Superman (The Clique song)

Last updated
"Superman"
R.E.M. - Superman.jpg
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Lifes Rich Pageant
B-side "White Tornado"
ReleasedNovember 1986 (1986-11)
RecordedApril–May 1986
Genre
Length2:54
Label I.R.S.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Don Gehman
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Fall on Me"
(1986)
"Superman"
(1986)
"The One I Love"
(1987)

"Superman" is a 1969 song by the Texas band The Clique, made more famous in 1986 when it was recorded by R.E.M.

Contents

It was written by Mitchell Bottler and Gary Zekley and originally released as the first single off of The Clique's first album for White Whale Records.

R.E.M. recorded it for their fourth album, Lifes Rich Pageant . It was released as a single and received a fair amount of radio play, but did not chart on the main U.S. singles chart, though it did reach #17 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. [3]

R.E.M. version

The B-side to the single, a surf rock instrumental entitled "White Tornado", was first recorded by the band in 1981. The version used on the single was recorded in January, 1984, during the Reckoning sessions, but remained unreleased until "Superman."

The scratchy spoken intro is attributed to a Japanese pull-string Godzilla doll. [4] Translated loosely from the Japanese, it says, "This is a special news report. Godzilla has been sighted in Tokyo Bay. The attack on it by the Self-Defense Force has been useless. He is heading towards the city. Aaaaaaaaagh...."

Cash Box called it "another sparing example of simplicity maximized." [5] Rolling Stone called it "an irresistibly cheesy psychedelic grunge rocker." with "energetic treatment." [1]

Songwriter Gary Zekley joined R.E.M. on stage during a performance at Northern Illinois University in De Kalb, Illinois, on October 21, 1986. [6]

The R.E.M. version was played during the "Tempus, Anyone?" episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman . It was also used as part of the soundtrack for the movie DC League of Super-Pets (2022).

7": IRS / IRM 128 (UK)

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.

  1. "Superman" (Gary Zekley/Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52
  2. "White Tornado" – 1:56

12": IRS / IRT 128 (UK)

  1. "Superman" (Gary Zekley / Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52
  2. "White Tornado" – 1:56
  3. "Femme Fatale" (Lou Reed) – 2:50

12": IRS / ILS 65025 5 6 (Holland)

  1. "Superman" (Gary Zekley/Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52
  2. "White Tornado" – 1:56
  3. "Perfect Circle" – 3:30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Losing My Religion</span> 1991 single by R.E.M.

"Losing My Religion" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in February 1991 as the first single and the second track from the group's seventh album, Out of Time (1991). Built on a mandolin riff, the song was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering extensive airplay on radio as well as on MTV and VH1 due to its critically acclaimed music video. The single became R.E.M.'s highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and expanding the group's popularity beyond its original fan-base. At the 1992 Grammy Awards, "Losing My Religion" won two awards: Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. In 2017, "Losing My Religion" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

<i>Fables of the Reconstruction</i> 1985 album by R.E.M.

Fables of the Reconstruction is the third studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released on June 10, 1985 through I.R.S. Records. It was the band's first album recorded outside of the U.S., with sessions taking place at Livingston Studios in London with producer Joe Boyd. The record displays a darker, murkier sound and lyrics drawing from Southern Gothic themes and characters. Additionally, more varied instrumentation is utilized, including string and brass arrangements and banjo.

<i>Document</i> (album) 1987 album by R.E.M.

Document is the fifth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released on August 31, 1987, by I.R.S. Records. It was the first album by the band to be produced by Scott Litt.

<i>Lifes Rich Pageant</i> 1986 album by REM

Lifes Rich Pageant is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on July 28, 1986. R.E.M. chose Don Gehman to produce the album, which was recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studio in Belmont, Indiana. This was the only album the band recorded with Gehman, who moved them from the more obscure and dense sound of their earlier albums to an accessible, hard rock-influenced quality. The album was well-received critically.

<i>Dead Letter Office</i> (album) 1987 compilation album by R.E.M.

Dead Letter Office is a rarities and B-sides collection by R.E.M., released in April 1987. The album is essentially a collection of many additional recordings R.E.M. made from before Murmur to Lifes Rich Pageant that were outtakes or released as B-sides to their singles internationally. Many of the tracks are favorite cover versions indicating the band's disparate influences and musical tastes, including three Velvet Underground covers, and songs by Aerosmith, Roger Miller, and fellow Athenians Pylon ("Crazy").

<i>Eponymous</i> (album) 1988 greatest hits album by R.E.M.

Eponymous is the first greatest hits album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1988. It was their last authorized release on I.R.S. Records, to whom they had been contracted since 1982, having just signed with Warner Bros. Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Mills</span> Multi-instrumentalist for American alternative rock band R.E.M.

Michael Edward Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., his musical repertoire also includes keyboards and occasional lead vocals. He contributed to a majority of the band's musical compositions and is the only member to have had formal musical training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man on the Moon (song)</span> 1992 single by R.E.M.

