Can One Man Save the World?

John Ondrasik with the Ukrainian Orchestra at Antonov Airport – Kyiv, Ukraine PHOTO COURTESY HOLLWOOD HEARD

BY APRIL NEALE

Five for Fighting singer-songwriter John Ondrasik has an affinity for Boise. The Boise Chamber of Commerce appreciates his business connections to the City of Trees as well as his penchant for illuminating extraordinary people and troubling times in his hit music. On a recent trip to Boise for a sold-out performance at the Chamber’s Annual Gala, Ondrasik said, “I have a weird dichotomy with Boise because I am a singer—songwriter and [my family] business since the 1940s is based in California and called Precision Wire Products. I’ve worked there my whole life. Our claim to fame is we make the best shopping cart in the world, and Albertsons is one of our customers.” Because of the pandemic, Ondrasik noted that three years have passed since he returned to Boise. “Previously, I performed at the Egyptian Theater, at outdoor concerts, and was meeting with Albertsons. I love the town. I always run the [Boise] river. Now, I am trying to get my son to go to Boise State!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRO IMAGE EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Ondrasik’s children, Olivia and John, are two of his biggest muses and have titled a few of his songs. Being present for them reinforced what Ondrasik believed was the key for leaders and people of all backgrounds to discover–the power of listening. Listening is what inspired his latest hit song, “Can One Man Save The World?” Inspired by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ondrasik performed this hit at the Chamber Gala, which helped the event raise $20,000 for Red Cross Ukrainian relief.

“One thing I talk about a lot is just listening. It’s a critical skill, not just for songwriters, but for all leaders; to listen to the people around you and empower them,” he said. “Some of my best songs come from just listening, not just to my kids and what they say, but walking down the street, watching something on TV, or just being open to ideas. So often I’ll hear a phrase or something, and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, that there’s a song there or a song title.’”

Creativity, however, can also attract controversy. Ondrasik’s song, “Blood On My Hands,” was removed by YouTube. “I’d written a song a little over a year ago about the Afghan withdrawal. I’ve never been somebody who talks about politics or writes political songs. I find celebrities who get on their soapbox annoying. So the Afghan song was born out of being upset about the withdrawal because, like many veteran friends I have, we were angry that we abandoned allies,” he said. “A lot of work was just left, and I was outraged. So I wrote that song. And when I wrote it, everybody said, ‘You can’t put that out.’ But I put it out. And there was a powerful reaction from the veteran community and others who were also angry about the withdrawal. And then it became this worldwide story. But I found myself on the front lines of some of these geopolitical issues. And I swore I’ll never do it again. Because that’s not me.”

Ondrasik’s performance at the 2022 Boise Metro Chamber Gala helped raise $10,000 for the American Red Cross efforts in Ukraine.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLLWOOD HEARD

Yet, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine devolved into chaos and death, Ondrasik wondered how the stakes would go down. “In the initial days of the war, General Mark Milley said it would be over in three days and Russia was going to win,” he said. “And then, there was this little Zelenskyy guy, and I didn’t know anything about him. He was a comedian. What’s that all about?

And then I found out when Russia invaded, we [the USA] offered him a plane ticket. And he said, ‘No, I’m going to stay. My wife and my children are going to stay,’ knowing the Russians would likely kill him within days. And I thought, who does that in this day and age? This little David-to-the-Goliath just profoundly moved me.”

“My passion has always been for our troops who provide our freedom, which has always mattered to me as a songwriter… and so when I saw that, I was so inspired.” Ondrasik was moved to action. “The Russians had hired assassins to kill him. And Zelenskyy said, ‘I may not be here tomorrow, but this fight needs to go on.’ So I wrote, ‘Can One Man Save The World?’ quickly, just like the Afghan song. And put it out the next day because I didn’t think he’d be alive two or three days later. I had no idea I’d be making a video five months later in Kyiv.”

If I took anything from Ukraine, I had a sense of what they’ve been living under for these nine months. Even when you’re not on the front. But I was very grateful that they wanted me to come and that we did this and tried to shine the light on their cause.

Performing in a war zone with people in harm’s way changed his entire perspective. “It was scary. We’d been at the airport and saw body parts lying around, and we toured places where the atrocities happened. You’re overwhelmed, you’re sad, but you’re inspired. Not just soldiers, but the musicians who say, ‘the more horrible things Putin does to us, the more we stand up to fight him.’ Everybody I met had someone on the front lines, or they had lost someone. Our translator hadn’t heard from her brother for 11 days,” he said. “All these stories were emotional. You are scared. You don’t sleep. But, I got to leave in a few days. When I crossed that border back into Poland, I thought about all those people who had to stay there and endure the weight of uncertainty. The mental stress of that. If I took anything from Ukraine, I had a sense of what they’ve been living under for these nine months. Even when you’re not on the front. But I was very grateful that they wanted me to come and that we did this and tried to shine the light on their cause.”

Ondrasik performs his blockbuster hit “Superman”at the Boise Metro Chamber Gala.

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

The lack of creatives also penning songs and singing about the injustices leveled at Ukraine weighs heavily on Ondrasik, who wished that President Zelenskyy’s bravery also moved higher profile singer-songwriters to action. “We take this freedom for granted in a world where it’s under attack everywhere. That’s one reason why I do it. I wish it were Bono, Springsteen, Lady Gaga, or Ariana Grande—people with more stature than me—but all I can do is what I can do,” he said. “These Ukrainian people and their fortitude, knowing they’re going to die, but standing up for their country and freedom. I wish there were a thousand songs, and frankly, there should have been. But it certainly took me on an adventure I could never have imagined.”