Five Alt Rock Songs Inspired By Superman

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Man of Steel. I’m sure if you told Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel 75 years ago that their art would be as loved and cherished as it is, they probably wouldn’t have believed you. I have always loved Superman – he represents all that is good. He has reinvented himself and taken many forms in the last 7.5 decades through television, movies, comic books and of course, in music. Here’s five songs that I liked growing up in the 90’s and early 2000’s that embraced the awesomeness that is THE MAN OF STEEL!

1. Our Lady Peace – Superman’s Dead
The mother of all superman tunes in my opinion, especially if you grew up in Canada. Our Lady Peace was friggin’ HUGE when this tune came out. I was really young, and I liked that album, “Clumsy”, a lot. That issue of the Superman comic, the “Superman’s Dead” issue, was the biggest selling superman comic book ever so it was only a matter of time until someone lifted the concept and in the case of Our Lady Peace, it worked out REALLY well.

2. Crash Test Dummies – Superman Song
A Grammy award winning Canadian band that never really gets enough mention, the Crash Test Dummies, I always thought, we’re pretty cool. Brad Roberts’ ultra deep monotone voice makes for a soothing sound in front of some great musicians and behind some great storied, including this mellow dramatic tale. He tells the story of how Superman was an honest and hard working guy and how he always worked for free. It puts a perspective on how Superman felt, and basically says he’s just a regular guy like us. The musical arrangement is also great.

3.Goldfinger- Superman
Legendary ska punk band Goldfinger scored a big hit with Superman, mostly thanks to the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater on Playstation one. It’s the tale of someone losing track of their life, but clinging to the ideal of being Superman. For real though, who WOULDN’T want to be Superman?!? I really enjoyed this band when I was growing up and a lot of my friends did as well. Great tune – Supes would like this one FOR SURE.

4. Spin Doctors – Jimmy Olsens Blues
I was super young when this band came out, but they were really catchy and fun so I always dug some of their stuff like this tune, a song about the lonely Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olson. Lead singer Chris Barron takes the point of view of Olson, and drops tons of Superman references including Metropolis and his burning love for Lois Lane and his jealousy towards the “Man of Steel”. These guys even named their album “Pocket Full of Kryptonite” to show their love for the big guy.

5. 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite
This may be the all time most sung karaoke song, EVER. Everyone loves to suck back a few beers and sing this classic radio hit. It actually doesn’t make that much sense, but it’s called Kryptonite and it says Superman in the chorus, so I included it. It’s damn catchy, too.

Superman has played a huge part in pop culture, for everyone, all ages, colors and genders. It is great to know that somewhere out there, Superman is there, never to disappear. Though he is fictional, I still believe it makes the world a better place.