The Reason That She Loved Him Was The Reason I Loved Him Too: on "Hero" by David Crosby and Phil Collins, and on other things.

Perhaps you know him as a loveable fuck up who had done time for various narcotics possessions, as well as a love of having a .45 caliber pistol nearby—but more than likely, you know David Crosby as the “Crosby” in Crosby, Stills, Nash, and sometimes Young. But did you know that Crosby has three solo albums under his belt?

The final of those albums, Thousand Roads, is turning 20 this year—joining one of many things I remember from 1993, that I look back on now, and feel really, really old.

I've never listened to Thousand Roads. I've never listened to any David Crosby solo album, for that matter. But the reason why I am even bringing this up is because of the single released from that album—“Hero.”

(the finest in thermal vision photography)

I'd go so far as to say that “Hero” is an obscure song. Like you aren’t going to remember it by name alone. When attempting to explain this song to my wife last year, once she heard the refrain of the song, she thought it sounded familiar, but it apparently isn’t the kind of song that stuck with her over time.

I had “Hero” on cassette single. I think one of the reasons I really liked this song, and why it’s a song I still think about 20 years later, is the appearance of Phil Collins. Like you can try to deny Phil Collins all you want and be a hater, drinking all of your Hateorade. But if you stop and think about it…Phil Collins is awesome. “In The Air Tonight”? That song is unfuckwithable. His work with Genesis. His solo output from the 1980’s. His dedication to his craft—after a spinal injury made it so he couldn't wrap his fingers around a drumstick, he DUCT TAPED THEM INTO HIS FUCKING HANDS so he could begin playing again.

But this isn't about Phil Collins.

“Hero” was co-written by Collins, though, and he provides his unmistakable vocals, as well as bringing along his drum kit. The Collins co-sign on this explains why, at times, it sounds oh so similar to “Do You Remember?,” a song from Collins’ album …But Seriously.

The video for “Hero” probably received a lot of airplay on VH-1. Because in the dark ages of 1993, channels like VH-1 and MTV played music videos throughout the day. In the video, aside from the delightful moments where Crosby and Collins are just straight broing it up, singing the song, the narrative primarily rests on Crosby playing a character in prison. His son and wife come to visit him while he’s in the pokey, and this footage is interspersed with what is meant to be old home movies of Crosby playing with this kid, and overall being a good father who isn't doing a bid.

(just a couple of good bros, singing their fucking hearts out.)

Things take a pretty real turn as the kid has to watch his dad get hauled off back to his cell once visiting hours are over, and later on, he struggles as he watches other kids having fun with their fathers. The video ends with the kid, floppy bowl cut and all, walking angrily down train tracks, throwing rocks to show his emotion.

A term I toss around a lot to describe a song that takes a toll on me emotionally is “devastating.” While “Hero” may come off as some lite rock from the early 90’s, to me, for reasons I can’t really fathom, is devastating.

It’s a simple song, following the verse/chorus/verse/bridge structure. It’s pretty dramatic—“The villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free. I wish it were that simple for me.” #realtalk right there.

But within that drama, there’s something real—like something legit and genuine. Maybe it’s about loss. Maybe it’s about fathers and sons. Maybe it’s about reflecting on a time you try not to think about. Maybe it’s about growing up quickly because you have to. Maybe it’s all of those things.

But maybe it isn’t any of those things. Maybe none of that is in the song, and I’m just looking for some deeper meaning. Maybe it’s just a bunch of clichéy, emotionally manipulative images and ideas thrown together in one four-minute pop song.

Assisting in the devastation is the combination of David Crosby’s and Phil Collins’ voices. While it’s technically Crosby’s song, it’s Collins that steals the show, especially on the refrain, coming in higher and slightly above Crosby’s voice. Their voices work well together, with Collins playing hype man, emphasizing select lines from the verses.

David Crosby and Phil Collins- "Hero"

It’s the frisson-inducing refrain that has stuck with me for all these years—“And the reason that she loved him was the reason I loved him too. And he never wondered what was right or wrong. He just knew.” It’s this line, tossed in amongst the others, that adds some ambiguity to the song. Is Crosby the hero addressed in the title? Is it somebody else? Who is the “she” that loved whoever we're talking about?

Throughout my life, there have probably been many songs I've liked and then forgotten about over time. I don’t know what it was last year that made me remember “Hero,” but I am thankful that I did, and that with the advent of the iTunes Marketplace, it’s very easy to procure a copy for a nominal fee. It’s the kind of song that hasn’t really aged well—it just sounds like 1993 all over the place—but it’s a song that doesn’t need to age well.  Quite possibly like the memories that this song may take you back to, it is the kind of song that should stay where it is, visited when it needs to be.