It was today in 1938 that Action Comics no. 1 (June 1938) hit newsstands. Of course, it marked the debut of Superman. While Superman was not the first superhero, he proved to be a phenomenon and as a result cemented the superhero genre. Not long after Superman's debut, there would be many more superheroes to follow. Some, like Batman and Captain Marvel are still significant today. As might be expected, Superman would inspire several songs. Here are a few of them.
Here is "Superman" by Dale Hawkins from 1958. I am not sure, but it may bet the first rock 'n' roll song to reference the Man of Steel.
Despite its title "Sunshine Superman' by Donovan from 1966 is not a song about Superman, although it does reference not only Superman, but Green Lantern as well (although I don't know if it is Alan Scott or Hal Jordan that Donovan is referencing).
The 1969 song "Superman" by The Clique is perhaps better known for the fact that it was covered in 1986 by R.E.M. Regardless, it is one of my favourite songs about the Man of Steel.
"(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman," from The Kinks' 1979 album Low Budget isn't about Superman, but rather about a mere mortal with a drab life who longs to be the Man of Tomorrow. It was inspired by the movie Superman (1978), which had come out the previous year.
"Superman's Dead," the 1997 song by Our Lady Peace, isn't really about Superman, but instead about how television had evolved from the simple honesty of the 1950s television show The Adventures of Superman to darker material like Beavis and Butthead.
More so than the other songs here, the 2000 song by Three Doors Down "Kryptonite" is about Superman. Indeed, the song appears to be sung from the point of view of the Man of Steel himself to Lois Lane, asking if she will still stay by him if he fails.
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