"Superman (It's Not Easy)" | ||||
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Single by Five for Fighting | ||||
from the album America Town | ||||
Released | April 16, 2001 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:42 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | John Ondrasik | |||
Producer(s) | Gregg Wattenberg | |||
Five for Fighting singles chronology | ||||
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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]
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]
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.[ citation needed ]
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]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [35] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [36] | Gold | 500,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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]
Vladimir John Ondrasik III, also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock sentimental ballads, such as the top 40 hits "Superman " (2001), "100 Years" (2003), and "The Riddle" (2006). He also had a string of moderate hits on the adult contemporary charts in the late 2000s and into the 2010s, including "World" (2006) and "Chances" (2009).
The Battle for Everything is the third studio album by American singer Five for Fighting, released on February 3, 2004 by Aware Records and Columbia Records. Following the success of America Town (2000) and its breakthrough single, "Superman " (2001), John Ondrasik reteamed with producer Gregg Wattenberg and brought in Bill Bottrell to work on new material for his next record. The Battle for Everything debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four singles: "100 Years", "The Devil in the Wishing Well", "Silent Night", and "If God Made You". The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 1,000,000 copies. The album's title refers to the fact "that nothing in the making of this record came easy – including concern over the title itself".
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-nominated "Superman ". The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 1, 2001, and Platinum on October 22, 2004. The album has sold over 966,000 copies in the United States as of November 2009.
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"100 Years" is a song by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released on November 17, 2003, as the first single from his third studio album, The Battle for Everything (2004). The single reached number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2007, the song earned a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for more than 1,000,000 copies sold. It also charted in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at number 32 in both countries.
"The Riddle" is a song by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released on May 15, 2006 as the lead single from his third album Two Lights. The song peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during an 18-week chart stay, making it Five for Fighting's third and, to date, last top-40 hit in the United States. On the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, the single reached number four.
"Where the Party At" is a song by American R&B group Jagged Edge featuring guest vocals from Nelly. The song spent three weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart. It was the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, spending five weeks at number three in September 15, 2001. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002, a brand new category at the time. It lost to Eve and Gwen Stefani's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind".
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"Easy Tonight" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Five for Fighting. It was released in September 2000 as the lead single from his second album America Town. It was re-released in March 2002 after the success of the album's second single, "Superman ".
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.