Songfacts®:
This song is about the heroes Foo Fighters guitarist and lead singer Dave Grohl had in his life, who were ordinary people who did extraordinary things. Apropos for the man who was Kurt Cobain's bandmate, Grohl has explained that he has little use for hero-worship when it comes to celebrities - especially rock stars. The song is written from the perspective of a kid, but it reflects Grohl's beliefs.
Like many of his Foo Fighters tracks, many listeners assumed that this song was about Kurt Cobain, but Grohl has explained that it isn't.
This was used in the 1999 movie Varsity Blues, and was also used in Sofia Coppola's movie Somewhere (2010) in a scene where the Shannon twins (Kristina and Karissa) are doing a pole dance for the hero in his hotel room. >>
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Keely - Fort Lauderdale, FLThe video shows a young man rescuing many things from his home which is on fire while the band performs in it. The man's face is never shown, probably to imply that heroes are everyday people. >>
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Sam - Portsmouth, WARepublican nominee John McCain used this song during the 2008 US presidential campaign. When the Foo Fighters learned through news reports that this was happening, they denounced his use of the track. The band said in a statement: "The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."
The Republicans replied that they had obtained and paid for licenses from performing rights organizations to play this song, along with millions of others.
Dave Grohl played this on acoustic guitar from a studio in Hawaii as part of the "Living Room Concert For America," a benefit broadcast on Fox on March 29, 2020, to raise money and spirits during the coronavirus outbreak. Grohl dedicated the song to everyone on the front lines of the fight against the virus. He also mentioned that singing the last chorus during handwashing is a good way to make sure we're following CDC guidelines by doing so for at least 20 seconds.