There goes my hero…he’s ordinary.

The Foo Fighter’s “My Hero” is a tribute to the everyday heroes. Specifically, the ones who aren’t famous rock stars or athletes…they’re “ordinary”. Obviously anyone who is a hero isn’t ordinary. People who are mother’s and fathers, or doctors or teachers…just ordinary good people. We hear songs all the time about the extra-ordinary people. This is a song for the everyday heroes.

This song reminds me of a couple things. Charles Barkley got a lot of shit from the media when he said, “I am not a role model”. He was trying to express something similar to what Grohl is saying. Whenever this song plays it always reminds me of my dad.

For the definitive version of the song, listen to Grohl play live from the Howard Stern Show in 1999 (above). Interestingly, I think this is the second song on this list where I have said the definitive version is from the Stern Show. I can’t think of another show that had a signature performance performed on it. (Sia’s performance of Diamonds was the other, and Imagine Dragon’s Shots would be close too, but they have duplicated that performance elsewhere).

My Hero Lyrics

Too alarmin’ now to talk about
Take your pictures down and shake it out
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary

Don’t the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out?
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary

Kudos, my hero, leavin’ all the mess
You know my hero, the one that’s on
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary
There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary.

written by Dave Grohl