"Man on the Moon" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in November 1992 as the second single from their eighth album, Automatic for the People (1992). The lyrics were written by lead singer Michael Stipe, and the music by drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck. The song was well received by critics and reached number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 17 on the US Cash Box Top 100, number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Iceland. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs and was included on the compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strange Currencies</span> 1995 single by R.E.M.

"Strange Currencies" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. It was included on their ninth studio album, Monster (1994), and was released as the album's third single on April 18, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The song reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 47 in the United States. Like "Everybody Hurts" on R.E.M.'s previous album, it has a time signature of 6
8
. The song's music video was directed by Mark Romanek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tongue (song)</span> 1995 R.E.M. song

"Tongue" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released on July 17, 1995 by Warner Bros. Records, as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album, Monster (1994). The song was only released in the US, UK, and Ireland. In the song, lead singer Michael Stipe performs in falsetto; he has stated on several occasions that the narrator of the song is female. Stipe has also said the track is "all about cunnilingus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Free Europe (song)</span> 1981 single by R.E.M.

"Radio Free Europe" is the debut single by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The song features "what were to become the trademark unintelligible lyrics which have distinguished R.E.M.'s work ever since." The single received critical acclaim, and its success earned the band a record deal with I.R.S. Records. R.E.M. re-recorded the song for their 1983 debut album Murmur. The re-recording for I.R.S. became the group's first charting single, peaking at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is ranked number 389 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009, it was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for setting "the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio's general indifference."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand (R.E.M. song)</span> 1989 single by R.E.M.

"Stand" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from the album Green in 1989. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming R.E.M.'s second top 10 hit in the United States, and topped both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. The song reached number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and number 16 in Canada. It was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. Records "best of" album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 in 2003, as well as the 2011 compilation album Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Day (R.E.M. song)</span> Song by R.E.M

"Bad Day" is a song recorded by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It is one of two previously unreleased songs from their 2003 compilation album, In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, and was released as the album's lead single on September 15, 2003.

<i>R.E.M.: Singles Collected</i> 1994 compilation album by R.E.M.

R.E.M. Singles Collected is a compilation album from R.E.M. released in Europe by I.R.S. Records in 1994. The album includes the A-side and B-sides of singles spanning from their debut LP Murmur in 1983, right through to Document in 1987.

<i>And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987</i> 2006 compilation album by R.E.M.

And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987 is a compilation album by American band R.E.M. It features songs from the band's years at I.R.S. Records. All tracks have been remastered, and the set was released 12 September 2006. A companion DVD, titled When the Light Is Mine, was released the same day.

The Clique was a late 1960s American sunshine pop band from Austin, Texas, United States. They started as the Roustabouts in the Beaumont, Texas area, 90 miles east of Houston, and later the Sandpipers before renaming themselves the Clique in 1967 and settling in Houston. Original members of the band were John Kanesaw (drums), Bruce Tinch, Cooper Hawthorne, Larry Lawson, David Dunham, and Randy Shaw.

Alan Gary Zekley was an American West Coast record producer and songwriter associated with 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s bands and songs in the bubblegum, rock and roll, sunshine pop, and surf genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R.E.M.</span> American rock band (1980–2011)

R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative rock bands, R.E.M. was noted for Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style; Stipe's distinctive vocal quality, unique stage presence, and obscure lyrics; Mills's melodic bass lines and backing vocals; and Berry's tight, economical drumming style. In the early 1990s, other alternative rock acts such as Nirvana and Pavement viewed R.E.M. as a pioneer of the genre. After Berry left the band in 1997, the band continued its career in the 2000s with mixed critical and commercial success. The band broke up amicably in 2011 with members devoting time to solo projects after having sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and becoming one of the world's best-selling music acts.

<i>Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions</i> Live R.E.M. album released in 2014

Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions is a 2014 live album from alternative rock band R.E.M., released initially on vinyl recordings through Rhino Records for Record Store Day, later made available on compact disc and digitally. The album is composed of two performances that the band made on the U.S. television show MTV Unplugged. Among the album's 33 tracks are 11 performances which were not aired on either broadcast. To promote the album, Mike Mills signed copies at independent record store Bull Moose in Scarborough, Maine. Video of the concerts was released later that year on REMTV.

<i>7IN—83–88</i> 2014 box set by R.E.M.

7IN—83–88 is a collection of 7-inch singles released by R.E.M. The collection covers their singles released on the I.R.S. label between 1983 and 1988.

References

  1. 1 2 3 DeCurtis, Anthony (August 28, 1986). "Life's Rich Pageant". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  2. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). p. 930. ISBN   0-87930-653-X.
  3. allmusic.com
  4. "Rec.music.rem Frequently-Asked Questions list (2 of 3)".
  5. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. November 15, 1986. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  6. Natkin, Paul (October 26, 1986). "Michael Stipe And Gary Zekley On Stage". Getty Images. Retrieved May 27, 2020.