Five For Fighting
Five for Fighting is the one-man band of John Ondrasik, who rose to fame in 2001 on the strength of the Grammy-nominated pop/rock ballad "Superman (It's Not Easy)," which became popular after the events of September 11, 2001. Over the next two decades, Ondrasik issued a string of emotionally charged Top 40 hits, including "100 Years," "The Riddle," "World," "Chances," and "Blood on My Hands," thus cementing Five for Fighting's status as one of contemporary pop music's most enduring balladeers.
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, Ondrasik started his musical training when he was only two years old. His mother, a piano teacher, gave him lessons, and he began turning his attention to guitar at the age of 13. He taught himself to use the latter instrument and soon began writing music. Somewhere along the way, he also took vocal lessons in opera. After discovering that opera wasn't his cup of tea, Ondrasik shifted his focus once again, this time turning to artists like Billy Joel, Journey, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind & Fire for inspiration.
Using the stage name Five for Fighting -- a term he appropriated from ice hockey's rule book -- Ondrasik made his major-label debut in 1997 by releasing Message for Albert. He then left the roster of his original label, Capitol Records, and signed with Columbia before issuing America Town. Released in 2000, the album furthered Ondrasik's themes of love and life while adding a political spin, a combination that yielded warm reviews but sluggish sales. America Town might have been another strong outing from a talented (yet commercially invisible) songwriter were it not for the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the nation's subsequent embrace of the delicate piano ballad "Superman (It's Not Easy)." Five for Fighting performed the song at the Concert for New York City that winter, and America Town went platinum several months later.
While it was a bittersweet way to find fame, the single's success gave Ondrasik the artistic license he'd always craved. When The Battle for Everything appeared in early 2004, it was Five for Fighting's most stylistically ambitious and lyrically bold recording to date. It also yielded another high-charting single, "100 Years." 2006's Two Lights continued Ondrasik's exploration of blue-collar America by focusing on love, mortality, war, and family. The LP yielded the hits "World" and "The Riddle." A concert album entitled Back Country Live arrived in 2007, followed by Slice -- featuring several songs, including the Billboard-charting "Chances," co-written by musical theater composer Steven Schwartz -- in October 2009. Ondrasik reunited with producer Gregg Wattenberg -- who had previously worked with Ondrasik on America Town -- for his sixth album Bookmarks. Released in September 2013, the album featured the adult contemporary hit "What If."
2016 saw the release of the standalone single "Born to Win," which appeared on the season eight finale of American Ninja Warrior. In 2017, he collaborated with Jim Brickman on the holiday song "Christmas Where You Are," and in 2018, he recorded "The Song of Innocents" for the end credits of the film Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer. Ondrasik went viral in 2021 after releasing "Blood on My Hands" and its graphic, accompanying video, both of which criticized the withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan. He continued in that political mode with the release of 2022's "Can One Man Save the World?," a song honoring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
© Charlotte Dillon & Andrew Leahey /TiVo
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All for One Ohana
Pop - Released by Five For Fighting on 1 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Two Lights
Pop/Rock - Released by Aware - Columbia on 15 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Can One Man Save the World?
Pop - Released by Five For Fighting on 7 Jul 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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America Town
Pop/Rock - Released by Aware - Columbia on 26 Sep 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Battle for Everything
Rock - Released by Aware - Columbia on 3 Feb 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Playlist: The Very Best Of Five For Fighting
Rock - Released by Columbia - Legacy on 3 Jul 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Battle For Everything
Pop/Rock - Released by Aware - Columbia on 3 Feb 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live with String Quartet
Pop - Released by John Ondrasik on 16 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Message For Albert
Alternative & Indie - Released by Capitol Records on 11 Mar 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) - EP (iTunes Session)
Pop/Rock - Released by Aware - Columbia on 19 Jun 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Something About You (Theme From The Baby Borrowers)
Pop/Rock - Released by Columbia on 10 Feb 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Superman / Two Lights (Live with String Quartet)
Pop - Released by John Ondrasik on 8 Oct 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blood on My Hands
Pop - Released by Five For Fighting on 17 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blood on My Hands (White House Version)
Pop - Released by Five For Fighting on 13 Dec 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Under the Stars (Live)
Ambient/New Age - Released by John Ondrasik on 10 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Every Day of the Year
Ambient/New Age - Released by John Ondrasik on 22 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Roaring To Go NHL
Rock - Released by Diamond Sports Net, LLC on 10 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo