Hit Pop Songs with Comic Book Connections

Popular culture and geek culture meld seamlessly with many different media elements. Movies, books, TV, comic books, and pop music feed into one another to where we're not sure which came first - the music or the myth. Comic book heroes like Superman, Batman and Spiderman inspire musicians to craft memorable music. Here's a few toe tapping comic book inspired tunes. They'll have you leaping tall buildings in a single bound, spinning arachnoid webs and flapping around truly batty.

Superman (It's Not Easy) - Superman - Five For Fighting

This haunting ballad has become a real modern pop music anthem for our favorite man of steel.

Despite the busy, even combative group sounding name, Five For Fighting is a collective tag for one vocalist and musician - John Ondrasik. Off his second album America Town, released in 2000, the song poignantly relates the psychological struggles of the most powerful alien to ever visit planet Earth, the Kryptonian named Kal-El, or Clark Kent, or plain old Superman.

Some consider the song an excuse for Superman to wimp out, by allowing him to feel sorry for himself. However, it also creates a humanizing effect on the near god like persona of a man who flies at supersonic speeds, bends steel bars with his hands, or survives inhospitable reaches of deep space - all with nary having a finely coiffed hair out of place, on his supermodel like super hair. Ondrasik's haunting vocals and delivery sell the song emotionally, but he never allows it to become truly maudlin. The song peaked at number 14 on the Hot 100 charts.

Kryptonite - Superman - 3 Doors Down

Superman is an American pop music superstar. This gritty, angst filled tune super glues the DC superhero into music history.

Instead of the plaintive, almost mournful wail of Five For Fighting's super confessional, this song speaks of a man of steel who's not exactly trusting of his Lois Lane. Superman isn't crying here, but seems slightly pissed off, or at least kind of annoyed. The lyrics reveal: If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand. I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might Kryptonite. 3 Doors Down recorded this for their first big label album, The Better Life. It reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs, and stayed there for 11 consecutive weeks. It also flew high to number 3 on Billboard Hot 100, during the week of November 11, 2000.

Batman - Batman TV Show Theme - Neal Hefti

Da na na na na na Batman! Batman! Batman! That man? No - Batman!

This classic TV show (Adam West) theme song written by jazz musician Neal Hefti may be woefully short on words, but it's long on pure fun factor and anyone can sing it. Either you heard it first run back in the 1960's, or in syndication years later, but once heard, nobody can forget this bold, batty ditty.

In Tim Burton's blockbuster feature film treatment of Batman (Michael Keaton), none other than the purple pop power maestro Prince was employed to create the memorable soundtrack. Prince wrote the Batdance for the movie. It's a rollicking good sonic time, complete with Michael Keaton, Kim Bassinger (Vicki Vale), Jack Nicholson as the Joker audio dialogue samples. The song reached the number one spot on the American charts

Spiderman - Spiderman TV Show - Paul Francis Webster & Robert Harris

Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can. Spins a web, any size. Catches thieves! Just like flies! Look out! Here comes the Spiderman!

Yes, we did indeed look out for him, and watched his 1967 cartoon show starring our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Academy award winner Paul Francis Webster and Robert Harris crafted such a beloved tune, that all the big movie adaptations of Spiderman from director Sam Raimi, and starring Tobey Maguire feature the song somewhere in the films.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_%28It%27s_Not_Easy%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batdance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_theme_song