"Superman (It's Not Easy)" is a song written and performed by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released on April 16, 2001, as the second single from his second studio album ''

America Town ''America Town'' is the second studio album by American pop rock artist Five for Fighting. It was released by Aware Records, a Columbia Records subsidiary, in 2000. It contains two of his most well-known songs, " Easy Tonight" and the Grammy-nom ...

''. Following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, the song was used to honor the victims, survivors, police, and firefighters involved in the attacks. The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 38 on October 27, 2001, then subsequently peaked at number 14, becoming Five for Fighting's first top-40 hit in the United States. The single was a major hit in Australia and New Zealand, reaching number two on both countries' national charts. It additionally reached the top 20 in Ireland, Italy and Norway. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the

44th Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won four ...

in 2002.

Content

The lyrics focus on the iconic hero

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

; specifically, how, in the opinion of the singer, his life as a hero is surprisingly difficult despite his immense power. Ondrasik said the song is about "frustration about the inability to be heard."

Music video

The music video was directed by Ramaa Mosley and premiered in June 2001. A scene from this video was filmed at Yonge Street and Richmond Street in Toronto, Ontario. At the end of the song's music video, John Ondrasik lies in bed with his own wife and son. Rob Thomas makes a cameo appearance in the video.

Impact

September 11 attacks

Ondrasik was in London during the

, preparing for a concert; the song was beginning to pick up steam in Europe. However, the song grew in popularity in the United States after the attacks, with ''

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

'' writing that "...it became an anthem in the days after 9/11. Its lyrics resonated with people, bringing a sense of raw humanity and comfort to those who needed it most."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

In popular culture and covers

"Superman" has been covered multiple times by various artists. The song was covered by shadow musician Catman Cohen in 2005 via CD, ''How I Want to Live: the Catman Chronicles 2''. In his 2010 comedy tour,

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ( ...

sang a cover of the song by himself before

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy t ...

appeared in a Superman suit to sing a duet with O'Brien. Australian comedy rock trio the Axis of Awesome parodied this song with a new song, "Birdplane". This song turned out to affect the band, as it represented Jordan Raskopoulos and her

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

transition. The song has also been used in multiple television programs. It was aptly featured in ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/G ...

'', a coming-of-age series focused on the adventures of teenage

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

. A cover of the song by Briana Lee was used in the series finale of the television show '' Code Black''. In 2011, the song was used to honor the memory of hockey player and former Vancouver Canuck,

Rick Rypien Richard Joseph Rypien (May 16, 1984 – August 15, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who spent parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks. After a major junior career of four years w ...

at Rogers Arena, Vancouver. Rypien committed suicide in the summer of 2011 after a lengthy battle with depression.

References

{{Authority control 2000 songs 2000s ballads 2001 singles APRA Award winners Columbia Records singles Five for Fighting songs Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs about comics Songs about fictional male characters Songs written by John Ondrasik Superman music