"Supernova" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

from her second album, '' Whip-Smart'', released in 1994. The song received heavy rotation on radio stations and its music video was frequently aired on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. The song went on to hit number 6 on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart and number 78 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1995, the song was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in the 37th Annual

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. This song was used for the soundtrack of the film '' Love & Other Drugs''.

Background

Phair said, "I wanted to just kind of write about the joy of being in love and having sex be a part of that. ... I'm so awestruck by the fact that my body, which has evolved over millions of years, has these responses and it's all wrapped up with the emotions that I'm feeling. I wanted to describe every level of that in a song."

Track listings and formats

* Australian and German maxi-single # "Supernova" (Album Version) – 2:50 # "Supernova" (Clean Version) – 2:49 # "Combo Platter" (Girlie Sound) – 4:48 * German cassette # "Supernova" (LP Version) – 2:47 # "X-Ray Man" (Remix) – 2:30 * US 7-inch vinyl and cassette # "Supernova" (Album Version) – 2:49 # "Combo Platter" (Girlysound) – 4:48 * US maxi-single # "Supernova" (Edit) – 2:50 # "Supernova" (Clean Version) – 2:49 # "Combo Platter" (Girlie Sound) – 4:48

Credits and personnel

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vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

* Brad Wood –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, recording, mixing * Casey Rice – talking guitar lines, guitar solo, recording, mixing *

Leroy Bach LeRoy Fredrick Bach is an American musician, composer, and music producer. He has hosted musical gatherings, fostered musical collaborations, and led bands in Chicago since 1990. Bach is perhaps best known for his work as a multi-instrumentalist in ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Roger Seibel – mastering Credits and personnel adapted from ''Whip-Smart'' album liner notes.

Charts

References

1994 singles 1994 songs Liz Phair songs Matador Records singles Songs written by Liz Phair {{1990s-rock-song-stub