If you were a kid/teen/young adult in 2002 you probably unironically thought Spider-Man (2002) was the greatest thing ever.
That summer, we were ~bombarded~ by a little song called "Hero" by Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott. If you didn't buy the soundtrack JUST for this song, you probably heard it 7 times a day on the radio.
I recently decided to give the video a rewatch for the first time in 18 years, and HOOBOY here are my thoughts:
1. Could you even say you "made it" as an artist in the early 2000s if you weren't using a green screen to appear to be playing on top of a building?
2. Nickelback has been dragged a lot over the years, (and rightfully so in my opinion), but Chad Kroeger's voice here doesn't sound bad??? I don't know what I was expecting.
3. He's wearing his guitar SO LOW while he plays it. It's so far below crotch-level that watching it in action makes me EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE.
4. Not sure why Josey Scott (the lead singer of Saliva) was part of this production, but he adds some nice guitar sounds, vocals, and a bit of angry gnome energy.
5. This video has random intercuts with clips from the film. I honestly really miss movie music videos doing this type of thing, as cheesy as it is.
6. Ok...say what you will about Nickelback's music, but Chad's vocal riff at 1:45 is EVERYTHING!
7. This upward panning shot of Chad playing guitar from below (and filmed with a fisheye lens so that it distorts the pelvis area to appear closer) is...one of the most unnecessary things I've ever seen. Ever.
8. Just as I was getting fed up with this whole thing, at 2 minutes and 12 seconds, this gravelly ballad stops and both Chad and Josey's vocals come in softly with careful restraint. They sing, "and now that the world isn't ending..." and you know what? It's gorgeous. With the string music playing sweetly behind it...holy sh*t...does this song actually hold up?
9. Um...the vocal harmony at 2:15 is magical. Look at Josey getting in the zone while letting Chad take the lead and harmonizing like a wolf serenading the moon. What's happening to me?! This song is like a grunge-wizard incantation that you can't resist.
10. AHHH. Right when they sing "they're watching us" there is a sudden zoom into Willem Dafoe's best WILD EYES moment in Spider-Man. Whoever edited this video back in the day was definitely havin' fun.
11. The final chorus kicks in and I can't get over how intense this eye contact is. Chad REALLY committed to telling you this story about holding onto the wings of the eagles and watching as we all fly away.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I finished the video. It's dated as hell and has some really cheesy moments, BUT there is some really nice musicianship on display. It's 100% nostalgia speaking here, but this video is honestly worth a revisit.
You can listen to the song, here.
View this video on YouTube
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