Hero | 5ive Songs

In the 64^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with HERO in some form or fashion.

Welcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  On the 64^th edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with HERO in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”

💿 Midnights • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 📅 2022

“I have this thing where I get older, but never wiser,” 🏆 Grammy-winning artist 🎙 Taylor Swift sings on the third straight gem from 💿 Midnights, 🎵 “Anti-Hero.” She continues singing in the first verse of the single, “Midnights become my afternoons.” That’s just one instance of the poetry of her pen, which seems endless on this particular record.  See the second pre-chorus where she sneaks in words like narcissism and altruism perfectly.  Woo!

Beyond the impeccable lyricism, Swift delivers a respectable vocal backed by sound production (another fine collaboration with 🎛 Jack Antonoff).  The centerpiece of “Anti-Hero” is the chorus, something that Swift has excelled at since the beginning of her career.  In the chorus, Swift asserts, “I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.” Woo! Her honesty is epic in itself.

2. Lil Baby & Lil Durk, “Voice of the Heroes”

💿 The Voice of the Heroes • 🏷 Quality Control Music • 📅 2021

“Just keep on bein’ the voice, I’ll be the hero / and everything I got is a profit, started with zero.” Two of the hottest rappers of the 2020s joined forces.  That’s right, 🎙 Lil Baby and Lil Durk topped the Billboard 200 with their 2021 collaborative album, 💿 The Voice of the Heroes. Of course, what better way to commence the album than with the title track, 🎵 “Voice of the Heroes.” “Voice of the Heroes” is produced by 🎛 TouchofTrent and 🎛 Haze, who certainly fuel Baby and Durks’ fire.   

Out the gate, Lil Durk brings it strong with his agile, melodic flow.  On the first verse, he’s very honest about life, whether it’s missing his kids, seeing an uncle die, or seeing hs “Brother stack his bricks up and it look like Tetris.” Following the verse, Durk goes on to give us the heroic chorus, which highlights the titular lyric.  Next, Lil Baby drops his own slaughter fest, with his ever-distinct tone and compelling flow. Like Durk, he keeps things real, dropping the gem, “I showed all my niggas in the trenches it’s a better life / Never get too big for me to listen, I’ll take your advice.” A shorter Durk verse, followed by a shorter Lil Baby verse occurs before the chorus returns.  “Voice of the Heroes” is both a fine opening cut, as well as a totally, worthwhile single.

Appears in 🔻:

• V: 5ive Songs No. 49 (2021)
• 13 V Songs: No Rhyme or Reason

3. Mariah Carey, “Hero”

💿 Music Box • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 1993

“There’s a hero / If you look inside your heart / You don’t have to be afraid / Of what you are,” 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Mariah Carey sings on one of her most beloved hits, 🎵 “Hero.” “Hero,” which graces her 1993 album, 💿 Music Box, was a no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.  To date, “Hero” has performed in a heroic fashion, earning double platinum honors.  Furthermore, Music Box has been certified diamond (!) by the RIAA – big time!  Focusing on “Hero,” given the inspirational and uplifting vibe, it’s unsurprising it ranks near the top of Carey’s illustrious collection.

Vocally, Mariah Carey shows everyone she possesses the voice of an angel.  She sings incredibly expressively, and you buy what she’s selling.  With a superb first verse under her belt, she keeps the uplifting vibes going strong in the second: “You can find love / If you search within yourself / And the emptiness you felt / Will disappear.” Sigh, doesn’t that just make you feel some type of way – all warm, fuzzy, and encouraged inside? The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is none other than the chorus, where the heroics reach a fever pitch!

“And then a hero comes along

With the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside

And you know you can survive

So, when you feel like hope is gone

Look inside you and be strong

And you’ll finally see the truth

That a hero lies in you.”

Appears in 🔻:

• Mariah Carey, “Hero”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 31 (2022)

4. Alec Benjamin, “Death of a Hero”

💿 Narrated for You • 📅 2018

“I tried to help but he said he was just too far from saving.”  One reason why 🎵 “Death of a Hero” (💿 Narrated for You) is a magnificent record is thanks to the fact that pop musician 🎙 Alec Benjamin is incredibly authentic – quite sincere. Furthermore, the theme makes “Death of a Hero” a gem, with Benjamin expressing his disappointment with a role model.  We assume our role models to be saintly.  Then, what do they do? Disappoint us, forcing us to regroup and rethink everything.

“Death of a Hero,” hence is a ‘deadly’ song, metaphorically speaking.  Here, the singer/songwriter’s “Superman” exhibits his unflattering side, and the image of his hero is forever tarnished.  There, my friends, is the metaphorical death.

Appears in 🔻:

• 101 Best Songs of 2018
• Recapping 40 Stunning Ballads from 2018
• Deadly Songs Unlikely to Leave You Literally Dead (Vol. 2)

5. Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Vaneese Thomas & Tawatha Agee, “Zero To Hero”

💿 Hercules • 🏷 Disney • 📅 1997

“Bless my soul, Herc was on a roll.” Woo, indeed! He’s Hunk-ules with that chiseled bod and those dashing looks 😍! Some of the very best, most electrifying moments from the soundtrack to the 1997 Disney animated film, 💿 Hercules, arrived courtesy of The Muses.  Among the best songs performed by The Muses – 🎙 Lillias White, 🎙 Cheryl Freeman, 🎙 LaChanze, 🎙 Roz Ryan, 🎙 Vaneese Thomas, and 🎙 Tawatha Agee – is 🎵 “Zero To Hero.”

“Zero To Hero” speaks for itself.  The Muses highlight the come-up of Hercules.  The one-liners are everything. “Herc could stop a show / Point him at a monster and you’re talkin’ SRO.” Woo! Calliope, who sings that marvelous line, goes on to say, “Now he’s a honcho,” of course, after previously being a zero! Fittingly, Thalia informs us, “And they slapped his face on every vase,” echoed by Clio (“On every vase!”).  Beyond the awesome lyrics celebrating this zero-turned-hero, the music is ripe, embracing R&B and gospel vibes.  One of the best moments of this classic is when The Muses turn it up another notch and “Zero to Hero” opts for a double-time feel. Amen! 🎼✍ Alan Menken and 🎼✍ David Zippel composed a surefire gem!

Hero: 5ive Songs No. 64 (2022) [📷: Alec Benjamin, Bakr Magrabi via Pexels, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, Columbia, Disney, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, Quality Control Music, Taylor Swift]