Story of the song: Michael Kiwanuka - Hero
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One of the most popular songs, which was difficult for the artist Michael Kiwanuka... Although the lyrics are entirely Michael Kiwanuka's, the artist admitted in an interview that it was "the hardest job of his life"! By the way: drenched in reverb, the song instantly sticks in your mind, leaving no chance to skip the track without listening to the end!
The story of Michael Kiwanuka's Hero ...
Michael Kiwanuka already had music, which he wrote long before the release of the track, together with Dj Danger Mouse and British producer Inflo. For several years Michael couldn't come up with words, or rather - couldn't find words that would accurately reflect the essence of his thoughts....
As is often the case, the inspiration was spontaneous! One day Michael was flipping through photos of civil rights activist Fred Hampton. The 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers was shot and killed by police in his own bed in 1969. Kiwanuka reflected on how young Hampton was when he was killed... It prompted him to think about some of the musical icons who also died in the very dawn of their lives....
The artiste later shared:
"...And I thought, to be a hero, you have to be a martyr first? You're gonna be doing good in the world, and you're gonna get shot in your own bed. And it doesn't matter if you're Fred Hampton, John Lennon or anybody else... At that moment, all my thoughts got mixed up and I realised that I finally had something to sing about!"
"I'm a hero?
Am I a hero now?
Yes!"
Michael came up with the opening lyric reflecting on what it takes for a person to become a full-fledged musical legend....
"...I asked myself, do you have to create an alter ego or make a character a brand, like Elton John or David Bowie, for people to really want to listen to this music?"
But the thought of finding an alternate persona didn't appeal to Michael. "The last thing I wanted to do was try to come up with this new character!" - he shared with reporters.
"I began to learn more about Baldwin's life and work, and I also became seriously interested in the work of Gordon Parks - his films, and especially his photography of the civil rights movement, his portraits of poor black families in the South..."
"Fred Hampton was the link that helped me put all the phrases together and write this song! For practically several years I couldn't get any further than the chorus... But thinking about Fred and his movement - the lyric just poured out of me!"
