"Superman (It's Not Easy)"
Single by Five for Fighting
from the album America Town
ReleasedApril 16, 2001 (2001-04-16)
Genre
Length3:42
Label
Songwriter(s)John Ondrasik
Producer(s)Gregg Wattenberg
Five for Fighting singles chronology
"Easy Tonight"
(2000)		 "Superman (It's Not Easy)"
(2001)		 "Easy Tonight"
(2002)
Music video
"Superman (It's Not Easy)" on YouTube

"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. Following the September 11 attacks, the song was used to honor the victims, survivors, police, and firefighters involved in the attacks.[3]

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 in 2002.[4]

Content

The lyrics focus on the iconic hero Superman; specifically, how, in the opinion of the singer, his life as a hero is surprisingly difficult despite his immense power.[5] Ondrasik said the song is about "frustration about the inability to be heard."[6]

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

Ondrasik was in London during the September 11 attacks, 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 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."[3]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Superman (It's Not Easy)"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[35] Platinum 70,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Superman (It's Not Easy)"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 16, 2001 Adult alternative radio [37]
April 23, 2001 [38]
April 24, 2001 Alternative radio [39]
Australia February 4, 2002 CD [40]
United Kingdom May 20, 2002 [41]

"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.[42] In his 2010 comedy tour, Conan O'Brien sang a cover of the song by himself before Jim Carrey appeared in a Superman suit to sing a duet with O'Brien.[43] 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 transition.[44]

The song has also been used in multiple television programs. It was aptly featured in Smallville, a coming-of-age series focused on the adventures of teenage Clark Kent.[45] A cover of the song by Briana Lee was used in the series finale of the television show Code Black.[46][47]

In 2011, the song was used to honor the memory of hockey player and former Vancouver Canuck, Rick Rypien at Rogers Arena, Vancouver. Rypien committed suicide in the summer of 2011 after a lengthy battle with depression.[48]

References

  1. ↑ Varias, Chris (April 6, 2018). "Cincinnati Pops gets Five for Fighting". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved October 25, 2020. But things have changed industry-wide not only since the last decade when Ondrasik was cranking out soft-rock hits like "Superman (It's Not Easy)," "100 Years" and "The Riddle" under his stage name Five for Fighting.
  2. ↑ Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation (July 1, 2002). Pop/Rock. Hal Leonard. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-634-05059-6.
  3. 1 2 "Five for Fighting sings 9/11 anthem "Superman"". CBS News. September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  4. ↑ CBS News staff (January 4, 2002). "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five for Fighting". Songfacts. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  6. ↑ Wiser, Carl (November 2, 2015). "John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ↑ "Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  9. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Superman (It's Not Easy)". Irish Singles Chart.
  10. ↑ "Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)". Top Digital Download.
  11. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ↑ "Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)". Top 40 Singles.
  14. ↑ "Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)". VG-lista.
  15. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  17. ↑ "Five for Fighting Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. ↑ "Five for Fighting Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Five for Fighting Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  20. ↑ "Five for Fighting Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. ↑ "Five for Fighting Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  22. ↑ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  23. ↑ "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-82. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2001". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 60.
  25. ↑ "America's Best: 2001 – Most-Played Triple-A Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 45.
  26. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2002". ARIA. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Songs of 2002". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. Archived from the original on June 2, 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  29. ↑ "End of Year Charts 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 2002". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  31. ↑ "The Year in Music 2002: Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-96. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  32. ↑ "The Year in Music 2002: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-97. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 12.
  34. ↑ "Year in Music: Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. December 27, 2003. p. YE-80. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  35. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  36. ↑ "American single certifications – Five for Fighting – Superman (It's Not Easy)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Adult Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1397. April 13, 2001. p. 121. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1398. April 20, 2001. pp. 89, 94. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1398. April 20, 2001. p. 118. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  40. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 04/02/2002" (PDF). ARIA. February 4, 2002. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  41. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 20 May 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 18, 2002. p. 27. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  42. ↑ "How I Want to Live: the Catman Chronicles 2". Allmusic.com.
  43. ↑ "Conan O'Brien & Jim Carrey Perform Superman Live". Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  44. ↑ "The Axis of Awesome". Brag Magazine – Everything Sydney. April 27, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Smallville – 'Stray' – Soundtracks". IMDB.com.
  46. ↑ "iTunes Code Black Season 3 - Single - Superman". iTunes.com.
  47. ↑ "Facebook post about the cover of the song by Five For Fighting". Facebook.com.
  48. ↑ "Rick Rypien gone, but not forgotten by Vancouver Canucks". nationalpost.com. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
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