Released July 8, 1985 Recorded January 1985 Label Capitol | Format 7", 12", CD single Length 6:05 | |
Genre New wave
Pop rock
Synthpop | ||
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" is a 1985 song by Tina Turner. It was featured in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome which starred Turner and Mel Gibson. The song was written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle.
Contents
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" was released on the heels of Turner's multiplatinum album Private Dancer. The song was released as a 7" single, and an extended version was released as a 12" single and on the film's soundtrack album. In the UK, a shaped picture disc was also released.
In 1986, the song received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song and a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. As songwriters, Lyle and Britten received the 1985 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
Music video
The music video features Turner dressed in her costume from the film, a heavy chain mail gown. As several spotlights shine on her, she proceeds to sing atop a platform while various scenes from the movie are interspersed. In the last portion of the video, Turner's tour saxophonist, percussionist and keyboardist – Timmy Capello and a children's choir accompany her. The music video received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video.
Recording
Turner was backed by a choral group from King's House School in Richmond, London. One of the choir members who appeared on the record, Lawrence Dallaglio, became famous as a rugby union star and captain of the England national team.
Versions and remixes
Chart performance
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" became one of Tina Turner's biggest worldwide hit singles. The single peaked at number two on the United States Billboard Hot 100, behind only "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr, at number three in the UK and reached number one in Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.
Cover versions
Soviet singer and DJ Sergey Minaev in 1985 recorded a song "Mne moy mir segodnya tesen" ("My world is too tight for me today") using original melody of "We Don't Need Another Hero".
Uruguayan musician, comedian and writer Leo Maslíah recorded a parody cover titled "No necesitamos otro héroe (Balderrama)" for his 1988 album I lique rock. In this version, he played the original melody of the song but replaced the lyrics completely, using instead the words to a popular zamba (an Argentine folk standard) called "Balderrama".
"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song as "We Won't Eat Another Hero". He has performed the song in concert, but it was never included on any of his albums.
In 2004, Canadian singer Jane Child recorded a cover of the song, titling it "Beyond Thunderdome (We Don't Need Another Hero)" for the album What's Love? A Tribute to Tina Turner.
In March 2016, Seal and Jencarlos Canela performed a cover of the song during the Fox television special The Passion. It was sung in the story where Pontius Pilate (Seal) is torn at sentencing Jesus (Jencarlos) to death; the lyrics were amended to remove the reference to Thunderdome, which was replaced with "the love we know".