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/
The Last Great American
Five for Fighting Lyrics
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For days he says he can remember
And through the town the pallbearers sing old songs
Of a beautiful purple mountain
From every walk of life we've come to see the last great American
May I now present you the speaker,
"Friends he was a man of men, a man of gold:
That's when the President started to giggle
And the children gave the blessing
Though the service weren't half done
Each of them sued the other one
For the last great American
Merry reaches up, we bow our heads
He pulls the lid on down and his stone is read
Here lies our Merry
The man with the heart so spent
That in this day and age
Is sick of living
And judges argue letters
Fabric comes undone
For every daughter every son
Of the last great American
For every daughter every son
Of the last great American
The song "The Last Great American" by Five for Fighting paints a picture of the death and funeral of Mr. Merry, who is remembered as the last great American. As the pallbearers carry his coffin through the town, they sing old songs of a beautiful purple mountain, representing the sense of nostalgia and a longing for a mythic past. The singer then presents Mr. Merry as a man of gold, someone with a strong sense of ethics and integrity. However, the mood changes as the President starts to giggle and the children give their blessing. Despite the funeral service not being half done, each person sues the other for being the last great American, highlighting the human tendency to fight for power and status.
The chorus repeats the phrase "For every daughter every son of the last great American", emphasizing the collective memory and legacy that Mr. Merry leaves behind. When he finally reaches his resting place and the lid closes, the judges argue letters and the fabric of society comes undone. This suggests that without someone like Mr. Merry, who embodied the values of honesty, decency, and humility, the society is vulnerable to chaos and disorder. The song captures a sense of loss and yearning for the good old days, but also a warning that such a world may never have existed in the first place.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr. Merry cries in his coffin
Even in death, Merry is unhappy and longing for something
For days he says he can remember
Merry has a lot of regret and nostalgia for the past
And through the town the pallbearers sing old songs
The pallbearers are honoring Merry's memory with traditional music
Of a beautiful purple mountain
The music resonates with memories of a happy time in Merry's life
From every walk of life we've come to see the last great American
People from all backgrounds are here to honor Merry, who represents a lost era of American greatness
May I now present you the speaker,
The singer is taking on a formal role of presenting a speaker
"Friends he was a man of men, a man of gold:
The singer is praising Merry as an exceptional man
He had a how do you say, ethical like sense"
The artist struggles to find the words to describe Merry's strong moral character
That's when the President started to giggle
Even the President is not taking this solemn occasion seriously
And the children gave the blessing
Despite the adults' lack of respect, the children still show reverence for Merry's memory
Though the service weren't half done
The funeral is not going as planned or expected
Each of them sued the other one
The people in attendance are fighting over something related to Merry's legacy
For the last great American
They are fighting over who has the right to claim the legacy of a lost era of American greatness that Merry represents
Merry reaches up, we bow our heads
Merry's body is being lowered into the ground and people pay their final respects
He pulls the lid on down and his stone is read
Merry's burial is finalized with the placement of his headstone
Here lies our Merry
The headstone marks the final resting place of Merry's body
The man with the heart so spent
Merry had a lot of emotional baggage and inner turmoil
That in this day and age
Merry felt out of place in the modern world
Is sick of living
Merry struggled with depression and felt hopeless
And judges argue letters
Even after Merry's death, there are legal battles over his legacy
Fabric comes undone
The fabric of society is unraveling and it's uncertain what the future holds
For every daughter every son
The battles over Merry's legacy affect everyone who knew him or was influenced by him
Of the last great American
Merry represents a lost era of American greatness, and his legacy is a symbol of something that can never be regained
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOHN ONDRASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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