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Cover of Lifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M.
Cover: Lifes Rich Pageant

Song · R.E.M.

“Superman” by R.E.M.

From the album Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)

“Superman” by R.E.M. appears on 57 radio countdowns from 18 stations between 1986 and 2025. It was first released in 1986 on the album Lifes Rich Pageant. Its best result is #8 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1986. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #24 alternative song of 1986, #222 alternative song of all time and #308 of the '80s.

57countdowns
18stations
#8best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1986–2025years charted

Watch

Superman (2011 Remaster)

Video from YouTube (R.E.M. - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Superman" is the odd one out on R.E.M.'s 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant: a cover, and a song with Mike Mills, not Michael Stipe, singing lead. Mitchell Bottler and Gary Zekley wrote it, and the psychedelic band the Clique first put it out in 1969; R.E.M. dusted it off and made it their own.

Don Gehman produced it for I.R.S., and it's a bright, jangling romp. Peter Buck's guitar chimes and churns, Bill Berry pounds away happily, and Mills belts the tune with a kid's glee while Stipe's voice hangs back in the harmonies. It sounds like the band cracking a window and letting in the sun. It went out on the heels of "Fall on Me", with "The One I Love" next in line.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1986 34 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1986 107
1986 49 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 90
1986 8 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1986 10

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 273 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1989 127 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 108 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 122 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 29 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 90 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 365 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 124 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 354 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 484 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 292 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 132 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 385 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 218 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 519 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 880 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 170 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 140 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 526 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 162 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 140 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 164 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 141 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 228 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 475 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 220 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 141 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 840 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 398 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 141 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 827 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 487 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 141 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 488 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 144 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 787 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 455 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 222 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 169 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 181 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 193 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 201 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 210 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 220 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2018 834 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 586 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 586 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2020 1263 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 790 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 465 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 469 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2024 642 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 40 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850
2025 659 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800

Charting alongside it in 1986

Best songs of 1986 →
  1. 1PanicThe Smiths
  2. 2AskThe Smiths
  3. 3Bigmouth Strikes AgainThe Smiths
  4. 4SledgehammerPeter Gabriel
  5. 5Wild Wild LifeTalking Heads
  6. 6Don't Get Me WrongThe Pretenders

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