"Hero"
CD single cover
Single by Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
from the album Music from and Inspired by Spider-Man
B-side"Invisible Man" by Theory of a Deadman
ReleasedMarch 1, 2002 (2002-03-01)
RecordedMarch 2001[1]
GenreAlternative rock,[2] post-grunge[3]
Length
  • 3:20 (with orchestral background)
  • 3:09 (with strings omitted)
Label
Songwriter(s)Chad Kroeger[4]
Producer(s)Chad Kroeger
Chad Kroeger singles chronology
"Hero"
(2002) 		"Why Don't You & I"
(2004)
Alternative cover
iTunes cover

"Hero" is a song by Canadian musician Chad Kroeger (lead vocalist of Nickelback) and American musician Josey Scott (then lead vocalist of Saliva) for the soundtrack to the 2002 superhero film Spider-Man. It was written by Kroeger and recorded specifically for the film.[4] "Hero" was released through Roadrunner Records on March 1, 2002, as the soundtrack's lead single.[5] The song serves as Kroeger's debut solo release.

There are two widely-available versions of the song: one with an orchestral background and one without. Mike Kroeger (bassist of Nickelback), Tyler Connolly (lead singer/guitarist of Theory of a Deadman), and Matt Cameron (drummer of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) appear on the recording. In addition to its digital release, "Hero" was distributed internationally in various CD single and maxi single formats. Theory of a Deadman's "Invisible Man" was included on many of these releases.

"Hero" experienced worldwide commercial success, peaking in the top 10 of record charts in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song also topped the US Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock airplay charts. It was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Rock Song at the 45th Grammy Awards (2003).[6]

Background

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The song was the result of a collaboration between Kroeger and Scott. Scott told Yahoo!'s entertainment news service LAUNCH, "(Kroeger) had the idea for the song 'Hero,' so I came up to Vancouver and met him. He pitched me the idea, and I thought that was pretty dope. Real dope. So we sort of tweaked it, together, laid down some harmonies on it, and played everything from congas to acoustics on it."

Matt Cameron, who played drums on the recording, did not appear in the music video and cited "family issues" as the reason. Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart appeared in his place, performing along to Cameron's drum track.[7]

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell was originally picked to play the guitar solo (later played by Tyler Connolly[8]), but he pulled out.[1] He did, however, contribute to the soundtrack with the song "She Was My Girl", from his solo album Degradation Trip.[9]

Music video

The music video consists of the group, except for Matt Cameron, performing on a building's rooftop purportedly in New York City, with footage of the movie spliced in between, and was directed by Nigel Dick. It was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 24, 2002, and premiered on March 28.[7]

The song has won Best Video from a Film at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[10]

Critical reception

Reviewing the song for NME, Imran Ahmed was critical of Kroeger's "predictability" and drew a strong comparison to "How You Remind Me", Nickelback's 2001 international breakthrough, calling the formula for both "Commercial grunge + MOR sensibility = Nu-MOR hit."[11]

Chart performance

The song was a cross-genre hit in mid-2002, peaking at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and also winning considerable airplay at pop radio, peaking at number two and five, respectively, on the Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 charts.

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Hero"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Hero"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Worldwide March 1, 2002 Digital download Roadrunner [5]
United States April 15, 2002
Roadrunner [61]
May 7, 2002 Contemporary hit radio [62]
Australia May 20, 2002 CD [63]
Canada [64]
Various May 28, 2002 Sony [65]
United Kingdom June 10, 2002
  • CD
  • cassette
 Roadrunner [66]
United States CD
[67]

References

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External links

Chad Kroeger
Saliva
Spider-Man in film
MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film
Authority control databases
Categories