"Superheroes" is a song written by

Danny O'Donoghue Daniel John Mark Luke O'Donoghue (born 3 October 1980) is an Irish singer-songwriter best known for being the frontman of the Irish rock band The Script and as a coach on the first two series of the television singing talent show ''The Voice U ...

and

Mark Sheehan The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint ...

of Irish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint ...

with songwriter James Barry. The song was originally recorded by the band for inclusion and it is the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

on their fourth studio album, ''

No Sound Without Silence ''No Sound Without Silence'' is the fourth studio album by Irish pop rock band The Script. The album was released by Columbia Records on 12 September 2014 in Ireland and other Friday-release countries and on 15 September 2014 in the United Kingd ...

'' (2014). The track was first released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

on 22 July 2014 as the

promoting the album. The single was released in Ireland on 29 August 2014 and in the United Kingdom on 31 August 2014.

Composition

According to The Script

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

, "Superheroes" is a song written for "the unsung heroes out in the world". The song, which calls out "people who are going through the hardest of times but can keep their head held high", has drawn comparisons by some

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

to "

Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

", originally performed by American singer

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

, in terms of the song's lyrical themes.

Recording

"Superheroes" was the first song written by the band for their fourth studio album, setting a musical template for the production of the new album. The track also features additional guitar played by producer Andrew Frampton, a long-time collaborator with The Script.

Promotion

A snippet of "Superheroes" was first played during a

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session hosted by the band on 18 July 2014, where they unveiled their fourth studio album, ''

''. The snippet was one of four to be played during the session, with snippets from ''No Sound Without Silence'' album tracks "The Energy Never Dies", "Man On a Wire", and "No Good In Goodbye" also being played during the session. "Superheroes" was the first full track to be lifted from the album, premiering on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

during ''

The Radio 1 Breakfast Show ''Radio 1 Breakfast'' is a radio show that is broadcast across the UK on BBC Radio 1. It is hosted by Greg James since 20 August 2018 as the show's 16th presenter. The show ran six days a week until February 1968 (seBBC Genome Project, then fi ...

'' on 21 July 2014. The track was also set to be released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

for

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

on United States

Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

on 28 July 2014. "Superheroes" was first released as the sole track on the band's twelfth

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

on 22 July 2014, serving as the first single released in promotion of ''No Sound Without Silence''. The track was additionally distributed by

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Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

for streaming media the same day.

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

to accompany the release of "Superheroes" directed by

Vaughan Arnell Vaughan Arnell (born 31 May 1961, in Chertsey, Surrey) is a British music video and television commercial director. Although having done films for high-profile clients in the TV commercial field, including Nestlé and Levi's, he is best known for ...

was released on 4 August 2014. The music video was shot in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

over a period of a few days. The location of the video's

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

was inspired by the song itself, with Danny O'Donoghue stating that, "We spent a few days there and spent a lot of time with the people in the township, because they are our superheroes".

Reception

Reception to the song upon the release of the "Superheroes" single has been generally positive. National American daily newspaper ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' named the track as "song of the week" on 22 July 2014, with

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

Brian Mansfield Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist. Early life and education Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School. In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...

writing "The Script continues to display its biggest strength: making pop music with heart and power". Rachel Sonis of music website ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'' wrote "Superheroes is a self-proclaimed "ultra-catchy" tune that, after a few spins, definitely lives up to that description". Kevin,

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Spin Media Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

website ''Direct Lyrics'' commented positively on the song, stating "there is no way The Script aren't reaching #1 with this", further describing it as "epic in every way". Reactions to the song on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

was also largely positive, with

Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

reporting that fans had "hailed" the track as "beautiful" upon the track's first play on its radio network. In addition,

4Music 4Music is a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The original incarnation was launched on 15 August 2008, and until 29 June 2022, showed a mix of music and entertainment programming. It ...

stated that the song was an "anthemic" "stomper".

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from "Superheroes" liner notes. ;The Script *

– lead vocals, keyboard, guitar *Mark Sheehan – lead guitar, vocals (bridge) *Glen Power – drums, backing vocals ;Additional musicians *Andrew Frampton - guitar ;Technical personnel *James Barry - producer *Andrew Frampton - producer,

programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

*Michael Heffernan -

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

- mastering *

Mark Stent Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

*Geoff Swan - assistant engineer *Fergal Toohey - recording, assistant producer, assistant engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Commercial

Promotional

References

External links

* {{The Script The Script songs 2014 songs 2014 singles Columbia Records singles Songs written by Danny O'Donoghue Songs written by Mark Sheehan Music videos directed by Vaughan Arnell Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland Songs written by Andrew Frampton (songwriter)