# Rock Songs Which Mention Comic Book Super Heroes...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 1, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692 "2002-05-01T17:27:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/1 "2002-05-01T17:27:26Z")
Seems like there are at least half a dozen songs about Superman, and I’m sure other heroes get mentioned in rock lyrics as well. So let’s see if we can’s come up with a comprehensive list of super hero songs.
OK…Go!
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### Author:  [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/2 "2002-05-01T17:32:41Z")
Iron Man by…dammit I know this one…actually I’m not sure it that was named after the comic character?
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### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/3 "2002-05-01T17:36:36Z")
Well, there was the Neil Hefti hit of the '60s Batman. 😃
Seriously, however, it was on the charts for a while.
Zev Steinhardt
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### Author:  [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/4 "2002-05-01T17:37:10Z")
There’s “One Week” by the Barenaked Ladies (Aquaman)
“Evangeline” by Matthew Sweet (from the POV of a comic character)
For Superman:
“Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” Spin Doctors
“I Am Superman” the Clique and REM
“Kryptonite” 3 Doors Down
“Rapper’s Delight” Sugar Hill Gang
that song by Five for Fighting or something
“Braniac’s Daughter” Dukes of Stratosphear
well heck, here’s a site:
[http://members.aol.com/Krissy80/a-esongs.html#a](http://members.aol.com/Krissy80/a-esongs.html#a)
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### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/5 "2002-05-01T17:37:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \*
> \*\*Neil Hefti \*\*
Sorry, that should be _Neal_ Hefti.
Zev Steinhardt
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/6 "2002-05-01T17:51:21Z")
Kinks “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” and “Catch Me Now I’m Falling” [Captain America]
Donovan “Sunshine Superman”
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/7 "2002-05-01T17:55:46Z")
Crash Test Dummies have _Superman’s Song_.
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/8 "2002-05-01T17:59:08Z")
Jesus. I can’t believe that we’ve all missed _Flash Gordon_ by Queen.
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### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/9 "2002-05-01T17:59:19Z")
Well **Zev** , you left out one great one:
[Superman’s Song](http://www.thesupermanmovie.com/NEWS/SupermanSong.html), by the **Crash Test Dummies**.
Sample lyrics:
\*Superman never made any money
saving 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 could have smashed through any bank In the United States.
He had the strength, but he would not\*
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### Author:  [@MachV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachV)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/10 "2002-05-01T18:02:32Z")
Geesh, no one’s mentioned the Ramones doing the Spider-Man theme!
And then there was a Daft Punk song _called_ Superheroes.
Paradise City by Guns N Roses:
_Captain America’s been torn apart
Now he’s a court jester with a broken heart_
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### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/11 "2002-05-01T18:11:54Z")
“Surfing with the Alien” -Joe Satriani
An instrumental piece, but the title is a reference to the **Silver Surfer** (who also graces the cover of the album).
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### Author:  [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/12 "2002-05-01T18:12:02Z")
I don’t know if we should count the Ramones or Queen; those were both theme songs to TV shows. If we listed them we could just list every theme song to a TV show or movie.
Also, **Legomancer** , the Dukes of the Stratosphear was about a character named Braniac, but I don’t think he was _the_ Braniac.
The Donovan song also mentioned Green Lantern, unless I’m thinking of a different song which mentioned “Superman and Green Lantern…”
The Cardigans have a song called “Iron Man,” but I don’t know if it’s about _the_ Iron Man.
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/13 "2002-05-01T18:17:15Z")
By the same token, Paula Cole had a song called “Saturn Girl”, but, having perused the lyrics, it’s safe to say it’s not referring to the Legion of Super-Heroes member.
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### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/14 "2002-05-01T18:49:28Z")
“Bungalo Bill” - The Beatles:
_So **Captain Marvel** zapped him right between the eyes. Zap!_
“Don’t Mess Around with Jim” - Jim Croce:
_Don’t you know you don’t tug on **Superman** ’s cape;
You don’t spit into the wind;
You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Jim._
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/15 "2002-05-01T18:49:46Z")
Both the Kinks and the Who did covers of the Batman TV theme.
On “Wings at the Speed of Sound,” Paul McCartney had a song called “Magneto and Titanium Man.” Granted, those were Marvel comic super VILLAINS, not super heroes.
Jim Croce sang, “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and… you don’t mess around with Jim.”
Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” asks, “Superman, where are you now?”
There’s Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman.”
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### Author:  [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/16 "2002-05-01T19:16:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Legomancer \*
> **For Superman:
> “Rapper’s Delight” Sugar Hill Gang**
Sure you’re not thinking of _Jam On It_ (or maybe _Jam On Revenge_) by Newcleus?
And I’ll add Method Man’s _Biscuits_:
I be the first to set it off,
flame on like the Human Torch
Fantastic Four for all the fans in the store
That’s in addition to him calling himself “Johnny Blaze” all the time.
And add Tenacious D- They do a Spiderman cover (with Spidey coming out on stage shooting silly string). Is _The Adventures of Wonderboy and Young Nastyman_ a real comic?
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### Author:  [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/17 "2002-05-01T19:38:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mojo \*
> \*\*
>
> Sure you’re not thinking of _Jam On It_ (or maybe _Jam On Revenge_) by Newcleus?
Nope. There’s an extended riff in Rapper’s Delight where the rapper is trying to pick up Lois Lane. The most memorable line is “He can’t satisfy you with his little worm, but I can fill you up with my super sperm.”
Good times.
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### Author:  [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/18 "2002-05-01T19:48:19Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Fiver \*
> The Cardigans have a song called “Iron Man,” but I don’t know if it’s about _the_ Iron Man.
It’s a cover of the Black Sabbath classic, of course. You may also remember the Cardigans doing “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”? Anyway, the song is only loosely–very loosely–inspired by the superhero, although the name certainly comes from the comic.
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### Author:  [@downbylaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/downbylaw)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/19 "2002-05-01T20:07:07Z")
ghostface killah from the wu-tang clan refers to himself as tony stark, aka iron man.
“I’m Iron Man, no cheap cash metal I’m steel alloy
True identity hidden inside secret tabloids”
that’s a suprisingly legible verse from ghostface’s first ambum, on the song “daytona 500.”
but that’s not really rock, i guess.
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### Author:  [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-which-mention-comic-book-super-heroes/106692/20 "2002-05-01T20:30:28Z")
“Galaxy” by War
“Superman, Batman goin’ all night,
Playin’ one on one with a meteorite”
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