We Don't Need Another Hero
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| “We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” | |||||
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| Single by Tina Turner from the album Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (soundtrack) |
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| Released | 1985 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12", CD single | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Label | Capitol Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Terry Britten Graham Lyle |
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| Producer | Terry Britten | ||||
| Tina Turner singles chronology | |||||
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"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" was the hit theme song to the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, the song was performed by Tina Turner, who also played the role of Aunty Entity in the movie, and produced by Terry Britten.
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" was released at the peak of Tina Turner's musical career, on the heels of her multiplatinum Private Dancer album and its many hit singles. The song's lyrical content and theme is mostly a statement of anti-war and anti-violence. The version played during the film differs from the version on the album and single. The song was also released in an extended, six-minute-plus 12" version, included on the soundtrack album.
The song received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song in 1986 and a 1986 Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
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[edit] Music video
The video is generally considered to be one of Tina Turner's best, and remains one of her most well-known and recognizable music videos. The video features an iconic Tina Turner dressed in a heavy chain mail gown, more or less in character as Aunt Entity. Striking a bold pose atop an illuminated circular pedestal, as several spotlights train themselves on her and the camera swoops beneath her, she proceeds to sing atop the platform while various scenes from the movie are shown. In the last part of the song, Turner's tour saxophonist Tim Capello and a children's choir accompany Tina.
The music video received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video.
[edit] Recording
The song was written and produced by the same people behind Turner's Private Dancer album. Turner was backed by a choral group from Kings House School in Richmond, London. In an interesting postscript to the story of this song, the Musicians' Union realized in October 2005 that none of the 21 choir members who sang on the track had been paid royalties for their appearance on the record. One of the choir members who appeared on the record, Lawrence Dallaglio, became famous in a totally different field as a rugby union star and captain of the England national team.
[edit] Chart performance
The single peaked at #2 on the United States Billboard Hot 100, at #3 in the UK and became #1 in Australia, Germany, and in Switzerland. "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" became one Tina Turner's biggest worldwide hit singles.
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Songs | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play | 23 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Australia | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Poland | 1 |
| Austria | 2 |
| France | 3 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Norway | 2 |
| Sweden | 4 |
| Netherlands | 7 |
| Ireland | 2 |
| Italy | 2 |
| Spain | 1 |
| South Africa | 9 |
UK Chart Run: 37-11-{3}-3-4-7-10-18-25-32-41-59-68->13weeks in the Top75
[edit] Cover versions
In 1998, the Croatian group Vatrogasci (Firefighters) made a cover of this song in Gypsy life thematic, translating it into the Croatian language and naming it "Daj još jednu", giving it a tamburica/folk music arrangement.
A cover version of the song was released in 2007 as a single from Northern Kings' debut album Reborn). The band is a Finnish heavy metal vocalist supergroup featuring Marco Hietala, Tony Kakko, Jarkko Ahola and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto.
"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song as "We Won't Eat Another Hero". Though he has performed it a few times in concert, this parody has not been released.[1][2]
Shirley Bassey made a cover of this song on her 1995 album "Shirley Bassey Sings The Movies"
[edit] References
- ^ unreleased "Weird Al" Yankovic recordings. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Channel 27: "Weird Al" Yankovic!. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
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