Heroes Are Hard to Find (song)

Last updated
"Heroes Are Hard to Find"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Heroes Are Hard To Find
B-side "Born Enchanter"
ReleasedSeptember 1974 (US) [1]
7 February 1975 (UK) [2]
Recorded1974
Length
  • 3:35 (album version)
    2:46 (single version)
Label Reprise K 14403
Songwriter(s) Christine McVie
Producer(s) Fleetwood Mac, Keith Olsen
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"For Your Love"
(1973)		"Heroes Are Hard to Find"
(1974)		"Warm Ways"
(1975)

"Heroes Are Hard to Find" is a 1974 song performed by Fleetwood Mac written by British keyboardist Christine McVie. It is the opening song to the 1974 album of the same name. The song was released as the album's lead single but failed to chart. [3] "Heroes Are Hard to Find" has appeared on a few Fleetwood Mac compilation albums, including 25 Years - The Chain , 50 Years – Don't Stop , and Best of 1969–1974.

Contents

Background

Nick De Caro, who worked as a record producer and arranger for A&M Records, wrote the song's brass arrangements. Christine McVie also augmented the arrangement with an ARP String Ensemble at the end of the composition. [4] Bob Welch, who was the band's guitarist during the recording of Heroes Are Hard to Find, said in a 1999 Q&A that he was surprised that the title track did not achieve commercial success; he also shared this sentiment about McVie's other songs on Heroes are Hard to Find. [5]

Critical reception

"Heroes Are Hard to Find" generally received positive reviews from music critics. In his review of the album, Ken Barnes of Rolling Stone described the title track as "intriguing". [6] Billboard labeled the title track as one of the strongest songs on the album. [7] Cash Box said that the "tight sweet harmonies" on the title track "back (Christine McVie) up with some excellent instrumentation". [8] Record World anticipated that the "funkified titled tune" would receive airplay on FM radio. [9] In a retrospective review, Hal Horowitz of AllMusic thought that the song was a "blatant but failed attempt at a hit single". He also highlighted the song's "aggressive" arrangement centered around brass instruments. [10]

Track listing

7" single

  1. "Heroes Are Hard to Find (Single Edit)" – 2:46
  2. "Born Enchanter" – 2:54 [11]

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Mike (2011). Fleetwood Mac - The Definitive History. New York: Sterling. p. 284. ISBN   978-1-4027-8630-3.
  2. ↑ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 34.
  3. ↑ Swanson, Dave (13 September 2014). "When Fleetwood Mac Ended an Era With 'Heroes Are Hard to Find'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  4. ↑ Roubin, Olivier; Ollivier, Romuald (1 April 2025). Fleetwood Mac: All The Songs. New York: Black Dog Leventhal Publishers. p. 298. ISBN   978-0-7624-8630-4.
  5. ↑ "Q&A Sessions - Bob Welch". The Penguin. November 1999. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  6. ↑ Barnes, Ken (24 October 1974). "Fleetwood Mac Heroes Are Hard to Find > Album Review". Rolling Stone . No. 172. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "Top Picks" (PDF). Billboard. Nielsen Business. 28 September 1974. p. 72 – via World Radio History.
  8. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 7 December 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Record World Album Picks" (PDF). Record World. 5 October 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 26 April 2025– via World Radio History.
  10. ↑ Horowitz, Hal. "Heroes Are Hard To Find - Fleetwood Mac". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Fleetwood Mac - Heroes Are Hard To Find". UK Charts. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
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