The Grammy-nominated writer and performer of a song that became an anthem of resilience in the aftermath of the 9-11 attack in New York in 2001 is hoping it will do the same in Israel – and raise awareness around the world over the plight of the 24 living hostages still languishing in Gaza.
California-based John Ondrasik, known professionally at Five For Fighting, last week released a new version of his hit song “Superman,” in collaboration with the family of 24-year-old hostage and accomplished pianist Alon Ohel, abducted by Hamas terrorists from the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023.
According to his mother Idit, Alon is suffering from an eye injury and other head injuries, and has been kept chained and near starvation during his captivity. The song is an attempt to keep him and the other hostages in the public eye in the US and around the world. It has a good head start.
At the star-studded Concert for New York City that took place a little more than a month after the World Trade Center attack, even amid superstars, such as Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, and The Who it would have been difficult to overlook one of the show’s most poignant moments.
Ondrasik sat on the stage at a piano, and accompanied by a cellist, performed a plaintive version of his then-year-old hit “Superman.”
With lyrics like “It sounds absurd, but don’t be naïve, even heroes have the right to bleed,” the song, sung from the perspective of a troubled superhero, lifted the spirits of first responders, victims’ families, and the nation at large in the wake of the unprecedented terror attack.
Most entertainers declined to stand in solidarity with hostages, but not Ondrasik
While most entertainers have declined to stand in solidarity with the hostages since October 7, Ondrasik, who isn’t Jewish, has thrown his lot in with Israel. Not only did he visit the Jewish state a year ago and perform in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Alon’s piano, he also wrote and released another song, “OK (We Are Not Ok)” on behalf of the hostages.
The new version of “Superman,” which reached number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts in 2001, came about through a conversation between Ondrasik and Idit Ohel, Alon’s mother, and because of a photo of Alon as a six-year-old boy dressed in a Superman outfit.
“I got on a Zoom with Idit, and it’s always so heavy talking to the hostage families. I had been in touch with Rachel Goldberg-Polin after Hersh was killed,” Ondrasik told The Jerusalem Post from his home studio on Sunday. “They’re all just superhuman people, I don’t know how they get up every day. But they do, and they fight for their kids.”
Idit was interested in doing some kind of musical project to keep the spotlight on Alon and the rest of the hostages, and Ondrasik immediately agreed to participate.
“I told him that he had played on Alon’s piano at Hostages Square and suggested that he could help us with a song, and he said it was a great idea,” Idit Ohel told the Post on Sunday, adding that Alon’s condition is dire.
“He’s injured badly and being held in harsh, inhumane conditions,” she said. “The more people who can be made aware of what’s going on – specifically about the situation of Alon and the other hostages – the more likely something can be done about it.”
She had never heard “Superman” before, but when Ondrasik played it for her, they both knew that they had found the right song.
“It became apparent that “Superman” should be the song, because of its 9/11 connection and October 7 being Israel’s 9/11. But it really became clear when she sent me the photo of Alon in his Superman jammies,” Ondrasik said.
The song’s video, released over Passover, juxtaposes footage of Ondrasik performing at Hostages Square last year on Ohel’s piano with footage of the recording of the new version last month. Clips of Idit and of Alon’s brother Ronen sitting at his piano and of Alon himself playing piano – and of the now-iconic photo of him in the Superman costume – round out the emotional video.
As Ondrasik was re-recording the piano-based ballad, he realized that not all of the lyrics were appropriate.
“I was in the booth singing and in the second verse, there’s a line: ‘I wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees, find a way to lie ’bout a home I’ll never see.’ I looked over at my partner on the project, David Azoulay, and said, ‘We can’t sing that line, it needs to be hopeful.’ So we changed it to ‘find a way to fly, to a home I will soon see,’” he said.
In only a few days since its release, the revamped “Superman” has garnered some 18,000 views on YouTube. Though that’s a far cry from the 123 million views the original has, both Ondrasik and Idit Ohel are gratified and optimistic that it will have an impact.
“Music can break through walls like nothing else,” said Ondrasik, with Idit echoing that “Music is such a powerful way to connect people.”
She said that Alon probably hadn’t heard “Superman” before, but that he would like it.
“He likes all kinds of music – jazz, pop... he learned to play classical piano from age nine, but he’s not a classical pianist per se. He loves Queen too,” she said.
For both Ondrasik and Idit, the message they hope to transmit with the song is the one expressed on the poster that sits atop Alon’s piano at Hostages Square – “You are not alone.”
“It means that nobody should have the privilege of seeing the hardship of somebody else and not doing anything about it,” said Idit. “We are not alone in this world or on an isolated island. We are part of society, and when you see someone suffering, you should do something. That’s what John is doing. And it’s not about religion or politics – but basic human rights.”
Ondrasik agreed that his involvement superseded any religious or political motivations and was based on simple human decency.
“I was shocked by October 7, but what happened afterwards, when Israel and Jews were pretty much abandoned, was even more shocking,” he said. “The BBC, the UN, Amnesty International, the Red Cross, all these institutions I thought were on the right side of civilization, showed that they weren’t.”
“When my song ‘OK’ was tweeted by the Israeli government, I got a taste of what Israelis and Jews face – the vitriol, the death threats, realizing that I had to hire security for tours. To me, it’s a moral issue, to be on the side of good. And if Hamas isn’t evil, then what is?”
Ondrasik also had some choice words for those of his fellow entertainers who have remained silent about the hostages.
“We have supported all these great causes and struggled for human rights for all. But now, nobody in the arts can say ‘Free the hostages?’ Even the Jewish artists can’t say it.”
Idit Ohel is less concerned with that.
“It’s not so relevant why they aren’t speaking out for us. It’s relevant that John is speaking out and asking people to look at what’s going on. He’s changing the world and he’s making a difference.”
One song at a time until there’s a groundswell, demonstrating that there’s a little superman in all of us.