Five for Fighting

There's a great book to be written about how Sept. 11 changed American culture. The trauma had a particularly profound, albeit short-lived, effect on the pop charts, as the country briefly embraced feel-good singles as citizens tried to cope with the tragedy. Five for Fighting's 2000 ballad “Superman (It's Not Easy)” helped soundtrack those healing sessions, peaking on the charts a couple of months after the Sept. 11 attacks. In the years since, the group—really just singer-pianist John Ondrasik—has become a go-to source for TV producers looking to soundtrack melodramatic moments with baleful tunes sung in plaintive falsetto. Five for Fighting's latest album, 2009's Slice, adds grandiose orchestral arrangements to the mix, suggesting Ondrasik is now aiming to soundtrack not just TV shows, but also movies.