Hero (Skillet song)
Encyclopedia
"Hero" is the first single of the 2009 album Awake
by the Christian Rock band Skillet
and is the first track on the album. The song talks about mankind's need for a Hero with the hero being Jesus Christ. It's the fourth single by Skillet to be released to physical media. The single sold 12,000 copies in its first week.
for the 2009 NFL Kickoff game
between the Pittsburgh Steelers
and the Tennessee Titans
, as well as the Week 17 Sunday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals
and the New York Jets
and the NFL Wild Card Saturday games, featuring the rematch between the Bengals and the Jets, as well as the rematch from Week 17 between the Philadelphia Eagles
and the Dallas Cowboys
."Hero" is also used for one of the 2 official theme songs for the WWE
Royal Rumble 2010
, as well as being featured on their videogame, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
, "Hero" was also used in WWE Tribute to the Troops
2009. The song was also used for the trailers of the 20th century Fox Film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
.
.
Awake (Skillet album)
Awake is the eighth album by Christian rock band Skillet. It is the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album Comatose. The album was released on August 25, 2009 by Lava Records and Ardent Records and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200...
by the Christian Rock band Skillet
Skillet (band)
Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. The band currently consists of husband and wife John and Korey Cooper , along with Jen Ledger and lead guitarist Seth Morrison. The band has released eight albums, two receiving Grammy nominations: Collide and Comatose...
and is the first track on the album. The song talks about mankind's need for a Hero with the hero being Jesus Christ. It's the fourth single by Skillet to be released to physical media. The single sold 12,000 copies in its first week.
Promotion
It was used in a promo on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
for the 2009 NFL Kickoff game
National Football League Kickoff game
The NFL Kickoff game, and related festivities, mark the start of the National Football League season. The first game of the season is currently scheduled for the Thursday following Labor Day. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. Since the 2004 season, the defending...
between the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, as well as the Week 17 Sunday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
and the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the NFL Wild Card Saturday games, featuring the rematch between the Bengals and the Jets, as well as the rematch from Week 17 between the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
."Hero" is also used for one of the 2 official theme songs for the WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
Royal Rumble 2010
Royal Rumble (2010)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 31, 2010 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
, as well as being featured on their videogame, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 , is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's, and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Wii, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the eleventh video game in the WWE SmackDown vs...
, "Hero" was also used in WWE Tribute to the Troops
WWE Tribute to the Troops
WWE Tribute to the Troops is an annual event held by WWE together with Armed Forces Entertainment in December around Christmas since 2003 as a way of honoring the men and women of the United States armed forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Selected WWE wrestlers and employees travel to the said...
2009. The song was also used for the trailers of the 20th century Fox Film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film directed by Chris Columbus. The film is loosely based on The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan...
.
Credits
- John CooperJohn Cooper (musician)John Landrum Cooper , professionally credited as John L. Cooper, is an American musician. He has been the lead singer and bassist of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band Skillet since 1996.-Seraph:...
- lead vocals, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Korey CooperKorey CooperKorey Cooper is the keyboardist, guitarist, and backing vocalist for the Christian Rock band Skillet. Her husband, John Cooper, is the lead singer and bassist of the band, as well as one of the founding members...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, keyboardElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
, vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Ben KasicaBen KasicaBenjamin Judah Kasica is the former lead guitarist for the Christian rock band Skillet. He joined the band in 2001 at the age of sixteen, and recorded the albums Collide, Comatose and Awake with them...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Jen LedgerJen LedgerJennifer Carole "Jen" Ledger is the English drummer and backing vocalist for the Grammy Award-nominated Christian rock/hard rock band Skillet...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals
Charts
"Hero" has reached the number one position on the ChristianRock.Net Weekly Top 30, #1 for 13 Consecutive weeks on Christian Rock Radio, and #1 on Christian CHR Radio.| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Christian CHR Christian CHR Christian CHR is a radio format that is common in the United States and Australia focusing on playing current and recent music as determined by the Christian Top 40.... |
1 |
| Christian Christian A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament... Rock Radio Rock Radio Rock Radio is a brand of radio stations in the United Kingdom owned by GMG Radio.96.3 Rock Radio was the first station in the network. It operates in West Central Scotland... |
1 |
| U.S. Active Rock Active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:... |
12 |
| U.S. Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
| U.S. Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
35 |
| U.S. Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
29 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
77 |
Music video
The music video for "Hero" was directed by the Erwin Brothers. Coming out shortly after the "Monster" video, which was shot by the Erwins at roughly the same time, "Hero" is the album's second music video. Although the site is for fan club members only, pictures of the video shoot can be viewed on panheads.com. The video premiered on Yahoo.com on September 10, 2009. The video appears to be shot in the Birmingham Race Course parking lot with the band performing in front of pyrotechnics and being doused in rain, with cuts of modern/every day heroes, such as a fireman, a US Marine, a bomb squad member, and a nurse.Awards
The song was nominated for both "Rock Recorded Song Of The Year" and "Short Form Video Of The Year" at the 41st GMA Dove Awards41st GMA Dove Awards
The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 21, 2010 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2009. The show was held at the The Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Bart Millard....
.