"Unsung Hero" is a song by an Australian Christian pop duo For King & Country. The song was released as the first promotional single from their fifth studio album, What Are We Waiting For? (2022), on 7 January 2022.[1] The song was written by Federico Vindver, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone, and Seth Mosley.[2]
| "Unsung Hero" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promotional single by For King & Country | ||||
| from the album What Are We Waiting For? | ||||
| Released | 7 January 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:31 | |||
| Label | Word Entertainment | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| For King & Country chronology | ||||
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| Music videos | ||||
| "Unsung Hero" on YouTube | ||||
| "Unsung Hero" (Lyrics) on YouTube | ||||
"Unsung Hero" peaked at No. 42 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart.[3]
Background
editOn 7 January 2022, For King & Country released "Unsung Hero" as the first promotional single from What Are We Waiting For? (2022), concurrently launching the album's pre-order.[4] The song follows the release of 2021 singles "Relate" and "For God Is with Us." The song is dedicated to the parents of the duo, the Smallbones, for the sacrifices they made in moving from Australia to the United States and molding them into the men they are now.[5] They shared in an interview with Billboard that their father used to work as a tour promoter in Australia who went into financial ruin over a tour gone wrong, and decided to move to the United States at age 40 with his family of six children at the time.[6] In the United States, their father began managing artists, including their sister Rebecca St. James, who went on to pursue a successful solo career while the duo worked with her backstage.[6] The duo also shared that they are working on a movie that is based on "Unsung Hero" which will tell the story of their parents' journey, and it will be their second film following Priceless (2016).[6]
Composition
edit"Unsung Hero" is composed in the key of B♭ with a tempo of 76.5 beats per minute and a musical time signature of 4
4.[7]
Critical reception
editJesus Freak Hideout's Alex Caldwell wrote in his review that ""Unsung Hero" is a wonderful ode to the sacrifice and faith of parents, and the Smallbone parents specifically."[8] Timothy Yap of JubileeCast praised the song, saying, ""Unsung Hero," easily the album's most moving cut, is a slice of autobiography as the siblings pay tribute to their parents."[9]
Commercial performance
edit"Unsung Hero" debuted at number 42 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart dated 22 January 2022,[10] concurrently charting at No. 4 on the Christian Digital Song Sales chart.[11]
Music videos
editThe official music video for "Unsung Hero" was published on For King & Country's YouTube channel on 7 January 2022.[12] The music video features home movies and photos from the duo's childhood.[13] The official lyric video for the song was uploaded on YouTube on 21 January 2022.[14][15]
Film
editOn 30 November 2022, the brothers announced via social media that they had made a film with their brother Ben, called Unsung Hero, which is about their mother, although they didn't announce a release date.[16] The film is scheduled to release on 26 April 2024 by Lionsgate.[17]
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 7 January 2022 | (promotional release) | Word Entertainment | [20] |
References
edit- ^ Clarks, Jessie (7 January 2022). "For KING & COUNTRY Launches Album Pre-Order & Releases New Song - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Unsung Hero | Chords, Lyrics and Sheet Music | SongSelect®". SongSelect. CCLI. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ a b "For King Country Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "for KING & COUNTRY Launch Pre-Order For 'What Are We Waiting For?' | CCM Magazine". CCM Magazine. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "JFH News: FOR KING + COUNTRY to Launch Pre-Order of New Album Jan. 7". Jesus Freak Hideout. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Nicholson, Jessica (11 March 2022). "For King & Country's Luke Smallbone on 'What Are We Waiting For' Album – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Unsung Hero by for KING & COUNTRY". MultiTracks. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Caldwell, Alex (9 March 2022). "Jesusfreakhideout.com: for KING & COUNTRY, "What Are We Waiting For?" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Yap, Timothy (10 March 2022). "for KING & COUNTRY "What Are We Waiting For?" Album Review : Exclusives : JubileeCast". JubileeCast. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Hot Christian Songs Chart | Billboard". Billboard. 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Christian Digital Song Sales Chart | Billboard". Billboard. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "for KING & COUNTRY - Unsung Hero (Official Music Video) - YouTube". YouTube. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Beach, Kylie (10 March 2022). "For KING & COUNTRY'S Joel Smallbone shares why new album 'just feels more Australian' - Eternity News". Eternity News. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "for KING & COUNTRY - Unsung Hero (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube". YouTube. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Clarks, Jessie (21 January 2022). "For KING & COUNTRY "Unsung Hero" Lyric Video - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "FOR KING + COUNTRY on Instagram: "WE MADE A MOVIE!"". Instagram. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (1 August 2023). "Lionsgate Nabs 'Unsung Hero' Drama from Music Duo For King + Country (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary: Week of August 10, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Chavez, Adriana (7 January 2022). "for KING & COUNTRY Launch Album Pre-Order with Release of the New Single 'Unsung Hero'". Vacancy Magazine. Retrieved 21 March 2022.