Superheroes (song)

"Superheroes" is a song written by Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan of Irish pop rock band The Script with songwriter James Barry. The song was originally recorded by the band for inclusion and it is the lead single on their fourth studio album, No Sound Without Silence (2014).

"Superheroes"
Single by The Script
from the album No Sound Without Silence
Released22 July 2014
FormatDigital download
Recorded2014
Genre
Length4:03
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
  • Danny O'Donoghue
  • Mark Sheehan
Producer(s)
The Script singles chronology
"Millionaires"
(2013)		 "Superheroes"
(2014)		 "No Good in Goodbye"
(2014)
Music video
"Superheroes" on YouTube

The track was first released by Columbia Records on 22 July 2014 as the lead single 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 Danny O'Donoghue, "Superheroes" is a song written for "the unsung heroes out in the world".[2] 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 to "Firework", originally performed by American singer Katy Perry, in terms of the song's lyrical themes.[3]

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.[4] The track also features additional guitar played by producer Andrew Frampton, a long-time collaborator with The Script.[5]

Promotion
The music video for "Superheroes" was shot in Johannesburg, cited by the band as an inspiration for the song itself.

A snippet of "Superheroes" was first played during a Google Hangouts session hosted by the band on 18 July 2014, where they unveiled their fourth studio album, No Sound Without Silence. 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.[6] "Superheroes" was the first full track to be lifted from the album, premiering on BBC Radio 1 during The Radio 1 Breakfast Show on 21 July 2014.[7] The track was also set to be released as a promotional single for airplay on United States Contemporary hit radio on 28 July 2014.[8] "Superheroes" was first released as the sole track on the band's twelfth single on 22 July 2014, serving as the first single released in promotion of No Sound Without Silence.[9] The track was additionally distributed by video hosting service Vevo for streaming media the same day.[10]

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Superheroes" directed by Vaughan Arnell was released on 4 August 2014.[11] The music video was shot in Johannesburg, South Africa over a period of a few days. The location of the video's principal photography 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".[2]

Reception

Reception to the song upon the release of the "Superheroes" single has been generally positive. National American daily newspaper USA Today named the track as "song of the week" on 22 July 2014, with music critic Brian Mansfield writing "The Script continues to display its biggest strength: making pop music with heart and power".[3] Rachel Sonis of music website Idolator wrote "Superheroes is a self-proclaimed "ultra-catchy" tune that, after a few spins, definitely lives up to that description".[4] Kevin, editor-in-chief of Spin Media 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".[12]

Reactions to the song on social media was also largely positive, with Capital reporting that fans had "hailed" the track as "beautiful" upon the track's first play on its radio network.[13] In addition, 4Music stated that the song was an "anthemic" "stomper".[14]

Track listing
"Superheroes"
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Superheroes"James Barry, Danny O'Donoghue, Mark SheehanBarry, O'Donoghue, Andrew Frampton, Sheehan4:03

Personnel

Adapted from "Superheroes" liner notes.[5]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Germany (BVMI)[58] Gold 200,000
Italy (FIMI)[59] Platinum 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Platinum 600,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

References
  1. "Digital Spy - The Script 'No Sound Without Silence". 8 February 2015.
  2. ""We Were The Squits That Night!": The Script On 'Superheroes' Video And Dodgy Pranks". Capital Online. Global Group / Communicorp. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  3. Mansfield, Brian (22 July 2014). "Song of the week: 'Superheroes,' The Script". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  4. Sonis, Rachel (21 July 2014). "The Script's "Superheroes": Listen To The New Single". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. "Superheroes" [Single] (liner notes). The Script. Columbia Records. 2014.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Rutherford, Kevin (21 July 2014). "The Script Announce New Album 'No Sound Without Silence,' Listen to New Song 'Superheroes'". Radio.com. CBS Radio. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  7. Moss, Liv (21 July 2014). "Listen to The Script's new single Superheroes". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  8. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014.
  9. Alexander, Susannah (21 July 2014). "Listen to The Script's new single 'Superheroes'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  10. Dorken, Joanne (21 July 2014). "The Script Premiere New Single 'Superheroes' - Listen Here!". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  11. "Music video for The Script's Superheroes shot in Johannesburg". Mediaupdate.co.za. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  12. "New Music: The Script - "Superheroes" [World Premiere]". Direct Lyrics. Spin Media. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  13. "The Script Fans Hail New Song 'Superheroes' As "Beautiful" After First Play On Capital FM". Capital Online. Global Group / Communicorp. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  14. "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20". 20 August 2014. 4Music. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  15. "Australian-charts.com – The Script – Superheroes". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
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  29. "Chart Track: Week 36, 2014". Irish Singles Chart.
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  59. "Italian single certifications – The Script – Superheroes" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 December 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Superheroes" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
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