More Powerful than a Locomotive: 3 Classic Rock Songs About Superman

The original big-name superhero. He’s faster than a speeding bullet. He can leap tall buildings in a single bound. He’s more powerful than a locomotive. Indeed, he’s Superman! And given that immense reputation, there are many rock songs that pay tribute to the man in blue and red.

Here below, we wanted to explore a trio of tunes that devote themselves to the flying force. These are three classic rock songs about Superman.

[RELATED: One Classic Rock Song for Every Color of the Rainbow]

“Superman (It’s Not Easy)” by Five for Fighting from America Town (2000)

This song helped earn songwriter and performer John Ondrasik a Grammy nomination and it was also a track that became a de facto national anthem in the wake of the devastating September 11 tragedy. It also gave Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting) his first Top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. On the offering he sings about Superman, who despite all his abilities lives a difficult life. Ondrasik told American Songwriter the song came to him quickly, saying, “I wrote the whole thing in less than an hour.” And on it, he sings,

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
I’m just out to find
The better part of me

I’m more than a bird, I’m more than a plane
I’m more than some pretty face beside a train
And it’s not easy to be me

“Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” by Spin Doctors from Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991)

This track by the New York City-born rock band Spin Doctors is written from the perspective of Jimmy Olsen, the intrepid photographer who works with journalists Lois Lane and Clark Kent (the alter ego of Superman). In the song, lead vocalist Chris Barron sings about Olsen lusting after Lane, trying to put a wedge into the bond between her and Kent/Superman. A true love triangle. And on the track, Barron offers,

I don’t think I can handle this
A cloudy day in metropolis
I think I’ll talk to my analyst
I got so bad for this little journalist
Is drivin’ up the wall and through the roof
Lois and Clark in a telephone booth
I think I’m goin’ outta my brain
I got it so bad for little Miss Lois Lane
Oh, Lois Lane please put me in your plan
Yeah, Lois Lane you don’t need no super man
Come on downtown and stay with me tonight
I, I got a pocket full of Kryptonite
I got a pocket full of Kryptonite
I, I got a pocket full of Kryptonite

“Superman’s Song” by Crash Test Dummies from The Ghosts That Haunt Me (1991)

A mellow tune from the Canadian-born band that made the words Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm famous, this song was also the group’s first Top-40 song on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s an ode to the superhero known as Superman, telling the world about his attributes and his stalwart behavior. Sings Brad Roberts, the deep-voiced lead vocalist on the tune,

Superman never made any money
Savin’ the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair
The world will never see another man like him

Hey Bob, Supe had a straight job
Even though he coulda smashed through
Any bank in the United States
He had the strength but he would not
Folks said his family were all dead
Planet crumbled, but Superman he forced himself
To carry on, forget Krypton, and keep goin’

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