“Superman 5”
by Universal Stars Band
1998 song
Sky Saxon released the same recording of the sparse, gritty rocker "Superman 5" twice. The first time was on the Related Singles CD of the 1998 box set God & Hair. The second was on the 2008-ish vinyl LP Dragonslayer, where it was in much better audio quality. "Superman 5" is a great track, all dramatic and menacing. There are lots of tense stops and starts, thrilling peaks and valleys. It seems to feature Sky Saxon’s Dragonslayers band, but its exact provenance is poorly understood.
The song begins with an ethereal, slowly arpeggiated guitar figure. Sad and with a descending melody, it gives Sky Saxon an understated background over which he begins a melodramatic story. “I came from afar / From my distant star”, sighs Sky, emoting breathlessly. "Superman 5" is basically the backstory of the comic book character Superman, being born on another planet and coming to Earth to save humanity. Just to give the song some dynamism, the music alternately swells and contracts. During the choruses the band whips itself into a lather, power chords and melodic chord changes pummeling you, the listener.
And of course, there are those witty (?) asides that only Sky Saxon could intone with such conviction: “Even Superman can get lonely darling”, and “I eat kryptonite for breakfast / Why not? It’s a mineral / Makes me feel good / I’m more powerful than the atomic bombs”. That’s Sky, always giving his listeners what they want.
It all comes together like a more casual and less self-conscious "Wild Roses". "Superman 5" is a study in ghostly atmospherics and subtly-designed guitar rock efficiency – and is compelling from start to finish.
The Two Releases of “Superman 5”
It’s the God & Hair version that’s in far inferior sound quality. This one also includes a voiceover from Sky himself, crudely spliced onto the beginning of the track. The ineptness of this edit is breathtaking. First, there’s an unintended snippet of him saying part of his name: “Sky Sss-” before it’s cut off. Then a few seconds of some unrelated keyboard-driven song play, before the voiceover begins in earnest. In the message, Sky touchingly dedicates "Superman 5" to “my friend Christopher Reeves, who has a Superman heart. God love ya, Chris. Carry on”. God & Hair credits the artist as Universal Stars Band.
Christopher Reeve (not Reeves) starred in the movies Superman through Superman IV; he was injured in a horse-riding accident in 1995 and died in 2004. Sky’s voiceover (in which he finally mumbles his name as “Sunlight, Sky Saxon”) was apparently done during his late-1990s compiling of God & Hair. The song was likely recorded in the late 1980s or early 1990s, when his two Dragonslayers albums Just Imagine and Breakin' Through The Doors were made.
I don’t know if Sky and Reeve actually knew each other. They wouldn’t seem to have run in the same circles, but who knows.
The Dragonslayer LP from roughly 2008 which contained "Superman 5" in good sound quality.
Listeners were finally able to hear a clean version of "Superman 5" (in good audio quality and sans kid-with-a-boombox voiceover) when Water Records put out the Dragonslayer LP in 2008 or so. This swirly colored-vinyl disc was credited to Sky Sunlight Saxon, not Universal Stars Band. (It wasn’t the only time Sky released a song multiple times with different artist credits.)
Wherever you hear "Superman 5", you’ll enjoy it. If you like Sky Saxon’s general vibe, this one is right up your alley. It goes on for five minutes, but the time flies by. Thank Sky Saxon’s winsome vocals, and the justifiable pride of the band who know they’ve stumbled on something golden. God love ya. Carry on. Why not?
