“A Real Hero” by College & Electric Youth

by SMF· Published January 24, 2021· Updated January 24, 2021

In summation the lyrics of “A Real Hero” are based on two different heroes, one real and one fictional, which its creators idealize. The real one, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, gets the spotlight in the second verse. This is the man who, as you may remember, heroically piloted a disabled passenger plane into the Hudson River in 2009. And in the process the entire load of 155 passengers survived, as indicated in the song.

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Meanwhile the first verse was largely inspired by the character we all know as Mad Max. This is someone whom College in particular looks up to. And ultimately the two verses combined paint a picture of that type of individual whom the musicians view as a proven “real human being hero and a real hero”. And some of the characteristics this person possesses include a strong and focused will, noble ambitions, a ‘cool head’ and a “complex” way of thinking even under pressure.

Facts about “A Real Hero”

This track was released on 13 September 2011. It is part of Electric Youth’s maiden album, Innerworld and was put forth by Valerie Records.

“A Real Hero” also made it onto the soundtrack of Ryan Gosling’s movie Drive (2011).

This song was written by David Grellier (aka College) and Austin Garrick. College also produced the song in conjunction with the following:

Vince Clark
Peter Mayes
Electric Youth

Electric Youth consists of Austin Garrick and Bronwyn Griffin, the latter of whom serves as the vocalist).

Grellier and Garrick had two different inspirations in writing this song. For Grellier it serves as a homage to the likes of fictional character Max Rockatansky, aka Mad Max from the popular movie franchise. Garrick rather was inspired by the real-life heroics of airplane pilot Chesley Sullenberger or more specifically a conversation he had with his granddad concerning Sully.

Via this track’s feature on Drive it was nominated for a MTV Movie Award in 2012. That same year it also made an appearance on the 2012 Liam Neeson flick Taken 2. And Spin ranked it as being amongst the 20 Best Songs of the year 2011.

Who is Captain Chesley Sullenberger?

On 15 January 2009, a planeload of passengers found themselves experiencing a genuine nightmare come true. A bunch of geese flew into their plane (or vice versa), and in the process both engines were disabled, necessitating an emergency landing. Luckily for the passengers and crew, piloting the aircraft was one Captain Chesley Sullenberger, a former fighter pilot who, after his military service, began working for US Airways. And he was able to safely land the plane in the Hudson River. Doing so changed his life, making him an instant hero/celebrity. For instance, since then he has even gone on to write a memoir which became New York Times bestseller.

Who is Mad Max?

Mad Max is the antagonist of the dystopian Mad Max movie franchise. Said sci-fi series has been instrumental in shaping Hollywood’s – and thus America’s view of what a post-apocalyptic landscape would actually look and function like. And as of the beginning of 2021, there has been four official Mad Max films. The first three are as follows:

1979’s Mad Max
1981’s Mad Max 2
1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Mel Gibson starred in the titular role in the first three films. The last title on that list also co-starred Tina Turner. Meanwhile the critically-acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) featured Tom Hardy in the lead.