WEST SPRINGFIELD — When Five for Fighting released “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” in 2001, the song was a near-instant a hit in the U.S., debuting at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the song unexpectedly became more than “a hit” — it became an anthem that people resonated with and found comfort in. On Oct. 20, 2001, John Ondrasik was invited to perform the song at the Concert for New York City in Madison Square Garden.
In an interview earlier this month, Ondrasik called it “fate.”
“You could never predict anything like that, so even to this day, I have a lot of gratitude knowing that a lot of this is kind of like fate,” Ondrasik said of his musical career. “Certainly, you have to work hard, you gotta’ have the relationships, you gotta’ write the songs, but sometimes it’s just fate and having a song that’s out at the right place at the right time.”
More than two decades after the first release of that hit song, Ondrasik released a new version earlier this year with changed lyrics to support hostages held by Hamas, including Alon Ohel, an Israeli pianist who was abducted in October 2023. “Superman (For Alon, the Hostages and their Families)” can be watched on YouTube and downloaded from the Five for Fighting website.
Before his show at The Big E, which is planned for Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. on the Court of Honor Stage, Ondrasik spoke with The Republican about his music’s legacy and the importance of using his voice for change. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q. You’ve been making music and touring for 30 years. What inspires you to keep going?
Ondrasik: Well, a few things. There’s a certain camaraderie on the road with my bandmates, whether it’s my rock band or my string quartet, and it’s kind of like a locker room. Every tour is like a reunion, and we all have so much fun. I actually have my daughter opening for me on the string quartet tour, so that certainly adds a new spice of life and joy.
And it’s also talking to the fans and hearing their stories of why these songs matter to them. I’ve had a few songs in the last couple of years that haven’t necessarily been songs on the radio, but they’ve had a global impact. I wrote a song about Afghanistan, and that became a huge song for our Afghan veterans. I went to Ukraine and wrote a song. In just the last few months, we’ve done a new version of “Superman” for the hostages. So having songs that are relevant in the culture and impacting the world also, I think, keeps you inspired to keep doing it.
Q. Do you think musicians have a responsibility to use their voices and their platforms to speak out against injustices in the world?
Ondrasik: I don’t know if it’s a responsibility, but I think throughout musical history, musicians have spoken about their worldview, and you can kind of see the culture, conversations, battles and other moments through music. You can listen to music of the ‘60s and get a sense of the times. I was honored to perform at the Concert for New York, which made a huge statement supporting America after 9/11. I also understand that some people just want to write songs and maybe they don’t want to have to speak on big issues.
That said, I’ve been very disappointed in the music industry with their silence after Oct. 7, 2023 (the date of the attack on Israel by terror group Hamas), and the refusal to condemn the atrocities of Oct. 7. The whole world came together after 9/11 and condemned Osama bin Laden. The fact that there’s been so much silence after Oct. 7 shows that the music industry has, in a sense, lost its soul.
Q. Do you think the unwillingness of musicians to speak out is just part of our political climate today?
Ondrasik: I think it’s two things. I think younger artists have been indoctrinated by the propaganda. You see these polls that show young Americans, a good majority of them support Hamas over Israel. And you have to ask yourself, how is that possible?
But I think the older artists, the artists of my generation, are the ones I’m most disappointed in, because they know better. I think it’s just cowardice. They’re afraid that people might protest their concerts, they might not buy tickets. And that silence, even by Jewish artists, I put to moral cowardice. I wish I had a nicer answer, but I think it’s cowardice in the culture. There should be, in my mind, thousands and thousands of us speaking out.
Q. Did you ever think your music would have the lasting effect that it does today?
Ondrasik: No. I had success very late, in my late 20s, early 30s, which at 60, that sounds very young. But back in the day, it was rare for a songwriter of that age to break in. I had struggled for 15 years just to get myself heard. With “Superman” becoming one of the songs that recognized the heroes of 9/11, you know, you could never predict anything like that.
It’s hard to even wrap my mind around the fact that “100 Years” is 20 years old. As a songwriter, we’re grateful that these songs have stuck around. People still put them in their home movies or weddings, funerals, graduations, you still hear them. It’s nice, you know, I’ve played these songs tens of thousands of times, and I still really love playing them. And there’s a whole new generation finding them for the first time.
Q. You’re coming to The Big E, so I have to ask, any treats you’re excited to try?
Ondrasik: The band’s always out there scouring fairs for the yummies, even though it’s never the best thing for our diets. (laughs) But we can always put that on pause for a day. The nice thing (about The Big E) is we can wander and watch some bands and be fans, as well as performers.
Tickets for Five for Fighting’s concert at The Big E, to be staged Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. on the Court of Honor Stage, are priced at $54 and available on the fair’s website. Tickets include admission to the fair on the day of the concert.
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