Landmark episode will feature original song by Five for Fighting

For the 100th episode of "Hawaii Five-0," executive producer Peter Lenkov wanted to do something special.

A cake-cutting celebration and a Sept. 13 Sunset on the Beach Season 5 premiere coinciding with filming of the landmark episode was good. But an original song created just for the occasion? Now that’s special.

Through CBS Senior Vice President of Music Amy Osler, Lenkov got in touch with multiplatinum-selling recording artist John Ondrasik, who performs under the hockey-inspired moniker Five for Fighting. The result was "All for One," a song that will debut during a 3-minute montage at the end of the 100th episode, airing at 8 p.m. Friday.

"I look at it almost like our new theme song," said Lenkov. "It’s a real tribute. If you watch that little segment at the end, over and over again, you will see that thematically he plays it great. The lyrics, just the tone, everything feels like a real tribute to what we’ve done in the last 100 episodes."

Lenkov wanted a song that captured the feeling of ohana the characters have built over the last five years.

Ondrasik understood exactly what Lenkov meant by "ohana." The Los Angeles native comes to Hawaii every year on vacation, usually staying on Hawaii island with his family.

"I honeymooned there, my parents honeymooned there, my kids love it, so we’re huge fans of the islands and the culture and the beauty and the serenity," he said. "So that’s one reason this project appealed to me — I was such a fan of not only the show, but the islands."

Five for Fighting is best known for hit songs "Superman (It’s Not Easy)" and "100 Years" from the early 2000s. The piano-playing singer-songwriter has released six albums and most recently completed a tour of symphony shows.

Ondrasik, 49, is a fan of both the current "Hawaii Five-0" and the original show, which aired from 1968-80. He remembers watching the Jack Lord series as a kid.

"I was joking with Peter that the reason he hired me is that I’m the only songwriter old enough to have watched the original series in real time," Ondrasik said with a laugh.

Lenkov was already well aware of the power of Ondrasik’s work. At one point during his daughter’s high school graduation in May, "100 Years" began to play. "People were bawling," Lenkov recalled. "Clearly this guy knows how to reach people emotionally."

With "All for One," Ondrasik hopes to strike a chord with fans. In a 37-second sneak peek of the song posted on the CBS website, the reflective lyrics encapsulate the history of Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and the "Five-0" team: "Bridges we’ve crossed, battles we’ve had / Love we have lost and dreams we have shared / We will always be one for all and all for one."

"All for One" will be available for purchase on iTunes starting Friday night.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser staff writer Mike Gordon contributed to this report.