Birth and Early Life of John Ondrasik:
John Ondrasik was born January 7, 1968 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in a musical family and began studying piano at the age of 2. Later, Ondrasik taught himself to play guitar and began writing songs. He enrolled in college at UCLA as a math major, but John Ondrasik also continued to pursue his musical dream in his spare time.
Recording as Five for Fighting:
John Ondrasik adopted the stage name Five for Fighting. It comes from a phrase used when a hockey player is sent to the penalty box for five minutes after fighting on the ice. Ondrasik thought it would be a more memorable performing name than his own. Sometimes Five for Fighting refers to a band, but most often it is taken to refer to John Ondrasik himself. The first Five for Fighting album, Message for Albert, was released in 1997. The sound is a sort of intelligent piano-infused pop echoing Billy Joel and Ben Folds.
Quote from John Ondrasik:
Describing his approach to music on his official web site:
"Being in a band, you spend a lot of months on a bus rolling through America. Unless you do that you don't' have a sense of the expanse and the differences that make it so great. My music just comes from my experience putting the miles on tires."
Pop Star in Wake of September 11, 2001:
Five for Fighting's second album America Town was released in September, 2000. Initially, the album languished, but the ballad "Superman (It's Not Easy)" began to draw attention. It was climbing the pop charts when the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 took place. "Superman (It's Not Easy)" soon was adopted by rescue workers and emergency workers as an anthem to ease the burden of their work. Eventually the song hit #1 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and America Town went platinum.
Top Five for Fighting Songs:
- 2001 - Superman (It's Not Easy) - #1 Adult Top 40
- 2004 - 100 Years - #1 Adult Contemporary
- 2006 - The Riddle - #4 Adult Contemporary
Watch Five for Fighting Videos
Battle for Everything:
Battle for Everything, the follow up to Five for Fighting's breakthrough success, appeared in 2004. It debuted at #20 on the pop album chart and included the hit single "100 Years." The song has been used extensively in television shows and commercials. Among the uses were on the series Smallville, Scrubs, and as theme music for Katie Couric's final appearance on the Today show.
John Ondrasik and Film Music:
In recent years, John Ondrasik has expanded his musical interests into putting together music for films. He performed a new version of Art Garfunkel's 1973 hit "All I Know" on the soundtrack for the film Chicken Little. He also wrote and produced the song "Break" for the movie August Rush. Finally, the animated baseball film Everyone's Hero includes songs written and performed by John Ondrasik.
Two Lights:
In August, 2006, Five for Fighting's 4th album Two Lights was released. The album debuted at #8, the first top 10 appearance for Five for Fighting. Two Lights includes the hit single "The Riddle." John Ondrasik says "The Riddle" was the hardest to write of any of his songs requiring 18 months to write.
