Diegetics

(This is something I originally posted on another forum. But I think it might inspire some interesting responses here.)

So, in the last two decades, a number of American popular musicians have recorded songs about Superman.

In 1991, Crash Test Dummies recorded "Superman's Song".



In 1999, the Flaming Lips recorded "Waitin for a Superman".



In 2000, Five for Fighting recorded "Superman (It's Not Easy)".



In 2005, Sufjan Stevens recorded "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts".



In 2010, Taylor Swift recorded "Superman".






Now, bearing in mind that whenever anybody writes about Superman he's really, of course, writing about America, what does this mean?

It means we've gone from a sense of

1. lost greatness in 1991 to

2. wistfulness in 1999 to

3. self pity in 2000 to

4. inspiration in 2005 - a sense of discovering, or remembering, an example of greatness than we can, and should, live up to - to

5. purposefulness in 2010 - a sense that people, by doing their job, whatever that is, are taking part in something important and good.

Clearly, this proves that, spiritually, we've moved in a positive direction. (By "we", of course, I mean Americans. For the non-Americans here, this thread can serve as a chance for you to feel happy for us. Maybe I'll next investigate what kind of songs the French have been writing about Tintin for the last twenty years.)



.

Maybe these songs can be looked at in terms of generational echo. Children are born into a world, they observe and absorb the conditions around them, and twenty years later they're sophisticated enough to produce songs. In the early 1990s, their subconscious minds are still wells of malaise, broken men, and decaying empire. By the mid-2000s, someone like Taylor Swift grew up in a triumphant capitalistic America that seemingly shrugged off that other grey-looking one (Soviets), and started inventing brilliant high-tech things.

If such can be said, then we're left with wondering what the current generational echo will produce come 20 years. Great Recession, and a stalled America, while the Red Dragon starts soaring higher and bolder?

One might say the same of interwar Germany.

O Superman (For Massenet) ~ Laurie Anderson



[1981]

[Personal favourite of the lot]

____

This reminds me of the supposed correlation between hemlines and the economy. Or pirates and supposed global warming.

Welcone to the forum, atmosphere

I don't think anything can be meaningfully gleaned from whether or not a song is written. It needs to be a hit for it to be meaningful. At any given time someone somewhere is writing a happy song about the times, and someone is writing a depressing song about the times. That's because at every moment in time someone somewhere is fucking their dreamboy/girl on the beach, while somewhere else someone is holding their dying Mother's hand. In many cases they might be less than a mile from one another.

You can only really say something about the zeitgeist based on the top songs.

I'm no expert on comic books, but I thought the Lit Crit crowd decided that Superman represented fascism, and the idea that morality could be imposed by force. That concept does seem to be unpopular these days.

Captain America represents America, the average Joe turned into Super Soldier during WW2. And I'm not sure but I think they killed Captain America off recently in some kind of US civil war.

One you missed ( 2000 , pre 9/11 )



Not sure of the methodology here, but I like the idea. Always loved the Crash Test Dummies song .

Superman:

A heavenly father sends his only son into the world. The son receives an epiphany as he enters manhood, and sets about his mission . . .

Sounds familiar . . .

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