"Heroes" by David Bowie (RIP)

The music world was shocked to lose another icon today:  David Bowie. Unbeknownst to many, he had been battling cancer for the past 18 months. The news came upon the heels of his latest release, "Blackstar", which bowed Friday of last week. That Friday also marked his 69th birthday.

David Bowie was a prolific and influential songwriter, but is perhaps equally known for his envelope-pushing performances. Never one to stay in one musical place for long, Bowie was constantly changing styles...not adapting to fads, but instead bucking the trends. He's had a long line of hits and awards, earning him a ranking of #140 all-time best artists in Whitburn's 12th Edition of Top Pop Singles.

Bowie began his chart career with a reissue of his classic song, "Space Oddity", which hit #15 in 1973 (it originally bubbled under the chart in 1969). His first #1 smash would be "Fame" in 1975. His famous duet with Queen, "Under Pressure", hit #29 in 1981 and ushered in a major comeback that included a second #1 smash with "Let's Dance" in 1983. Quite the departure from his 80s pop, his final charting single was the industrial track, "I'm Afraid of Americans", which hit #66 in 1997.

Incredibly, one of Bowie's most well-known songs, "Heroes", never charted. It stands as proof that you must go off the charts to find new musical gems that were criminally ignored for one reason or other. Bowie was a hero to so many...