Music / Hero

!HERO is a 2003 Christian Rock Opera by Eddie DeGarmo and Bob Farrell that modernizes the story of Jesus Christ. It notably featured a number of major players in the Christian Rock world, such as former dc Talk member and current Newsboys frontrunner Michael Tait as the title character, along with John Cooper of Skillet, Audio Adrenaline's Mark Stuart, and Rebecca St. James.

Tracklist

Disc One

1. "This Is How It Happened" – Paul Wright (Hunter) – 2:08
2. "A Few Good Men" – Michael Tait (Hero), Mark Stuart (Petrov), and Michael Quinlan (Jude) – 5:09
3. "Wedding Celebration" – Michael Tait (Hero), Nirva (Mama Mary), John Cooper (Rabbi Kai), John Grey (Preacher Rabbi), and GRITS (Wedding Party) – 4:32
4. "Fire of Love" – Michael Tait (Hero) and John Cooper (Rabbi Kai) – 4:38
5. "Lose My Life with You" – Michael Tait (Hero) and Nirva (Mama Mary) – 3:14
6. "Man on a Mission" – Paul Wright (Hunter) – 1:14
7. "Secrets of the Heart" – Rebecca St. James (Maggie) and Michael Tait (Hero) – 3:52
8. "Stand Up and Walk" – Michael Tait (Hero), John Cooper (Rabbi Kai), and Matt Hammitt (Blind Cripple) – 4:24
9. "Do What You Gotta Do" – John Cooper (Rabbi Kai) and Pete Stewart (Devlin) – 3:05
10. "Take My Hand" – Michael Tait (Hero) – 1:48
11. "Love's Declaration" – Michael Tait (Hero), Mark Stuart (Petrov), and Rebecca St. James (Maggie) – 3:17
12. "Raised in Harlem" – Michael Tait (Hero), T-Bone (Jairus), and Donnie Lewis (Jairus' Wife) – 4:21
13. "They're Callin' Him Hero" – Paul Wright (Hunter) – 2:42
14. "Manna from Heaven" – Michael Tait (Hero), Mark Stuart (Petrov), Rebecca St. James (Maggie), and Michael Quinlan (Jude) – 4:20
15. "Hero" – Mark Stuart (Petrov), Rebecca St. James (Maggie), and Michael Quinlan (Jude) – 4:41

Disc Two

1. "Leave Here" – Michael Tait (Hero), Rebecca St. James (Maggie), Paul Wright (Hunter) and various (Street Urchins) – 5:19
2. "Stand by You" – Paul Wright (Hunter) and Rebecca St. James (Maggie) – 2:47
3. "Say the Word" – Paul Wright (Hunter) – 1:36
4. "Intentions" – Michael Quinlan (Jude) – 3:20
5. "Finally Home" – Mark Stuart (Petrov), Rebecca St. James (Maggie), and Michael Quinlan (Jude) – 3:37
6. "Not in Our House" – Michael Tait (Hero) and John Cooper (Rabbi Kai) – 2:09
7. "Murder on Their Minds" – Paul Wright (Hunter) – 2:59
8. "Party in the House Today" – Mark Stuart (Petrov) – 3:49
9. "In Remembrance of Me" – Michael Tait (Hero) – 1:53
10. "Shadowman" – Michael Quinlan (Jude) and Pete Stewart (Devlin) – 5:00
11. "Hero's Agony" – Michael Tait (Hero) – 2:37
12. "I Am" – Michael Tait (Hero) – 4:17
13. "Kill the Hero" – Paul Wright (Hunter), John Cooper (Rabbi Kai), and Bob Farrell (Governor Pilate) – 6:00
14. "Execute: 'Intentions (Reprise)', 'Hero (Reprise)', 'Lose My Life with You (Reprise)'" – Rebecca St. James (Maggie), Nirva (Mama Mary), Michael Quinlan (Jude), various (Urchin Mob, I.C.O.N. Thugs) – 3:58
15. "He's Not Here" – Rebecca St. James (Maggie) and Nathan Lee (Janitor Angel) – 3:41
16. "The Truth Comes Out" – Paul Wright (Hunter) – 1:47

