| "My Hero" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australian variant of standard artwork | ||||
| Single byFoo Fighters | ||||
| from the albumThe Colour and the Shape | ||||
| Released | January 19, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Grandmaster Recorders (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Gil Norton | |||
| Foo Fighters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "My Hero" onYouTube | ||||
"My Hero" is a song by Americanrock bandFoo Fighters. It was released in January 1998 as the third single from their second album,The Colour and the Shape (1997).[3][4] Lead vocalist and song co-writerDave Grohl described the song as a tribute to "ordinary heroes."
The song peaked at number six on the USBillboardAlternative Songs chart,[5] and is considered a Foo Fighters classic[6] and a staple at the band's concerts.[7]
Although the song was first released onThe Colour and the Shape album in 1997, it was played live for the first time with different lyrics in 1995. On July 17, 1995, Grohl demoed the hit song for the first time by himself on an 8-track reel-to-reel in the basement of his Seattle home. The demo features Grohl singing and playing drums, bass, and guitars. Although the lyrics are not complete, the vocal melody is the same as the melody of the final studio recording of the song.[8] In the Foo Fighters 2011 documentaryFoo Fighters: Back and Forth, bassist Nate Mendel states he knew the band had a future when he heard Grohl’s demo of "My Hero" “because the song was great”.
In a 1999 interview, Grohl said that the song is "about heroes that are ordinary" and added that he looks up to everyday people more than he looks up to celebrities.[9] During Foo Fighters' appearance onVH1 Storytellers in 2009, Grohl explained that the song was written while watching 1980s movies likeValley Girl. Grohl also stated that the band wrote the song aboutPete Stahl and Chip Donaldson without even knowing it.
The recording of the song was done using two different drum tracks played back simultaneously for the introduction and verses.[10]
Themusic video for "My Hero"[11] was directed by Dave Grohl.[12] It features a man running into a burning building to rescue a woman's baby, another woman's dog, and finally a framed picture of the first woman (which is the baby's mother). The eyes of both the baby and the dog are blocked out. The camera follows the man throughout the video, with his face never being shown. It is presented in a continuous "long take" format, although actual transitional cuts are disguised by smoke. During shots inside the building, the band is seen performing the song, seemingly unconcerned about the chaos around them. Despite not playing on the recording, guitaristFranz Stahl appears in the video, as by this pointPat Smear had left the band.
"My Hero" was ranked byEntertainment Weekly as Foo Fighters' 14th-greatest song,[13] was ranked byKerrang as Foo Fighters' seventh-greatest song,[14] was ranked byAmerican Songwriter as the greatest Foo Fighters song,[15] and was ranked byRolling Stone readers as Foo Fighters' fourth-greatest song.[16]
In 2008, Foo Fighters criticized the campaign of Republican presidential candidateJohn McCain for using their song at rallies without their permission. Foo Fighters responded to the incident, saying:
"It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property... The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."[17]
The McCain campaign asserted that the song was used properly underblanket licensing (which does not require the artist's permission), and all proper royalties were paid.[18]
The band played a stripped-down, acoustic version of the song during an appearance at the end of the2012 Democratic National Convention,[19]in which McCain's 2008 opponent,Barack Obama, secured the presidential nomination.
Foo Fighters also objected toDonald Trump's use of the song at a rally for his2024 presidential campaign inGlendale, Arizona, going so far as to state they would give Trump's opponentKamala Harris any royalties received from its usage.[20]
On September 3, 2022, Foo Fighters played a tribute concert to their late drummer,Taylor Hawkins, at Wembley Stadium. During that concert, the band played "My Hero" with Hawkins' son Shane on drums. Video of the performance went viral,[21][22][23][24] and the performance nabbed Shane a Drumeo Award for Drum Performance of the Year.[25] According toFar Out, Shane Hawkins' drumming style was "uncannily similar" to that of his father, and the "powerhouse performance of 'My Hero' will go down as one of the stadium's most emotionally charged songs ever witnessed".[24]
Weekly charts[edit]
Live version
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[38] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[39] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[40] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[42] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Alternative Airplay was previously called Modern Rock Tracks
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| EPs | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Videos | |
| Singles |
|
| Other songs | |
| Concert tours | |
| Associated acts | |
| Films | |
| Related | |
