John Ondrasik, the songwriter and pianist known for blending pop-rock with emotional storytelling, has released a new version of his hit single “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” to draw attention to Israeli hostages still held by Hamas since the October 7th terrorist attacks.
The brand-new release is a collaboration with current hostage Alon Ohel’s mother, Idit, and his brother, Ronen, along with additional family and friends.
This version changes a lyric in the certified Gold song to “Find a way to Fly – To a home I will soon see.”
In doing so, “Superman” transforms from a song about a hero experiencing human struggles to one of hope for the men and women still in captivity, achieving their own heroism by surviving unspeakable conditions and returning home soon.
I am Honored to collaborate with current hostage Alon Ohel’s mother Idit, brother Ronen, family and friends with this new version of “Superman” to support Alon, all the hostages, and their families.
May they all “Find a way to Fly – To a home I will soon see” 🎗️🧡 🇺🇸🇮🇱… pic.twitter.com/MymL79U3ZG
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) April 14, 2025
Ondrasik spoke with RedState about the collaboration, explaining what inspired him to reimagine “Superman” specifically for Ohel and the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
The music connection, along with one particular image of a young Ohel dressed as Superman, helped inspire the Grammy-nominated star.
“Alon’s mom, Idit, and her team reached out to me looking to do a musical collaboration to support her son and the hostages,” Ondrasik explains. “I was honored to do so and it became very clear that ‘Superman’ should be the song as I had played the song in Hostage Square last year on Alon’s piano.”
“When we saw a picture of Alon in his Superman jammies, I think we all went to another level of heartbreak.”
That image of a six-year-old Ohel dressed as Clark Kent ripping his suit open to reveal the iconic ‘S’ symbol can be seen in the above video at the conclusion of the song.
