Musical Kryptonite

It's no secret that the surge in American spirit that united America in the wake of the terrorist attacks of a decade ago proved to be as fleeting as a sandcastle in a hurricane. Any sensible person would tell you that there are a variety of factors that caused this. In contrast, I attribute this post-post-9/11 decline of American spirit to one thing alone, the ill-considered decision to embrace Five for Fighting's "Superman (It's Not Easy)" as an anthem.

It's not hard to see why this crybaby slice of manipulative tripe became a big hit, but what's truly amazing is the way in which the song demonstrates that people really don't bother listening to lyrics. Sometimes, this is a good thing, as shown by the way David Bowie's "Heroes" could be embraced for everything from Live Aid to "9/11" despite lyrics that are quite specific to the Berlin Wall. In the case of "Superman", though, we are worse for it because anyone who actually listens to the words would understand that the lyrics bear no relation to any concept of truth, justice and/or the American way anyone who doesn't support Al Qaeda would ever want Superman (or America) to embody.

At the risk of going all comic-geek on you, despite what this piece of musical Kryptonite would have you believe, nearly 75 years of stories demonstrate that Superman doesn't whine about his life and responsibilities. Superman does the right thing (admittedly with a tinge of fascism, you know, like Obama) because those are the values instilled in him by his parents and doesn't piss and moan about it like certain GOP politicians I could name (OK, I'm talking about John Boehner). The fact that Superman is conceptually the ultimate immigrant as well as an orphan who's adopted only add to the character's potential for resonance, a potential squandered by this godawful song. There are many things needed to spark a proper rebirth of American spirit, but a ban on this crime against popular music might be a good place to start.