Motorhead Heroes is the band’s raw, scuzzed up cover of David Bowie’s 1977 anthem.
Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee recorded it in 2015.
It became one of the last songs the classic trio ever cut together.
The track sat unreleased for two years before finally reaching fans in 2017.
It has since grown into one of the band’s most unexpected posthumous hits.
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⚡ Key Takeaways
- Motorhead Heroes is a cover of David Bowie’s 1977 song, recorded in 2015 during the Bad Magic album sessions.
- The cover first reached fans on Motorhead’s compilation album Under Cöver, released 1 September 2017.
- Motorhead played Heroes live only once, on 23 June 2015 at Rockhal in Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg.
- Motorhead released Heroes as a 3,000 copy 7 inch picture disc for Record Store Day on 21 April 2018.
- Motorhead Heroes surpassed 50 million views on YouTube by October 2021, according to Blabbermouth.
What Is Motorhead Heroes?
Motorhead Heroes is a cover version of David Bowie’s 1977 song “Heroes,” recorded by Motorhead’s final lineup.
Lemmy Kilmister sang lead vocals and played bass, Phil Campbell handled the guitar, and Mikkey Dee played drums.
Producer Cameron Webb captured the track during the same 2015 sessions that produced the Bad Magic album.
The cover trades Bowie’s synth driven original for a rawer, distortion heavy arrangement built around Motorhead’s signature attack.
Who Wrote the Original Heroes Song?
David Bowie wrote and recorded the original “Heroes” in 1977 with producer Brian Eno and guitarist Robert Fripp.
The song became the title track of Bowie’s “Heroes” album, the second entry in his Berlin Trilogy.
Its soaring chorus and Cold War era imagery made it one of Bowie’s most covered and most quoted songs.
Motorhead were far from the only band to cover the song.
Few other acts brought this much distortion to the arrangement.
When Was Motorhead Heroes Recorded?
Motorhead recorded Heroes in 2015 during the sessions for their final studio album, Bad Magic.
Producer Cameron Webb, who also helmed Bad Magic itself, oversaw the cover in the same sessions.
Lemmy Kilmister died on 28 December 2015, just months after the recording was finished.
Heroes stands as one of his last studio performances.
The band and their label held the track back rather than rushing it onto Bad Magic.
That decision is why fans did not hear it until years later.
Motorhead recorded Heroes during the same 2015 sessions that produced Bad Magic.
Did Motorhead Ever Play Heroes Live?
Motorhead performed Heroes live only one time, on 23 June 2015 in Luxembourg.
The band played it at Rockhal Main Hall in Esch sur Alzette as an encore, according to setlist.fm.
Setlist.fm’s own notes on the show point out that Lemmy sang a few of the lyrics wrong that night.
No other confirmed live performance of the song exists.
The Luxembourg encore remains the only time fans ever heard it played in front of a crowd.
Mikkey Dee drummed on the only confirmed live performance of the Bowie cover, in June 2015.
Image Credit: Photo by Kaja Konarska, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
What Is the Motorhead Heroes Music Video About?
The official Motorhead Heroes video combines archival live footage, offstage clips, and candid photographs of Lemmy Kilmister.
Rather than staging a new performance, the band’s team built the video as a tribute after Lemmy’s death.
Guitarist Phil Campbell called it “one of his best” Bowie tracks, according to Rolling Stone.
Campbell said he could only see great things coming from Motorhead’s version.
Campbell also said Lemmy ended up loving the band’s take on the song once it was finished.
How Did Motorhead Heroes Reach Record Store Day?
Motorhead Heroes first reached fans on the compilation album Under Cöver, released 1 September 2017.
The 11 track Under Cöver compilation gathers Motorhead’s studio cover versions recorded between 1992 and 2015.
That same set includes their Grammy winning Whiplash cover.
Motorhead then pressed Heroes as a limited 7 inch picture disc for Record Store Day on 21 April 2018.
The pressing ran to just 3,000 copies, according to Blabbermouth.
