(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman

(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman is a song written by Ray Davies that was first released on The Kinks' 1979 album,Low Budget.



Contents
[hide]  *1 About  ==About[ edit] == The song was inspired by Ray Davies watching Superman: The Movie in late 1978.[1]  The song also invokes another movie from the era, Saturday Night Fever, and the 1960s Animals hit "We Got to Get Out of This Place."[1]  The lyrics describe an average person dreaming of being Superman in order to get through social issues.[2]  The lyrics combine "fantasy" and "mundanity," two of Davies' favorite themes.[3]  Author Thomas Kitts notes the irony in the lyrics sung by a weakling wishing he were Superman which, as with other songs Davies wrote, leads to the singer feeling resigned.[4] Author Nick Hasted makes a similar point, that despite dreaming of being Superman, the singer remains Clark Kent and can't get over his fear of the bad news he keeps hearing.[1]  According to Allmusic critic Richard Gilliam, its lyrics are among "Ray Davies' most sharp-edged."[2]  It has a disco-like sound, though a hard rock version is sometimes performed in concert.[2] [5]  Critic Johnny Rogan describes the lyrics as "witty" and the music as "upbeat."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rogan_3-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[3]  Music critic Robert Christgau describes it as a "fusion of syndrum and macho-flash guitar."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6] ==Release and reception<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Billboard Magazine rated it one of the top tracks from Low Budget.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-billboard_5-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[5]  Music producer Clive Davis described the song as tapping "the malaise at the tail end of the decade."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[7]  Ray Davies has said that the song was written as a joke in response to a request by Davis, who was then running Arista Records, for a "club-friendly record."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-story_1-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[1]  It was released as the lead single from Low Budget, and it reached #41 in the U.S. charts. It is also the only single from the album to be released in both Britain and America.
 * 2 Release and reception
 * 3 References
 * 4 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">It also appeared in live form on the album One for the Road.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-road_8-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[8]  Allmusic critic Bret Adams called this live version a "raw, stripped-down" rendition.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-road_8-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[8]