Holding Out for a Hero
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"Holding Out for a Hero" | |
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Song |
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford, originally recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1984 on the soundtrack to the film Footloose. It later appeared on Tyler's Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album. It hit #96 for the first time in UK in 1984, #2 in 1985, #69 in 1991. The opening couplet – "Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?/ Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?" – could be seen as an example of the ubi sunt motif in literature.
The song's instrumental break was reused from "Stark Raving Love" on Steinman's 1981 album Bad for Good.
Music video
Produced by Jeffrey Abelson, directed by Doug Dowdle, concept by Keith Williams, it was the first music-video that successfully promoted a movie while having no movie footage in the video.
At the beginning of the music video, Bonnie Tyler escapes from a burning house; the video is set primarily in the vicinity of the burning house and on the edge of the Grand Canyon – interspersed with shots of angelic background singers dressed all in white. Evil cowboys dressed in black, carrying neon whips appear before Tyler, threatening her; a cowboy hero dressed in white, brandishing a pistol, appears on horseback and the evil cowboys flee on horseback, with the hero in pursuit. As the song fades out, the hero cowboy appears in front of Bonnie Tyler.[1]
It was used as the opening theme for the Channel 4 American Football show in the 1980's.
Awards
BPI [1]
- Silver Certification (Single), September 1, 1985
- Top Selling Single #31 from 1985 (367.000).
Soundtrack appearances
- Cover Up (TV series) Series theme song (September 22, 1984 to April 6, 1985)
- Footloose 1984 (US #1)
- Short Circuit 2 1988
- Who's Harry Crumb? 1989
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman [TV Series] Pilot (September 12, 1993)
- Bandits 2001 (US #165, top soundtracks #15)
- Shrek 2 2004 (covered by Jennifer Saunders)
- Nacho Libre 2006
- Smallville [TV Series] Episode 8, Season 9 Idol (November 13, 2009)
- Saints Row: The Third (November 15, 2011)
Video
- The Magic of David Copperfield VI Floating Over the Grand Canyon 1984, David Copperfield & Bonnie Tyler
- Bonnie Tyler The Video 1986
- 50 Jahre Rock 2004
- Discomelodies and Rhythms in Russian 2005
Track listings and formats
- 1984 7" single
- "Holding Out for a Hero" – 4:22
- "Faster Than the Speed of Night" – 4:40
- 1984 12" single
- "Holding Out for a Hero" (Extended Remix) – 6:19
- "Holding Out for a Hero" (Instrumental) – 5:15
- "Faster Than the Speed of Night" – 4:40
- 1991 12"/CD single
- "Holding Out for a Hero" – 4:41
- "Faster Than the Speed of Night" – 4:40
- "Total Eclipse of the Heart" – 6:49
Charts
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 34 |
Canadian Singles Chart | 19 |
German Singles Chart | 19 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 19 |
Australian Singles Chart | 44 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 33 |
Italian Singles Chart | 30 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 19 |
UK Singles Chart | 96 |
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
UK Singles Chart | 2 |
EURO CHARTS | 12 |
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
UK Singles Chart | 69 |
Cover versions
It has been covered by a number of artists, including
- Demon Kogure for his 2008 album GIRLS' ROCK √Hakurai
- Emery for the 2005 compilation Punk Goes 80's
- Darren Maycock a.k.a. Alk-E-D for the eurodance compilation series Dancemania, specifically Dancemania SPEED 7 released in 2001, with the different name Hero 2001.
- Joss Stone
- Alvin and the Chipmunks for their TV series episode "Three Alarm Alvin."
- Graveworm
- Frou Frou and Jennifer Saunders on the Shrek 2 soundtrack
- Serbian punk rock band Six Pack recorded a version on their 2008 covers album Discover.
- Opera Magna, a Spanish power metal band.
- Yuko Nakazawa, in Japanese.
- Pop punk band Amazing Transparent Man covered it for their 2003 EP, Taking Back The Covers.
- Asakura Miki on the Japanese TV Drama School Wars 1984
- Melba Moore covered the song in a public appearance during Macy's 1989 Thanksgiving Day Parade, on a float with actors dressed as Marvel Comics superheroes.[2]
- Lucie Vondráčková - Czech female pop singer covered the song with Czech lyrics titling the song "Vítr" (translates as "The Wind").
- The Nolans
- Ajda Pekkan, with Turkish lyrics
- Icelandic musician Rúnar Eff covered the song in 2010 - watch on YouTube
- Greek power metal band Emerald Sun covered the song on their second longplayer, Regeneration, released in February 2011.
- Rockstar Steady (Japanese Singer Nanase Aikawa's project) first album Gossip bonus track, released February 16.2011.
- Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows for their album Have You Seen This Ghost? (2011)
- This song was sung during a performance in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2011.
- Every year at Six Flag's St.Louis they perform this song in Love at First Fright. This year Nicole Peach sang it.
Bonnie Tyler re-recorded the song on her 2004 album Simply Believe. She always includes this song on her setlist on stage and has performed it on the UK TV spin-off series Hollyoaks Later from Hollyoaks. She acted during the scene and performed the song as a duet.