"Superman" is a 1969 song by the Texas band

The Clique A clique is a close social group. Clique or The Clique may also refer to: Math and computing * Clique (graph theory) ** Clique problem in computer science Business and brands * Clique (vodka), a Latvian vodka sold in the United States * Clique ...

, made more famous in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

when it was recorded by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, 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 fir ...

Roger Troutman Roger Lynch Troutman Jr. (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known simply as Roger, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and infl ...

also recorded a version in 1997 that was included on the 2002 re-release of his debut album ''

The Many Facets of Roger ''The Many Facets of Roger'' is the debut solo project by Dayton, Ohio-based funk musician Roger Troutman. The album went platinum based on the R&B successes of "So Ruff, So Tuff" and his cover of Marvin Gaye's " I Heard It through the Grapevin ...

''. It was written by Mitchell Bottler and

Gary Zekley Alan Gary Zekley (also known as Brandon Chase; January 4, 1943 – June 19, 1996) 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 ...

and originally released as the first single off of The Clique's first album for

White Whale Records White Whale Records was an American independent record label, founded in 1965 by Ted Feigin and Lee Lasseff in Los Angeles, California, and probably best known as the record label of the Turtles and a handful of one-hit wonder bands. White Whale, ...

. R.E.M. recorded it for their fourth album, ''

Lifes Rich Pageant ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on July 28, 1986, by I.R.S. Records. R.E.M. chose Don Gehman to produce the album, which was recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Stu ...

''. 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.

R.E.M. version

The scratchy spoken intro is attributed to a Japanese pull-string

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

doll. 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 ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it "another sparing example of simplicity maximized." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' called it "an irresistibly cheesy

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

grunge rocker." with "energetic treatment." Songwriter

joined R.E.M. on stage during a performance at

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

in De Kalb,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, on October 21, 1986. 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 ''DC League of Super-Pets'' is a 2022 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, and Seven Bucks Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Produced and directed by Jared Stern, who co- ...

'' (2022). The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to the single, a

surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

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."

Track listing

;7": IRS / IRM 128 (UK) # "Superman" (

/Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52 # "White Tornado" (

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guita ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) 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., hi ...

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

) – 1:56 ;12": IRS / IRT 128 (UK) # "Superman" (

/ Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52 # "White Tornado" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 1:56 # "

Femme Fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

" (

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

) – 2:50 ;12": IRS / ILS 65025 5 6 (Holland) # "Superman" (

/Mitchell Bottler) – 2:52 # "White Tornado" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 1:56 # " Perfect Circle" (Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe) – 3:30

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Superman 1969 songs 1986 singles American garage rock songs R.E.M. songs I.R.S. Records singles Superman music Song recordings produced by Don Gehman Songs written by Gary Zekley Songs about comics Songs about fictional male characters Novelty songs Grunge songs American psychedelic rock songs