Broken Heroes

This is recognizably an anti-war song. In his memoir Never Surrender..., frontman Biff Byford said it was inspired by the Falklands War, although it contains clear references to earlier conflicts, in particular the Vietnam War and World War I.

In the UK it is widely (and correctly) believed that the Falklands War of 1982 was fought principally at the behest of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for the ignoble purpose of securing her re-election, a tactic that was successful. Byford makes it clear in his book that he hated Thatcher for reasons related to domestic policy, in particular the way she smashed the power of the miners and (in his view) decimated mining communities. His father was a miner who had lost an arm in an industrial accident, and Biff himself served a short stint in a coal mine.

"Broken Heroes" is the sixth track - the first on side two - of the 1985 Innocence Is No Excuse album. Running to 5 minutes 27 seconds, it was co-written with lead guitarist Steve Dawson.