Hero

"Hero" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It was released on May 6, 2020, as the second single from the band's fifteenth studio album, Van Weezer.

## Background

"Hero" was first hinted at in the promotional game "The End of the Game" Game, released on March 26, 2020. Upon clicking the text "Contest Rules", players were linked to an online dictionary entry for "Hero". On April 15, the song was listed as the third track on the Google Play listing for Van Weezer. When asked about the song during a Zoom webinar with fans, Rivers Cuomo confirmed that "Hero" was the next single after "The End of the Game" and stated it was coming "very soon". Cuomo publicly debuted the song by performing it on piano during another webinar on May 2. On May 4, Weezer's official social media accounts confirmed that the date of May 6 previously teased on May 1 was indeed for the release of "Hero."

Weezer performed "Hero" on the June 17 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On July 30, a piano version of the song, produced by Jake Sinclair and based on the prior Zoom and Tonight Show performances, was officially released on digital music storefronts and streaming platforms.

"Hero" was listed as the third track on the album prior to the formal announcement of the track list for Van Weezer on April 20, 2021.

## Video/Audio

The music video for "Hero" was directed by Brendan Walter and Jasper Graham and released alongside the single on May 6. On April 9, Karl Koch put out a request on the Weezer Fan Club Facebook group for video footage from hospital workers. Said Koch, "We are looking to create a video as tribute to the doctors and nurses on the front lines of COVID-19. If you or a family member or anyone you know has footage of them that could be useful as a tribute we would love to use it. Anything works, them getting ready, with their families, at work, wearing their PPE, etc. Anything will help. Thanks!" On April 24, however, Koch created a new post, clarifying that the plans for the video had changed, and requested that fans simply submit a video of themselves passing a piece of folded paper from the left side of the video to the right.

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

When I was a kid, I thought I'd save the world

Running 'round and chasing all the criminals

Swinging on a web, flying in the sky

Shooting lasers from my eyes

But now I know it never was my destiny

It's not my place in life, not who I'm meant to be

And I don't need the glory, I don't need the fame

And I don't wanna wear this cape

[Pre-Chorus]

'Cause on the inside (On the inside), I know it won't last

On the inside (On the inside), I'm an outcast

[Chorus]

Well, everybody needs a hero, but I'm not everybody else

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

You know, I tried to be a hero, but I was lying to myself

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

[Verse 2]

They build you up and then they're gonna tear you down

They love you, then they hate you if you wear a crown

It's not that I don't love to solve a mystery

But life is hard enough with one identity

If silence is the voice of a new generation

Then I could live up to all of your expectations

I'd hammer down hard, like I'm Iron Fist

Then disappear like I don't exist

[Pre-Chorus]

And on the inside (On the inside), I know it won't last

On the inside (On the inside), I'm an outcast

[Chorus]

Well, everybody needs a hero, but I'm not everybody else

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

You know, I tried to be a hero, but I was lying to myself

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

[Bridge]

Hero, oh, oh, oh, oh

Hero, oh, oh, oh, oh

[Chorus]

Well, everybody needs a hero, but I'm not everybody else

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

You know, I tried to be a hero, but I was lying to myself

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

Well, everybody needs a hero, but I'm not everybody else

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

You know, I tried to be a hero, but I was lying to myself

I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, yeah, I walk alone, oh, yeah

## See Also

 Standard