Hero (Chad Kroeger song)

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"Hero"
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]
Genre
Length
  • 3:20 (with orchestral background)
  • 3:09 (with strings omitted)
Label
Songwriter(s)Chad Kroeger[5]
Producer(s)Chad Kroeger
Chad Kroeger singles chronology
"Hero"
(2002) 		"Why Don't You & I"
(2004)
Alternative cover
Digital cover

"Hero" is a song by Canadian musician

the soundtrack to the 2002 superhero film Spider-Man. It was written by Kroeger and recorded specifically for the film.[5] "Hero" was released through Roadrunner Records on March 1, 2002, as the soundtrack's lead single.[6]
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

45th Grammy Awards (2003).[7]

Background

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.[8]

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell was originally picked to play the guitar solo (later played by Tyler Connolly[9]), 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.[10]

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.[8]

The song has won

Best Video from a Film at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[11]

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."[12]

Chart performance

The song was a cross-genre hit in mid-2002, peaking at number one on the

Adult Top 40 charts.[citation needed
]

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Hero"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] 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 [6]
United States April 15, 2002
  • alternative radio
 Roadrunner [63]
May 7, 2002 Contemporary hit radio [64]
Australia May 20, 2002 CD [65]
Canada [66]
Various May 28, 2002
Sony
 [67]
United Kingdom June 10, 2002
  • CD
  • cassette
 Roadrunner [68]
United States CD
[69]

References

  1. ^ a b "Jerry Cantrell Skips Nickelback/Saliva Collaboration, Matt Cameron Steps In". Blabbermouth. March 27, 2002. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  2. ^ Josie, Bailey Jo (December 5, 2020). "10 Songs That Were Written for Superhero Movie Soundtracks". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Graves, Wren (May 20, 2024). "50 Best Post-Grunge Songs". Consequence. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best". July 5, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Music From And Inspired By Spider-Man". Discogs. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c "Amazon.com: Hero (feat. Josey Scott): Chad Kroeger (featuring Josey Scott): MP3 Downloads". Amazon Music. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  7. Hearst Corporation. January 8, 2003. Archived
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  8. ^
    Viacom. Archived from the original
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  9. ^ "Nickelback's Chad Kroeger Brings Theory Of A Deadman To Life". MTV News. August 2, 2002. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  10. ^ "'Spider-Man' Theme To Come Courtesy Of Aerosmith". MTV. April 8, 2002. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  11. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards | 2002 | Highlights, Winners, Performers and Photos from the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV.com. August 29, 2002. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  12. Time Inc. UK. Archived
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