"Sueperman's Big Sister" is a song and a

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

single by Ian Dury & The Blockheads. Its title purposefully misspells 'Superman' with an extra 'e' to avoid any copyright issues with

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. Released as a single (BUY 100) to promote Ian Dury & The Blockheads upcoming album ''Laughter'', it was a commercial failure, reaching 51 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, but the ''Sueperman's Big Sister / You'll See Glimpses'' 7" single has the added significance of being

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

' 100th Single. To mark this occasion the record had special labels printed. These labels were copies of Stiff's first single

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Teddy Boys), possibly the same image used for the single's sleeve, and its lyric tells the story of a chauvinistic, cocky man whose ideas on the opposite sex are radically changed by a relationship with a woman so imposing she could well be 'superman's big sister'. At one point she is so rough/domineering with him he even considers homosexuality ('if I'd gone on the turn dear') the two eventually break-up but remain friends, according to the song's narrator, for fear of repercussions if they did not. Ironically Ian Dury, who wrote the song's lyrics, as he would with every song he would release bar one, had been falsely accused of misogyny two years earlier because of the track "If I Was With A Woman", a song appearing on his solo debut '' New Boots and Panties!!'' in contrast "Sueperman's Big Sister" gives an anti-misogyny/pro-Woman's Liberation message. With its narrator who thinks that 'a bit of treatment' (sex) is all that's needed is shown the error of his ways by a dominant, independent woman. The song is co-written by

Wilko Johnson John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in t ...

, formerly of influential pub-rock band Dr. Feelgood, who had joined the band as a replacement for Ian Dury's former co-writer

Chas Jankel Charles Jeremy "Chaz" Jankel (born 16 April 1952) is an English musician. In a music career spanning more than 40 years, he came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Ian Dury and the Blockheads. With ...

, who had left to pursue a solo career, and features string arrangements by Ivor Raymonde (who also composed the string arrangements for "Fucking Ada", the song's B-side on its 12" release).

References

Sources

*''Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life Of Ian Dury'' by Richard Balls, first published 2000, Omnibus Press *''Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song'' by Jim Drury, first published 2003, Sanctuary Publishing. {{Authority control 1980 singles Songs written by Ian Dury Ian Dury songs 1980 songs