The picture disc’s B side featured “Heroes (The Wacken Family Choir Mix).”
That mix was built from crowd audio recorded when the song played over the PA at Wacken Open Air in 2017.
How Popular Has Motorhead Heroes Become?
Motorhead Heroes has grown into one of the band’s biggest posthumous successes on streaming and video platforms.
The official video surpassed 50 million views on YouTube by October 2021, according to Blabbermouth.
That total puts a 2015 outtake ahead of many of Motorhead’s original singles online.
The same willingness to experiment produced Whorehouse Blues back in 2004.
That earlier risk helped set up the band’s later willingness to take on Heroes. God Was Never on Your Side shows that same willingness to step outside the usual formula, this time through a protest lyric rather than a cover.
As of 2026, read the complete lineup history of the members of Motorhead across four decades of the band.
That history covers both Lemmy Kilmister and Phil Campbell.
People Also Ask
Did Motorhead cover David Bowie’s Heroes?
Yes, Motorhead recorded a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” in 2015 during the sessions for their final studio album, Bad Magic.
Lemmy Kilmister sang and played bass, Phil Campbell played guitar, and Mikkey Dee played drums.
The cover first reached fans on the 2017 compilation album Under Cöver.
What album is Motorhead Heroes on?
Motorhead Heroes first appeared on the covers compilation Under Cöver, released 1 September 2017.
The band later pressed it as a standalone 7 inch picture disc for Record Store Day in April 2018.
The Under Cöver compilation collects 11 Motorhead cover recordings made between 1992 and 2015.
Did Motorhead ever play Heroes live?
Motorhead played Heroes live only once, as an encore on 23 June 2015 in Luxembourg.
No other confirmed live performance of the song exists in the band’s history.
When did Motorhead release Heroes as a single?
Motorhead released Heroes as a limited 7 inch picture disc for Record Store Day on 21 April 2018.
The pressing ran to just 3,000 copies, arriving well after Lemmy Kilmister’s death.
The picture disc’s B side featured a mix built from crowd audio recorded at Wacken Open Air in 2017.
Was Heroes one of Lemmy Kilmister’s last recordings?
Yes, Motorhead recorded Heroes in 2015 during the Bad Magic sessions.
Lemmy Kilmister died just months later, on 28 December 2015.
The track remained unreleased at the time of his death and only reached fans two years later.
Watch Motorhead’s Heroes Cover and Shop the Albums
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Bad Magic (Seriously Bad Magic)
2015, Expanded Edition
The album Motorhead recorded in the same sessions as the Heroes cover.
The band’s final studio album before Lemmy’s death.
Ace of Spades
1980, 50th Anniversary 2 CD Edition
The album that made Motorhead legends.
Expanded with bonus tracks and remastered sound.
Kiss of Death
2006
The same Campbell, Dee, and Kilmister lineup that later recorded Heroes.
A key album from Motorhead’s longest stable era.
Overkill
1979
The album that defined Motorhead’s relentless attack.
Twin bass drums and pure velocity from the classic lineup.
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Motorhead Whiplash: The Grammy-Winning Metallica Cover
Another Under Cöver highlight, this one a Metallica cover that won Motorhead’s first Grammy.
Whorehouse Blues: Motorhead’s Acoustic Surprise
Another late era experiment that shows the band stretching far outside their usual sound.
Ace of Spades Motorhead: Inside Rock’s Defining Anthem
The signature anthem that still defines Motorhead’s legacy alongside covers like Heroes.
Orgasmatron Motorhead: Lemmy’s Best Set of Lyrics
Another song that shows Lemmy’s range as a lyricist beyond the band’s speed metal reputation.
Motorhead Heroes turned a two year old outtake into one of the band’s most watched videos.
It stands today as proof that Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee could take on Bowie.
Even covering Bowie, the trio still sounded unmistakably like themselves.
As of 2026, Motorhead Heroes remains one of the most surprising covers in the band’s entire catalog.
Last updated: July 18, 2026