"A Real Hero" | |
---|---|
Single by College and Electric Youth | |
from the album Innerworld | |
Released | 11 January 2010 |
Genre | |
Length | 4:27 |
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]
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.
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 ]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "A Real Hero" | Austin Garrick, David Grellier | Garrick, Grellier | 4:27 |
2. | "Closer" | Grellier | Grellier | 1:35 |
3. | "Critical Mass" | Grellier | Grellier | 4:12 |
4. | "The Mirage Makers" | Grellier | Grellier | 1:21 |
5. | "Susan Waiting" | Grellier | Grellier | 2:21 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [6] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
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]
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.
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.
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.
Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American retired aviator, diplomat and aviation safety expert. He is best known for his actions as captain of US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, when he ditched the plane, landing on the Hudson River after both engines were disabled by a bird strike. All 155 people aboard survived. After the Hudson landing, Sullenberger became an outspoken advocate for aviation safety and helped develop new protocols for flight safety. He served as the co-chairman, along with his co-pilot on Flight 1549, Jeffrey Skiles, of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013.
Morgan Wolf Page is an American DJ and music producer. His tracks include "The Longest Road", "Fight for You" and "In the Air". Page has received two Grammy Award nominations; a personal nomination for best remix with Nadia Ali and in 2009 his song was nominated for best remix; "The Longest Road". Page is signed to Armada Music worldwide.
Natalia Noemi "Teddy" Sinclair is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She has recorded music under various aliases, most famously as Natalia Kills and Verbalicious. She is currently the lead vocalist of the band Cruel Youth, which also releases music under the name The Powder Room.
Antony Von Williams, known professionally as the WRLDFMS Tony Williams, is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Williams is the first cousin of American rapper Kanye West and has contributed vocals or songwriting to most of his albums, beginning with The College Dropout (2004).
Young the Giant is an American rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia, Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh, and Francois Comtois (drums). Formerly known as the Jakes, Young the Giant was signed by Roadrunner Records in 2009, and they released their eponymous debut album in 2010. The band's first three singles, "My Body", "Cough Syrup", and "Apartment", all charted on the US Alternative Songs chart.
John Dadzie, better known by his stage names 12th Planet and Infiltrata, is an American DJ and dubstep producer from Los Angeles.
Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters is a 2009 memoir written by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow describing the events of US Airways Flight 1549. The New York Times bestselling autobiography of Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger—the pilot who landed a crippled airliner in New York's Hudson River, saving the lives of the 155 passengers and crew—discusses leadership, responsibility, and service, along with his life story.
"Pon de Floor" is a song by Major Lazer, a collaborative musical project consisting of the American DJ Diplo and the British DJ Switch. The single was released in 2009 by Mad Decent and Downtown Records as the second single from Major Lazer's first studio album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do. The duo wrote the song and produced it with Afrojack, Nebat Drums and vocals by Vybz Kartel. "Pon de Floor" is a dancehall and baile funk song and was positively received by music critics. It appeared on the charts in the United Kingdom in 2010, where it reached number 125. Eric Wareheim directed the music video for "Pon de Floor", which shows people dry humping, and incorporates daggering choreography. The song has been heavily sampled in Chiddy Bang's "Shooter" and Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)".
David Grellier is a French electronica musician and founder of the musical projects College (2005) and Valerie (2007). Under the stage name Mitch Silver, he is also a member of the electroclash band Sexy Sushi, active since 2004.
The discography of American alternative rock band Neon Trees consists of five studio albums, three extended plays, eighteen singles and fifteen music videos.
Sudan Ameer Williams, better known by his stage name Iamsu!, is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, California. He is the co-founder and lead member of the hip hop group HBK Gang, which was formed in 2008 and joined by fellow Bay Area artists including Kehlani and Sage the Gemini. He is best known for his guest appearances on Sage the Gemini's 2013 single "Gas Pedal" and LoveRance's 2011 single "Up!," both of which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Alternative Distribution Alliance to release his debut studio album Sincerely Yours (2014), which moderately entered the Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews.
Smallpools is an American indie pop band formed in 2013. The band consists of Sean Scanlon (vocals), Mike Kamerman (guitar), and Beau Kuther (drums).
Electric Youth is a Canadian synth-pop duo from Toronto, Ontario consisting of Bronwyn Griffin and Austin Garrick.
Synthwave is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn from the decade's art and video games. Synthwave musicians often espouse nostalgia for 1980s culture and attempt to capture the era's atmosphere and celebrate it.
Sully is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Todd Komarnicki, based on the 2009 autobiography Highest Duty by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. Tom Hanks stars as Sullenberger, with Aaron Eckhart as Jeffrey Skiles, and co-stars Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Autumn Reeser, Holt McCallany, and Jamey Sheridan. The film follows Sullenberger's 2009 emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, in which all 155 passengers and crew survived, and the subsequent publicity and investigation.
Claire Guerreso is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Boulder, Colorado, United States, who is best known for her music featured on TV, film, ads, and promos as well as her work with various artists.
Danny Chien, better known by his stage name Wax Motif, is an Australian DJ and record producer based in Los Angeles, California, United States.