Released 1983 Genre Pop, novelty, synthpop | Format 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl | |
B-side "Teardrops in Your Eyes" Recorded 1983 at Woodlands Studio, Normanton Length 3:35 (album/single version)
4:56 (12" version) | ||
"Superman" (also titled "Gioca Jouer") is a 1981 novelty song written by Italian musicians Claudio Cecchetto and Claudio Simonetti, most famous for the 1983 recording by Black Lace.
Contents
The UK single's B-side, "Teardrops in Your Eyes", was an original composition by Black Lace's Alan Barton and Colin Routh.
Overview
The original version of the song, Gioca Jouer, had a really great success in Italy, also being the Festival di Sanremo of 1981 opening theme.
In the summer, the song arrived in Spain, and became very popular in discos. Here John Wagtaff (head of Flair Records) heard it while looking for a style of music that would be popular in the United Kingdom. When translated into English, "Gioca Jouer" became "Superman".
The song featured a number of dance gestures that acted out the lyrics – including walking, swimming, skiing, spraying deodorant, sounding a horn, ringing a bell, flexing muscles as a "Macho Man" and flying like Superman. These dance moves were detailed on the record sleeve.
On the Black Lace recording, the intro drum fill was played by Wakefield drummer Barry Huffinley; the remaining rhythm was programmed using a sequencer. The song was recorded at Woodlands Studio in Normanton, West Yorkshire.
In 1987, Colin Gibb released an alternative version of the song with explicit lyrics, entitled "Supercock".
Reception
The single was released in the UK in September 1983; its first UK chart appearance was on 10 September, when it was ranked #94. It peaked at #9 on 22 October, and was last on the chart at #73 on 21 January 1984, having spent 20 weeks in the top 100.
The song was released in 1984 on the group's debut album, Party Party, which reached #4 on the UK Albums Chart.
The song has become a staple of many children's parties in the UK, and the subject of many covers, mainly for children.
Analysis
Some analysts (including Paul Simpson and The Guardian's Will Dean) draw parallels between the song and Friedrich Nietzsche's Übermensch concept.