A Real Hero

Last updated
"A Real Hero"
A Real Hero - cover.jpg
Single by College and Electric Youth
from the album Innerworld
Released11 January 2010 (2010-01-11)
Genre
Length4:27
Label Valerie Records
Songwriter(s)

"A Real Hero" is a song by French electronica artist College in collaboration with Electric Youth, released in 2010. The song was included as the eleventh track on Electric Youth's debut studio album Innerworld . The track was used as a main theme in the 2011 film Drive , directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. [2]

Contents

Production

Electric Youth frontman Austin Garrick, along with David Grellier, who performs as College, have cited separate inspirations for producing the song.

Garrick was inspired to write the song by a quote from his grandfather, who spoke of airline captain Chesley Sullenberger after the US Airways Flight 1549 water landing incident. [3] [4] Garrick's grandfather referred to Sullenberger as "a real human being and a real hero", which became the song's refrain. The second verse of the song, which includes the line "155 people on board", refers to the 155 survivors of US 1549.

Grellier, on the other hand, took inspiration from cinema, in particular the character Max Rockatansky of the Mad Max franchise. Grellier has stated that he "wanted to give a homage to that lonely hero that we see in movies like Mad Max . People who make their own choice and try to save lives. I want to give an homage." [4] The first verse of the song is more along these lines and could be taken to be about Mad Max himself, although it could also be about Sullenberger.

Cover versions

Indie pop group Smallpools released a cover version of the song on May 12, 2015, through RCA Records and Sony Music Entertainment. [5] The cover was uploaded to audio distribution platform SoundCloud on May 13.[ citation needed ]

Track listing

Digital download
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."A Real Hero" Austin Garrick, David Grellier Garrick, Grellier4:27
2."Closer"GrellierGrellier1:35
3."Critical Mass"GrellierGrellier4:12
4."The Mirage Makers"GrellierGrellier1:21
5."Susan Waiting"GrellierGrellier2:21

Personnel

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [6] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history and reception

CountryDateFormatLabel
France [7] January 11, 2010 Digital download Valerie
United Kingdom [8]
United States [9]

Spin magazine named "A Real Hero" one of the 20 Best Songs of 2011. [10] The song was nominated for a 2012 MTV Movie Award in the category of "Best Music". [11]

Related Research Articles

Austin Garrick, also known as Watts, is a Canadian record producer, songwriter, musician and composer from Toronto, Ontario. He has produced for artists such as Ghostface Killah, Redman, Method Man, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Gesaffelstein. He is one half of synth-pop duo Electric Youth, who first rose to prominence upon the release of their song "A Real Hero", from the acclaimed soundtrack of the motion picture Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Airways Flight 1549</span> 2009 aircraft ditching in the Hudson River, New York City

US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia, losing all engine power. Given their position in relation to the available airports and their low altitude, pilots Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles decided to glide the plane to ditching on the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan. All 155 people on board were rescued by nearby boats. There were no fatalities, although 100 people were injured, some seriously. The time from the bird strike to the ditching was less than four minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Skiles</span> American airline pilot (born 1959)

Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Skiles is a retired airline pilot for American Airlines. On January 15, 2009, he became known globally as first officer of US Airways Flight 1549, when he worked together with captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to water land the aircraft on the Hudson River after the plane lost both of its engines. They were widely celebrated as heroes for landing the plane with no loss of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sully Sullenberger</span> American pilot and diplomat (born 1951)

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References

  1. MasterClass (7 June 2021). "Synth-Pop Music Guide: A Brief History of Synth-Pop". MasterClass. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  2. Vehling, Aaron (7 September 2016). "Drive: Revisiting the Neon-Noir Masterpiece". Vehlinggo. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  3. Dobbins, Amanda (27 October 2011). "College and Electric Youth Explain the Captain Sully Inspiration for Drive's 'Real Hero'". Vulture. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 O'Connell, Michael (27 October 2011). "'Drive' Song Inspired by Captain Sully Sullenberger and 'Mad Max' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  5. Payne, Chris. "Smallpools Premieres 'A Real Hero' Cover: Hear Their Take on the 'Drive' Soundtrack Jam". Billboard. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  6. "British single certifications – College Ft Electric Youth – A Real Hero". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  7. "A Real Hero - EP by College". iTunes Store FR . Apple Inc. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  8. "A Real Hero - EP by College". iTunes Store UK . Apple Inc. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  9. "A Real Hero - EP by College". iTunes Store US . Apple Inc. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  10. Aaron, Charles (9 December 2011). "Spin 20 Best Songs of 2011". Spin. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  11. "Best Music: "A Real Hero," College and Electric Youth (Drive) | Video | MTV". www.mtv.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09.
  12. Jagernauth, Kevin (22 September 2012). "'Taken 2' Soundtrack Features Two Key Songs From 'Drive' & More". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 August 2016.