We Don't Need Another Hero

"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"
Single by Tina Turner
from the album Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (soundtrack)
Released	July 29, 1985UK
Format	7", 12", CD single
Genre	Pop
Label	Capitol Records
Writer(s)	Terry Britten Graham Lyle
Producer	Terry Britten
Certification	Silver (UK)[1]
Tina Turner singles chronology
"Show Some Respect" (1985) "We Don't Need Another Hero (1985) "One of the Living" (1985)

"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.

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 Aunty 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.

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 King's House School in Richmond, London. 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.

Versions and remixes

• 7" Edit - 4:16
• 7" Instrumental - 4:41
• 12" Extended Mix (Soundtrack album version) - 6:07
• 12" Dub Mix (Soundtrack instrumental version) - 6:30

Chart performance

"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" became one of Tina Turner's biggest worldwide hit singles. 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.

Chart positions

Cover versions

Shirley Bassey covered this song on her 1995 album Sings the Movies.

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.

Swedish singer Regina Lund has recorded a very soft and toned down version of this song, featured on her album "Year Zero" from 2000.

Jane Child made a cover of this song in 2004, re-titling it "Beyond Thunderdome (We Don't Need Another Hero)"

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.^[2][3]

References