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Troped In Harlem

• Adapted Out: This being an adaptation of the Gospels, the other disciples of Jesus (Hero) are left out, giving us only Jude and Petrov.
• All-Loving Hero/Messianic Archetype: Hero.
• Alternate History/What If?: This is a "What If?" for The Bible: "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?" And moreover, what if Jesus wasn't born until the modern era?
• Angry Mob Song: "Execute", leading to Hero's crucifixion.
• Back from the Dead: The song "He's Not Here".
• Biblical Bad Guy: Jude, Kai, and Pilate.
• Big Applesauce: The story's metaphorical Jerusalem.
• Call-and-Response Song: "A Few Good Men".
• Comic-Book Adaptation: There's a graphic novel interpretation of the album that was released around the same time as the album.
• Composite Character: Maggie is Mary Magdalene combined with the Samaritan woman at the well. Biblically speaking, though, Mary Magdalene was never recorded as being a prostitute.
• Crapsack World: The modern-day world at the time of Hero's ministry.
• Corrupt Church: The Brooklyn Synagogue, under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Kai.
• Crucified Hero Shot: On the DVD musical performance, Hero's body draped over a street sign. In the graphic novel, an actual cross.
• Darker and Edgier/Lighter and Softer: Depending on how one sees the source material.
• Dark Reprise Medley: "Intentions/Hero/Lose My Life With You".
• Department of Redundancy Department: International Confederation Of Nations.
• Devil in Disguise: Officer Devlin.
• Dirty Cop: Officer Devlin, working with Chief Rabbi Kai.
• Disney Death: Hero.
• Distracted by the Sexy: "Who's this beautiful girl?" at the end of "Man On A Mission", segueing into "Secrets Of The Heart".
• Divine Parentage: Hero, natch.
• Divine Race Lift: Given who portrays the Messiah, this story's Jesus is black.
• Driven to Suicide: Jude in "Intentions (Reprise)".
• Evil Cripple: Governor Pilate, in the DVD performance of "Kill The Hero".
• Flipping the Table: "Not In Our House", particularly the DVD performance.
• Foregone Conclusion: It's a story about Jesus. We know how it ends.
• Fun with Acronyms: International Confederation Of Nations, or I.C.O.N.
• Get Out!: The message sung by a girl posse of prostitutes to Hero and Maggie in "Leave Here".
• God in Human Form: Hero.
• "The Hero Sucks" Song: "Kill The Hero".
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Maggie.
• How We Got Here: The story is told as a flashback from I.C.O.N. Agent Hunter, working undercover as one of Hero's disciples, who is in prison at the start of the first song.
• It's All About Me: Jude, in his argument with Hero before his betrayal, and in the songs Intentions and Shadowman. Also his costume changes to say "Love Me" before his final costume change. Actually even in the song "Finally Home", where Jude's verse is about what he can do, and not what's actually occurring.
• Never Accepted in His Hometown: Played out in "Fire Of Love".
• One World Order: I.C.O.N., which has wiped out all religions except for Judaism.
• Passion Play: Since it's based on Jesus' life.
• Parental Love Song: "Lose My Life With You", which is a duet with Hero and his mother both singing about the main character having to give up the family life he had to become the prophesied Messiah.
• Quarreling Song: "Not In Our House".
• Setting Update: The story of Jesus...IN MODERN-DAY AMERICA 20 Minutes into the Future IN AN ALTERNATE HISTORY!
• Sinister Minister: Chief Rabbi Kai, in cahoots with a dirty cop named Devlin.
• Slut-Shaming: The girl posse attempts to do this to Maggie in "Leave Here."
• Title: The Adaptation: The album's full title is !HERO: The Rock Opera.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Chief Rabbi Kai.

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