"Superman's Song" is the first single of Canadian folk-rock group

Crash Test Dummies Crash Test Dummies are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Anchored by Brad Roberts (vocals, guitar) and his distinctive bass-baritone voice, the other band members have fluctuated over the years. Its most prominent line-up consist ...

, appearing on their 1991 debut album '' The Ghosts That Haunt Me''. The single was the group's first hit, reaching number four in Canada, number 56 in the United States and number 87 in Australia. It was featured in the pilot of the Canadian TV series ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 23, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred P ...

''. The song was covered by Lucy Wainwright Roche, daughter of

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

and

Suzzy Roche Suzzy Roche ( ; born September 29, 1956) is an American singer, best known for her work with the vocal group the Roches, alongside sisters Maggie and Terre. Suzzy is the youngest of the three, and joined the act in 1977. She is the author of th ...

The Roches The Roches were an American vocal trio of sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche, from Park Ridge, New Jersey. Career In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951 – January 21, 2017) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry" ...

, on her second EP ''8 More''. It also has been covered by Nataly Dawn.

Meaning

Brad Roberts has stated that "Superman's Song" is an "analysis of

political philosophy Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and Political legitimacy, legitimacy of political institutions, such as State (polity), states. This field investigates different ...

" and that the way the song was written alleviated some of the seriousness of the topic. He explained the meaning of the song in a 1992 interview: :''"Superman as cast in "Superman's Song" is obviously a left-wing political figure. His activity in the community is intrinsic to his being. Superman is being juxtaposed against Tarzan, who is kind of a

laissez-faire ''Laissez-faire'' ( , from , ) is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations). As a system of thought, ''laissez-faire'' ...

capitalist type who retreats to the forest, and rejects the idea of community. He wants to live in a so-called animal state, and he doesn't have to be bothered with any kind of political realities."'' Roberts has also stated that the song celebrates the ideals embodied by the superheroes: :''"One of the things that impressed me was this distinction between the idea of doing something for a reason versus doing something for one’s own sake,” he says. “In the case of Superman, he pursues good for its own sake. It’s not so he can get something else. The end in itself. One of the things that the song gets at is this kind of decaying sense of civic responsibility, where characters like Superman are no longer valued."''

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song was directed by Dale Heslip and features the band singing at a

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

for

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

attended by various aging

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

es. Some depicted are a middle-aged

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

-like character,

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...

, and possibly

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

(

Alan Scott Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...

). It won the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Video in 1991.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1991 songs 1991 debut singles Arista Records singles Crash Test Dummies songs Rock ballads Songs about fictional male characters Songs written by Brad Roberts Superman music