Ocean City will be rowdy this weekend and full of the roaring sound of motorcycle engines during this year’s OC Bikefest! While this is sure to be a fun event, it’s also important to recognize another special happening that occurred yesterday. A motorcycle ride commenced downtown called 9/11 Parade of Brothers, which included a memorial service to pay respect to those lost on that terrible day in 2001. It’s important to keep all lives lost that day in your thoughts and prayers, but I always like to say a special word about the men and women who sacrificed their lives during that tragic event to save others. Whether they were firefighters, police officers or an office employee aiding co-workers to get to safety, these people are truly heroes. To commemorate those who lost their lives while ensuring the safety of others on September 11, I would like to share with you my six favorite songs about heroes.

 

“Juke Box Hero”
By: Foreigner
Off the album: 4 (1981)
    OK, we’re starting off on a bit of a light note, here. This is a fictional tale about a guy who is unable to attend a sold out rock concert, but is still determined to listen to the show from outside. Amazed by the blast of one guitar sounding from the inside, he determines it’s his dream to be an awesome guitar player. With no lessons, he achieves his goal and climbs to the top of the music charts, becoming a “Juke Box Hero.” Although the story is made up, it is actually based on a real Foreigner fan who stood in line for five hours in the rain to be the first one at a show. Impressed by the fan’s devotion, frontman Mick Jones invited him backstage.

 

“Heroes and Villains”
By: The Beach Boys
Off the album: Smiley Smile (1967)
    The entire recording process and release of this song is pretty heartbreaking. Following the band’s huge #1 hit “Good Vibrations” in 1966, frontman Brian Wilson commenced an ambitious project that, in his mind, would compete with the songwriting of The Beatles (Wilson envisioned the bands as rivals in the ‘60s). Known as Smile, the album would feature intricate orchestral tracks and was anticipated to be the band’s most ambitious record. “Heroes and Villains” was planned by Wilson to be the centerpiece of this new album, and an even bigger hit than “Good Vibrations.” The song was re-recorded and rearranged numerous times over the span of several months, until Wilson finally thought it was ready to be released. However, when the single finally got airplay, it received a mediocre reaction. That news is what eventually broke Wilson and made him realize he had lost his self-imposed rivalry between The Beatles. Smile was never officially released, although some songs made it onto later albums.

“My Hero”
By: The Foo Fighters
Off the album: The Colour and the Shape (1997)
    As frontman Dave Grohl has said that he never had any musical or sports heroes as a child, this song is dedicated to everyday people who perform heroic tasks. The music video is based on the concept that anyone could be the hero, and that there are victims in need everywhere. Depicting a man running into a burning building to rescue those trapped inside, the man’s face is never seen and those rescued have their eyes blocked out. In humorous Foo Fighters fashion, the band plays the song in the burning building seemingly unaware of the horrors around them.

 

“Working Class Hero”
By: John Lennon
Off the album: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
    Taking a quick detour of people who perform amazing feats to save people, the hero Lennon is talking about here is the person who wakes up every day to work a demanding, low-wage job. This is Lennon’s first solo album after The Beatles split up, and this song is easily one of his biggest solo hits. It was famously covered by Green Day in 2007, in which the song’s theme eerily still rings true, even today.

“Flash”
By: Queen
Off the album: Flash Gordon Soundtrack (1981)
    And now we jump away from everyday heroes into the realm of superheroes! No, we’re not talking about The Flash, but another comic book superhero who travels through space to save the world called Flash Gordon. A film was released in 1980 based on the character and who is better to record an ‘80s sci-fi soundtrack than Queen!? This song is what plays at the start of the movie, introducing the audience to Flash. This was the band’s first film soundtrack, and they would go on to also write many songs for the movie Highlander in 1986, although no official soundtrack exists.

 

“Heroes”
By: David Bowie
Off the album: Heroes (1977)
    Telling the tale of two lovers, this is a heroic song both thematically and musically. With a triumphant beat in the background, David Bowie sings about the two lovers who come together at the shadow of a wall that is heavily implied to be the Berlin Wall. The lovers are intimate, despite the violence surrounding them; proving that loving actions triumph over the evil and that they can be heroes, even just for one day.