Classic Or Dud: Laurie Anderson's "O Superman"

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i'm not convinced i'll ever hear this song in the way i did before 9/11/2001

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 06:04 (twenty-one years ago)

"hi mom!"

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 06:07 (twenty-one years ago)

This is the first thread I ever saw on ILM.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 07:56 (twenty-one years ago)

"O Superman" is absurd, monotonous, pretentious, tuneless nonsense, and in terms of melodic content compares unfavourably to other hit singles of the period, such as "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.

― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 08:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I like this song, except I always wish there was more of the synth counterpoint stuff that comes in at the end.

Ha, totally agree. Still classic of course.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 08:34 (twenty-one years ago)

one night back in - o - 82 a mate and i listened to this on repeat while on acid for several hours. when i put on the second side of rock bottom he demanded i take it off and we put this back on.

classic.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 08:45 (twenty-one years ago)

"Who are you people and what do you want?"

― Baaderonixxxorzh (Fabfunk), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 09:25 (twenty-one years ago)

and in terms of melodic content compares unfavourably to other hit singles of the period, such as "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.

You need a mouth diaper, `cos you talk an awful lot of shit.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

No, you need a new pair of ears because you are the awful lot of shit if you cannot see that "O Superman" is repetitive, non-melodic and arty-farty. You should listen to some proper pop music of that period, such as Kim Carnes and REO Speedwagon.

― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 10:53 (twenty-one years ago)

No, you need a new pair of ears because you are the awful lot of shit

Brilliant.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

some proper pop music of that period, such as Kim Carnes and REO Speedwagon.

And with one simple comment, Comstock was freed from the tiresome burden of ever having to be taken seriously.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 11:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Of course I understand why you are inimical to music. Because of the rhythm-dominant, unmelodic rock of Killing Joke you are deaf.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

(I was going to post that as Comstock Carabinieri but I thought it best to let Alex down lightly)

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

You're a flagrant whistlehead.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

SO THE SONG THEN

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

HOW BOUT IT

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

no this is so much better

― lemin (lemin), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The song is an absolute classic, and has the same resonance for me now that it did when I first heard it, which is a simple, distilled feeling of melancholy.

The REO Speedwagon props above were a joke, right? Please tell me that they were a joke...

― John Justen (johnjusten), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The song inspired one of Greil Marcus' more unfortunate allusive/elusive pieces; but, yeah, classic. I wish "Big Science" was as good as the single.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"From the Air" is quite good.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

the whole records it great.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

wait was that marcello who insulted alex?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

and yes, this song is repetitive. IT'S MINIMALISM, ASSHOLES.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i think Marcello probably forgot to log out to re-insult him?

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

this song is awesome. i like the M.A.N.D.Y. versions too!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

amateurist uh...

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

what? is it not minimalism?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 5 May 2005 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

you could raise your eyebrow clear over the top of your shaved head, but don't

― milton parker (Jon L), Thursday, 5 May 2005 05:00 (twenty-one years ago)

A flagrant whistlehead, eh? That's me and Roger Whittaker, then. Not bad.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 5 May 2005 06:36 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

OK, this does sound really good even though I'm still not sure I get the lyrics. I think I just used to be biased because her movie always weirded me out when I was 9 or 10. It seemed like it was on MuchMusic all the time in the late 80s when I would have preferred proper melodic rock music videos.

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 17 September 2005 00:10 (twenty years ago)

Just listened to it again now by semi-whim only to find Sundar had recently revived the thread (agree with you on Talking Heads BTW). The post-9/11 reading of the lyrics are a perhaps inevitable skewing but not only do I not mind it, frankly I'd rather have them than any direct commentary on the event after the fact (similarly the piece of music I most associate with the day was Pärt's "Cantus," which again has nothing to do with the event).

But that aside...the concluding part just makes me think ultimately of giant robots, anime gone hyperreal/hypersorrowful. And why not?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)

And I just put on M.A.N.D.Y.'s version of it while I searched the archives to read more on Ms. Anderson, only to find a recent revival. And now this!

― jergins (jergins), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 04:53 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

I read an analysis of the lyrics last night and could barely get to sleep because it frightened me out of my wits.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 20 November 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

Of COURSE it is Classic. GET WITH THE PROGRAM!

― Who is Bimble? Your CHAUFFEUR or something? (Bimble...), Sunday, 20 November 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

is that analysis online, curtis?

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 20 November 2005 19:51 (twenty years ago)

http://condellpark.com/kd/osuperman.htm

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 20 November 2005 22:03 (twenty years ago)

i didn't read on when i saw that the analyst spelled her name "andersen". come on that song is not a fairy tale.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Sunday, 20 November 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

I don't care for this song.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Sunday, 20 November 2005 22:51 (twenty years ago)

haha

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 20 November 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

Giant-size classic, of course. I don't hear it as wannabe-quirky at all - it's far, far too SAD for that. Aching. The "hold me, Mom" part especially. The whole album is pretty good too, with "From the Air," "Let X=X" and whatever it is that the latter segues into being downright excellent.

Anyone ever taken on the entire United States Live box? I own it but have never been quite willing to set aside the, what, four hours it calls for...

― Doctor Casino, Monday, 21 November 2005 00:28 (twenty years ago)

Probably top 10 songs of 1981.

― I.M. (I.M.), Monday, 21 November 2005 00:31 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

The breathy backing track would be very useful in holotropic breathwork.

This is a heartbreaking commentary on sadness -pity some peopl
e miss this.

― Brian Naughton, Tuesday, 14 February 2006 18:49 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hhm0NHhCBg

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 28 August 2006 06:04 (nineteen years ago)

I saw Peanut Butter Wolf open a DJ set with this once!

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 28 August 2006 07:20 (nineteen years ago)

sweet classic beautiful melancholy

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Monday, 28 August 2006 07:30 (nineteen years ago)

i wonder if derrick may listens to laurie anderson

― the art ensemble of chicago house (vahid), Monday, 28 August 2006 08:13 (nineteen years ago)

i like "born, never asked" a lot more than "o superman"

― the art ensemble of chicago house (vahid), Monday, 28 August 2006 08:14 (nineteen years ago)

"Example #22" has always been my favorite song on that album, for some reason.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Monday, 28 August 2006 08:23 (nineteen years ago)

When it came out, i bought it, just another 45 that had had a good write-up.
Now i think of it as a great little package, an objet d'art, the 45 that blitzed the medium.

I wrote elsewhere here about how i thought the "b-side" was so cool, with no indication of speed on the label, so "walk the dog" was too fast at 45 and too slow at 33. Such a playful song.

as though the a-side is the "serious art", respectful of minimalist tastes and suitably poised, a bit like a requiem or hymn, at home in the concert hall

and the other side, "walk the dog", is the playful, rock'n'roll, extended mix of that unique sound, musings on culture, what's accepted as "music" these days, etc. etc..

So that little 45 provided multiple contexts, a mini anderson show across two sided, a work-out for the new musical ideas...

So i have to take "o'Superman" as a modern double a-side, an art event on 45 that includes _both_ songs as balanced parts, ..

ie "Walk the Dog" should always be considered included in discussions of "O Superman", Laurie Anderson's extraordinary first single.

― george gosset (gegoss), Monday, 28 August 2006 09:01 (nineteen years ago)

I love this song. Caught it on TV at random and hurried to find it online after. I'm not such a huge fan of Big Science but this track is just really haunting and powerful. Classic!

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Monday, 28 August 2006 09:30 (nineteen years ago)

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