This song from 1993 wasn’t exactly one of the biggest hits of the time — only made it to 44 on Billboard’s Top 100 that year. But it definitely had more of a personal impact on me than any of the other 99. (Other than “Whoomp! (There It Is)” — just kidding!!).
“Hero” will always be one of those songs that hooks into a very specific era of my life. It was a time of disruption and transition, and the song instantly taps into the emotions associated with having to profoundly reorient my thinking in the context of uncharted life territory.
It not only takes me back there, but the lyrics have held up ever since for expressing a sentiment somewhat emblematic of my life — one of disillusionment and then acceptance. “I wish it were that simple…” It’s a deceptively plain story/melody, with some dissonance to be resolved along the way. Said another way (with a nod to William Blake), it’s about the passage from innocence to experience.
[A note about the clip i chose: I couldn’t find one with the lyrics overlaid (so i’ve included them below), and failing that, i wanted one with a still image. I prefer that over the official video which includes storytelling images that can distract from experiencing the lyrics on their own.]
It was one of those great stories that you can’t put down at night
The hero knew what he had to do and he wasn’t afraid to fight
The villain goes to jail while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me
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, he just knew
Shadow and shade mix together at dawn
But by the time you catch them simplicity’s gone
So we sort through the pieces, my friends and i
Searching through the darkness to find the breaks in the sky
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, he just knew
And we wonder, yes we wonder
How do you make sense of this
When the hero kills the maiden
With his kiss, with his kiss
Well it was one of those great stories that you can’t put down at night
The hero knew what he had to do and he wasn’t afraid to fight
The villain goes to jail while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me
Were that simple for me
***
A Hansen Chronicle 
I like these song
Thanks for posting about this song. I just found it again upon Crosby’s death. I had forgotten about it. They just don’t make music like this these days. Such depth. And Collins’ influence and drums stew infectious. I think the lyrics are saying that in real life it’s not as simple as all good or all evil. People are complicated and the main character may deserve some of the punishment he got but there’s food in him too. That’s what the line is saying “the villain goes to jail while the hero goes free. I wish it were that simple for me”.
Thanks for your comment, Jim. I too am moved by its depth and nuance. Unfortunately, since his recent passing I haven’t seen it yet in any “best of” collections of his.