Hero – Be somebody special

Today, our new song “Hero” is available on SoundCloud and YouTube. This time, I teamed up with Dirk Diamond to co-write a jazz song about leaving a legacy to those who mean something to us.

“Hero” is both a love song and a song about wanting to leave a mark somewhere, perhaps a legacy, however indiscernible it might be. It’s about wanting to be something like a heroic presence for someone dear, at least in some way, at least for one person, to leave a special mark on them. Be a part of whatever world comes after us, even if unseen. There’s a lot more purpose to our story than what’s here for us in the here and now. In some way it reflects on that, towards not so readily undervaluing our presence in this world, however limited it might seem at the time.

This song has been written in a ping-pong collaboration. Dirk started with a rough draft of lyrics, vocals and the chord progression of the verse. Right after listening, I wanted to try something jazzy with a shuffle beat, and it worked well. I didn’t expect to write some vintage swing with one of the most complex chord progressions I ever wrote. Following my heart, I didn’t notice how often we change the keys, modes or borrowed chords. The arrangement grew from a vocal e-piano draft into a big band with a ukulele. Dirk said, this song gave him an unexpected nostalgia, and I think his words capture it quite well.

You can listen to our song on YouTube and SoundCloud. I hope you enjoy our collab the same way that we did.