We can be heroes” song, it’s David Bowie’s “Heroes” from 1977.

Bottom line:
The original song with the line “We can be heroes, just for one day” is “Heroes” by David Bowie (1977).