Top Songs Superman is Dead

Humans greatly respond to the image and idea of Superman, The Man of Steel is pervasive in American (and world) culture and is the subject of many songs.

In order to better understand this phenomenon I have tasked George Chimples and Rodrigo Lopez with compiling the top 10 songs about Superman… OR ELSE!

Here are their findings:

10. “Superman (It’s not easy)” – Five for Fighting

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Rodrigo: This song was popular, like really popular. Even if you don’t listen to top 40 radio you’ve probably heard this ballad, and if not you’ve probably heard a parody of it. but this song stands out for two reasons:

1) its references are weirdly specific to the 1978 film, “More than a pretty face beside a train” calls out a particular scene in the movie.

2) It’s a song that seems to actually be about Superman and what Superman feels, not a metaphor, not a parallel narrative. “Guys, I’m Superman and I’m sad.”

George: Whenever I see this title and band, I think it’s the theme song from Scrubs. Pro-tip: it isn’t. I really hate this song. Lyrically, it seems to imagine Superman as a whiny, self-absorbed sadsack with a grating singing voice. But it does have a decent point, in that even with all his superpowers, Superman’s got some tough stuff going on in his own life too.

9. “Kryptonite” – 3 Doors Down

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Rodrigo: It was the edge of the 90s and 2000s, bands with numbers in their names were hot! hot! hot! And 3 Doors Down cracked the charts in half with a rockin’ post-grunge jam about awesome superheroes!

Well, actually the song is more about trust, it evokes the idea of two people who depend on each other but may be ‘damaged goods.’ The question is posed “If I screw up will I still be important to you?” if you see “KRYPTONIIIIITE!” as the answer to that question the song is downright depressing.