"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler
for the soundtrack to the 1984 film Footloose, and later appeared on her
album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire. It was written by Jim Steinman and Dean
Pitchford. Initially, the song only just reached the Top 100 in the UK Singles
Chart, but made it to number 2 the following year, and re-entered the
charts again at number 69 in 1991. The song reached No. 1 on the Irish Singles
Chart on 28 September 1985. It reached the top 40 in the United States.
The song's instrumental break was reused from an earlier song by Jim Steinman
called "Stark Raving Love", which featured on Steinman's 1981 album Bad
for Good. Background
Jim Steinman had been recruited to work on the Footloose soundtrack, for which
he wrote "Holding Out for a Hero" with Dean Pitchford. Steinman suggested
Tyler's name when he was approached about finding a singer to record the
song. Tyler recorded the song at the Paramount Studios, and was shown the
scene of the film where the song would feature.
Music video Produced by Jeffrey Abelson, directed by
Doug Dowdle, concept by Keith Williams, it was the second music-video that
successfully promoted Footloose while having no movie footage in the video.
At the beginning of the music video, Bonnie Tyler escapes from a burning
house; the video is set primarily in the vicinity of the burning house and on the
edge of the Grand Canyon – interspersed with shots of angelic background singers
dressed all in white. Evil cowboys dressed in black, carrying neon whips
appear before Tyler, threatening her; a cowboy hero dressed in white,
brandishing a revolver, appears on horseback and the evil cowboys flee on
horseback, with the hero in pursuit. As the song fades out, the hero cowboy
appears in front of Bonnie Tyler. It was used as the opening theme for the
Channel 4 American Football show in the 1980s.
Live performances Two recorded live performances of
"Holding Out for a Hero" have been released on her live albums Bonnie Tyler
Live and Live in Germany 1993. Video performances have also been released on
Tyler's DVDs, Bonnie on Tour and the DVD edition of Live in Germany 1993.
Other versions Since the original release in 1984,
Tyler has re-recorded the song three times. Two versions were released under
Stick Music, on her album Simply Believe and EP Bonnie Tyler. She recorded the
song again in 2011 on an EP entitled Total Eclipse of the Heart, released by
Cleopatra Records. The song is included as a playable track
on Just Dance 2015. = Cover versions =
Elizabeth Daily recorded the song as the series theme song to the TV series Cover
Up. Jennifer Saunders recorded the song for
the 2004 film Shrek 2. It also featured on the associated soundtrack.
Frou Frou also recorded the song for Shrek 2. It appeared during the film
credits and the soundtrack. Joss Stone recorded the song as a bonus
track for her 2004 album Mind Body & Soul
Emery covered the song for the first Punk Goes 80's album in 2005
Ella Mae Bowen recorded a version of the song on the 2011 remake of Footloose. It
also appeared on the soundtrack. Becca Tobin and Melissa Benoist
performed the song on Glee. It features in the episode "Dynamic Duets", and was
released as a single. German darkwave project Sopor Aeternus &
the Ensemble of Shadows recorded a cover for their 2011 album Have You Seen This
Ghost?. German band, van Canto, released a cover
version of the song at their 2014 studio album Dawn of the Brave.
Nothing But Thieves cover the song for the trailer of Vikings: Series 2.
= Soundtrack appearances = Footloose [Film]
Days of Our Lives [TV Series] Alvin and the Chipmunks [TV Series]
"Three Alarm Alvin" and "Alvin's Not So Super Hero"
Short Circuit 2 1988 Who's Harry Crumb? 1989
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman [TV Series] "Pilot"
Bandits 2001 Shrek 2 2004
Cold Case [TV Series] Episode 22, Season 3 The River
Drawn Together [TV Series] "Spelling Applebees"
Nacho Libre 2006 Smallville [TV Series] Episode 8, Season
9 Idol Saints Row: The Third
Regular Show [TV Series] "Eggscellent" Just Dance 2015
Bennett and Ethan [Animated Webseries] "Waterpark"
Influence on popular culture Around the world, Holding Out for a Hero
has become considered a torch song. In the LGBT community, The Star Observer of
Australia deemed the song a dearly-loved gay anthem. In the United States, the
song has been performed by drag queens. In 2001, the song served as the
soundtrack to a lip-synch and dance routine by the late performance artist
Tandi Iman Dupree and her dancing partner at the Miss Gay Black America
pageant. Their dance performance to this song inspired characters on the hit
television series Glee to recreate the dramatic entrance Dupree made at the
2001 pageant, including the playback of Holding Out for a Hero.
Video The Magic of David Copperfield VI
Floating Over the Grand Canyon 1984, David Copperfield & Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler The Video 1986 50 Jahre Rock 2004
Discomelodies and Rhythms in Russian 2005
Track listings and formats 1984 7" single
"Holding Out for a Hero" – 4:22 "Faster Than the Speed of Night" – 4:40
1984 12" single "Holding Out for a Hero" – 6:19
"Holding Out for a Hero" – 5:15 "Faster Than the Speed of Night" – 4:40
1991 12"/CD single "Holding Out for a Hero" – 4:41
"Faster Than the Speed of Night" – 4:40 "Total Eclipse of the Heart" – 6:49
Charts and certifications References