John Ondrasik was born in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. He grew up there in a musical family, with his mother teaching him the piano from the age of two. As a teenager, he learned how to play the guitar as well and started to write music. While he also learned to sing opera briefly, he quickly decided that he would like to be a piano playing popular musician along the lines of Elton John and Billy Joel. Ondrasik adopted the name "Five for Fighting" which is an expression in ice hockey when a player is sent from the rink by the referee for a major penalty. The name was used for the reason that it would be more memorable than his real name.
In 1997, his first album, 'Message for Albert', was released by EMI. Although not quite breaking through commercially, fans of modern singer-songwriter music provided a warm audience for Ondrasik. After the success of 'America Town', Capitol Records re-released this debut album to give it a more mainstream audience.
In 2000, Ondrasik signed with the aforementioned Columbia Records and released 'America Town' on September 26, 2000. At first, it made little impact until track "Superman (It's Not Easy)" became an American anthem after the September 11 attacks. Ondrasik performed the song at 'The Concert for New York Cit'y in late 2001.
"Superman (It's Not Easy)" started climbing the charts reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40. While 'America Town' itself failed to make the top 50 of the Billboard 200 album charts, its consistent sales led to it going platinum. "Superman (It's Not Easy)" was also an international hit reaching number one on a composite adult international chart (based on performance in the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Australia). Ondrasik's second single, "Easy Tonight", would make the top 20 of the world adult chart as well as going top 20 in New Zealand.
His third album, 'The Battle for Everything', debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 in February 2004. Its first single, "100 Years", was another top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and again reached number one on the World Adult Top 40. It also was number one on a composite world airplay chart and top 10 on a composite world modern rock chart. (based on USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Canada and Australia).
The Five for Fighting song "100 Years" was used in a ubiquitous JP Morgan Chase commercial, and more recently in an episode of Scrubs. The song was also used in the last scenes of the final episode of JAG.
Lately, Ondrasik's sixth album, 2013's 'Bookmarks', came out after a four year gap between his last release. The album has received critical praise from a variety of publications such as Allmusic, where the reviewer lauded how Five for Fighting produced " sturdy tunes wrapped up neatly in a shiny, appealing gloss". Released by the label Universal, his work also hit the #54 slot on the Billboard 200, with his fans happily looking forwards to his future endeavors.
See more at: http://www.fiveforfighting.com/
Stand Up
Five for Fighting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where you can't be saved
If your dreams put you asleep
Cause your bed is made
Stand Up Stand Up
Stand Up Stand Up
Cause you're falling down
If you have to paint your face
And you're not a clown
If you're naked lost in space
And all you wears a frown
Stand Up Stand Up
Stand Up Stand Up
Cause you're falling down
Stand Up Stand Up
Stand Up Stand Up
Before you hit the ground
There is no perfect man
We are just who I am
If you don't understand
Well don't give up
Cause one and one is two
Enough to get us through
If I can count on you
To just stand up
Can anybody out there hear me, hear me
Can anybody out there hear me, hear me
Stand Up Stand Up
Cause you're falling down
Stand Up Stand Up
Before you hit the ground
Stand Up Stand Up
Cause you're falling down
Stand Up Stand Up
Before you hit the ground
If you have to paint your face
And you're not a clown
If you're naked lost in space
And the world lets you down
If you write a tragedy
Where you can't be saved
The song "Stand Up" by Five for Fighting is a motivational track that encourages listeners to overcome obstacles and difficulties in life. The lyrics start with the singer addressing someone who is going through a tough time and feels helpless. He says, "if you write a tragedy, where you can't be saved, and your dreams put you asleep cause your bed is made" indicating that the person feels stuck and hopeless in their present situation.
The chorus of the song, which is repeated throughout, urges the listener to stand up and keep trying, no matter how many times they fall down. The singer acknowledges that there is no such thing as a perfect person, and that we all have flaws and challenges we face. But he believes that if we can count on each other and stand up for ourselves, we can overcome those challenges.
The final verse is a call to action, asking if anyone out there can hear the singer's message and if they are willing to stand up and join him in the fight against life's obstacles. Overall, the song is a powerful message of hope and perseverance, encouraging listeners to keep pushing forward no matter how difficult life may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
If you write a tragedy
Where you can't be saved
If you're in a situation where everything seems lost and hopeless and there's no way you can be rescued or helped.
If your dreams put you asleep
Cause your bed is made
If your dreams are not going anywhere, and you are just going to bed every night, hoping something will change, but it never does.
If you have to paint your face
And you're not a clown
If you have to fake a smile or put on a facade to hide your true emotions and feelings, even though you're not someone who usually does that.
If you're naked lost in space
And all you wears a frown
If you're feeling exposed and vulnerable, like you're floating aimlessly in space with no direction in mind and feeling helpless.
There is no perfect man
We are just who I am
If you don't understand
Well don't give up
We all have our imperfections, and that is okay. If someone doesn't understand you, don't lose hope and keep trying.
Cause one and one is two
Enough to get us through
If I can count on you
To just stand up
If we come together, we can overcome anything. If we can count on each other to support and encourage one another, we can make it through tough times.
Stand Up Stand Up
Cause you're falling down
If you are facing hardships and obstacles, don't give up and keep fighting. Stand up and keep moving forward.
Before you hit the ground
Don't wait until it's too late to make a change or take action. Take control of your life before things get worse.
If you're naked lost in space
And the world lets you down
If you're struggling and no one seems to understand you or help you out, and you feel like you're all alone to face your troubles.
Can anybody out there hear me, hear me
A plea for help or support, hoping that someone is out there who can understand and empathize.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DEREK FUHRMANN, JOHN ONDRASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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