Five for Fighting: Superman (It’s Not Easy)

March 1, 2024

Probably around the time that that Lifehouse song re-entered my life, I started seeing other videos appear in my feed. And then the “Superman” song, by Five for Fighting, surfaced – and it’s been stuck in my head now for, well… let’s just say a really long time.

There’s a series of songs that I associate with my early days in Chicago. And a large part of that stemmed from songs that I listened to on the radio (mostly Q101, which ended up being a place that I worked for many years, many years later).

It’s odd – whenever I hear these songs, I get a very vivid sense of driving – to/from the suburbs, as I had a pretty big commute for my first job here.

This song is very much from that era, and it really hasn’t left my brain for a good while now.

The interesting thing: I think I lisen to this song just for this one part, which is what brings me back. The rise and key change is just really pleasant, and reminds me in some ways of the kind of structure I’d imagine in a musical.

Up, up, and away, away from me
Well, it’s all right
You can all sleep sound tonight
I’m not crazy
Or anything

Another interesting discovery: I didn’t know that the band was just one guy, Vladimir Ondrasik III. And on top of his musical career, Ondrasik also has degrees in applied science and mathematics. Not too shabby.