A Hero's Death (song)

For the band's album of the same name, see A Hero's Death.

"A Hero's Death"
Single by Fontaines D.C.
from the album A Hero's Death
Released5 May 2020
RecordedAugust 2019–February 2020
Mr. Dan's Studios
London, United Kingdom
StudioAbbey Road Studios
London, United Kingdom
Genre
Length4:18
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Carlos O'Connell
  • Conor Curley
  • Conor Deegan III
  • Grian Chatten
  • Tom Coll
Producer(s)Dan Carey
Fontaines D.C. singles chronology
"Boys in the Better Land"
(2019) 		"A Hero's Death"
(2020) 		"I Don't Belong"
(2020)
Remix cover
Soulwax remix cover

"A Hero's Death" is a song by Irish post-punk band, Fontaines D.C. The song is the lead single, and title track off their sophomore album. The song was released on 5 May 2020 through Partisan Records.

"A Hero's Death" was the band's first song to chart, reaching number 30 in Scotland[1] and number 67 in the UK Singles Downloads Chart.[2]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Hugh Mulhern and produced by Aaron McEnaney and Theresa Adebiyi.[3] The music video features a fictional late night show called The Georgie Barnes Show starring a charismatic talk show host named Georgie Barnes, (played by Aidan Gillen) whose co-host is a puppet.[4] The series features the talk show host greeting the band prior to them playing a song on the show, but becoming existential when the band seems to show more appreciation to the puppeteer (Bryan Quinn) and the puppet rather than the host.[5]

Live performances

The first live performance of the song came on July 12, 2020, on Later... with Jools Holland when the band performed the song. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band members performed in different locations and were simulcasted for an "At Home" performance of the song.[6] The first live performance of the band together was on January 28, 2021, when the band performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[7]

Charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 90
Scotland (OCC)[9] 30
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[10] 67

References

  1. ^ Peak chart positions in Scotland:
    • "A Hero's Death": "19 June 2020 - 25 June 2020 Scottish Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  2. ^ Peak chart positions on the UK Singles Download Chart:
  3. ^ Knight, David (6 July 2020). "Fontaines D.C. 'A Hero's Death' by Hugh Mulhern". promonews.tv. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  4. ^ Rodger, James (5 May 2020). "Game of Thrones Aidan Gillen stars in new Fontaines DC music video A Hero's Death". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  5. ^ Clark, Simon (30 July 2020). "Interview: Fontaines D.C. (Ireland) chat A Hero's Death, life in lockdown, and working with Aidan Gillen". The AU Review. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Fontaines D.C. set to perform on Later With Jools Holland". finbar. July 8, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  7. ^ @fontainesdublin (January 29, 2021). "Here's last night's performance of "A Hero's Death" for "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Chart Track: Week 28, 2020". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 August 2020.