"Holding Out for a Hero" Quotes
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Source: "Holding Out for a Hero"
Speaker: Bonnie Tyler
"Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?"
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night, I toss and turn and I dream of what I need.
Context
This line was sung by Bonnie Tyler in "Holding Out for a Hero," written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford from the Footloose soundtrack album (1984).
You've gotta love the '80s and the big hair with even bigger ballads. One of these famous power ballads is "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler from the movie Footloose, where we all fell in love with Kevin Bacon and his dance moves.
Superheroes don't have to have amazing martial arts moves, X-ray vision, or a cool high-tech suit. Sometimes they just need killer dance moves. (See Star-Lord at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, who is a huge fan of Footloose and Kevin Bacon.)
Where you've heard it
"Holding Out for a Hero" was a prom staple for anyone who went to high school in the '80s. If you're a '90s or '00s kid, you probably heard this song in Shrek 2.
Additional Notable References:
- As with most classic songs, it was performed on Glee. Melissa Benoist, one of the actors who sings in this version, became a superhero herself, starring in CBS's Supergirl.
- Heroes deserve a Doritos break after doing extreme arm-wrestling.
- "Holding Out for a Hero" is considered a LGBT anthem and first became popular in Bonnie Tyler's native country of Great Britain by being played in gay clubs.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Maybe save this quote for '80s karaoke night or a superhero costume party.