Holding Out for a Hero
| "Holding Out for a Hero" | |
|---|---|
The chorus of "Holding Out for a Hero" | |
| |
| Composed by: Jim Steinman | |
| Vocals | Bonnie Tyler |
| Genres | Hi-NRG, pop rock, dance-rock |
| Key | A minor |
| BPM | 149 |
| Time signature | Common time, 3 4 |
| Appears in | Footloose: Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Motion Picture (1984, overall) The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023, Super Mario franchise) |
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler and released in January 1984 as a single from the soundtrack to the film Footloose. A power ballad, it was produced by Jim Steinman, who co-wrote it with Dean Pitchford. One minute and 14 seconds of the song are used in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, when Princess Peach trains Mario on the Training Course. As with the other licensed songs in the movie, "Holding Out for a Hero" is not included on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.[1]
Composition[edit]
"Holding Out for a Hero" is a Hi-NRG,[2][3] pop rock[4] and dance-rock power ballad,[5] that draws influence from disco and the work of Richard Wagner.[2] Most of the song has a time signature of common time, while the bridge is set in 3
4. The key is A minor, with a driving feel created by the major chords in the chorus and a fast tempo of around 149 beats per minute. The piano riff, vocal harmonies and other elements were recycled from a previous Jim Steinman song, "Stark Raving Love," from his 1981 solo album, Bad For Good.[6]
The song was shortened to one minute and 14 seconds when included in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The sample used begins with the opening keyboard riff, then cuts to the last three lines of the intro, followed by the first verse and chorus.
Lyrics[edit]
Do-do, do-do
Do-do, do-do
Ah, ah
Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?
Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the risin' odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night, I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero (Hero)
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light (Hero till the morning light)
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life, larger than life
Personnel[edit]
- Bonnie Tyler – lead vocals
- Jim Steinman – producer
- John Jansen – associate producer
- Greg Edward, Arthur Payson, Neil Dorfsman – recording, mixing
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Sterling Smith – piano, synthesizer, Linn drums
- Hiram Bullock – guitar
- John Philip Shenale – programming, synthesizer
- Art Wood – Simmons and Linn drums
- Tom "Bones" Malone – trombone, horn arrangements
- Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
- Alan Rubin – trumpet
- Lew Soloff – trumpet
- Jim Pugh – trombone
- Dave Taylor – bass trombone
- Rory Dodd, Eric Troyer, Holly Sherwood – background vocalists, vocal arrangement
- Ellen Foley – additional vocal arrangement
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the song begins playing when Mario consumes a Super Mushroom for the second time after his failed first attempt on the Training Course, and plays for the entirety of the training montage, which involves Mario attempting and failing the course several times into the night, as well as fast cuts of him reluctantly consuming more Super Mushrooms. The lyrics start when Mario is struck by a mechanical Fire Bar, while during the chorus, Mario makes significant progress through the course. During the post-chorus, he is caught by a mechanical Piranha Plant, at which point the song abruptly ends.
Critical reception[edit]
While well-regarded in its original form, "Holding Out for a Hero" was poorly received in the The Super Mario Bros. Movie for being lazy and unoriginal. Carter James of The Alabamian thought the song's inclusion was "mind numbingly basic" and joked it needs to be "banned from being used in another movie for at least twenty years,"[7] with David Vicari of Where Y'At addding it has been "overused in movies and television shows."[8] Nicholas Barber of BBC felt it contributed to the film's corperate vibe and is represntative of its "first-draft laziness that's rare in big-screen animation."[9] Luke Y. Thompson of Yahoo! Entertainment was also unimpressed, and poked fun at the song as coming from "Hollywood's Obvious Choices 101 folder."[10]
Despite this, some critics did enjoy the song's inclusion, such as Jorge Villa Mendez of The Paw Print who thought it was "perfectly used" over the movie's training montage,[11] Maria Lattila of whynow, who gave an otherwise negative review of the film, praised the song for making it join Tetris as a "film currently in cinemas with a great sequence" featuring it.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ Key & BPM for Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler. Retrieved October 4, 2025 from Tunebat.
- ^ a b Alberto Mulas Caballero (August 16, 2023). 80s disco music. The best disco songs of the 80s. Archived December 6, 2023, 01:20:09 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 4, 2025 from Muros de absenta.
- ^ March 27, 2015. No More Heroes?: Steroids, Cocaine, Finance and Film in the 70s. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78279-297-0. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ Sasaguay, Chris (March 13, 2022). Best Holding out for a Hero Uses, Ranked. Retrieved October 4, 2025 from Collider.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (December 13, 2022). Adam Lambert announces first-ever covers album High Drama. Retrieved October 5, 2025 from Gay Times.
- ^ Everley, Dave (April 21, 2021). The mad genius of Jim Steinman in seven glorious songs. Retrieved October 5, 2025 from Louder.
- ^ Carter James (April 17, 2023). ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’: A good movie is in the next castle, Mario. The Alabamian. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ David Vicari (April 13, 2023). Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Where Y'At. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Nicholas Barber (April 3, 2023). The Super Mario Bros. Movie review: 'Lazy and for fans only'. BBC. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Luke Y. Thompson (April 4, 2023). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review: Lets-a Not Go. Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Jorge Villa Mendez (May 5, 2023). The Super Mario Bros: Movie Review. The Paw Print. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Maria Lattila (May 5, 2023). The Super Mario Bros Movie review | Let’s not a-go!. whynow. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
