Superman

In this deceptively upbeat punk-ska anthem, Goldfinger singer John Feldmann tries to hide the fact that his life is falling apart by pretending to be a superhero. Looking back on the song, which was featured on their sophomore album, Hang-Ups, Feldmann told Loudwire in 2020: "When I think about the lyrics of the song, I think of a song like 'Landslide' by Fleetwood Mac - I'm getting older and children grow older, too. It's like the idea that 'Superman' is this anti-superhero song, like I'm pretending I'm a Superman doing everything I do and spinning all the plates when it never really works out that way. I'm growing older all the time, and the song means exactly the same at 52 as the song did when I wrote it when I was 27."

The song's popularity exploded in 1999 when it was included on the soundtrack to the videogame Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The professional skateboarder wanted to recreate the experience of hanging out at skate parks and listening to punk music, so he cultivated a soundtrack of some of his favorite bands. One of them was Goldfinger, but he wasn't interested in a well-known track like their hit single "Here In Your Bedroom." Jay Rifkin, the head of their then-label Mojo Records, sent him "Superman," and the rest is history. It became the unofficial anthem of the Pro Skater series and - although it was never released as a single - Goldfinger's most popular song.

Feldmann didn't realize how Tony Hawk influenced the band's career until they suddenly became the main attraction at a concert where they were supposed to be the supporting act. "We were touring with Bloodhound Gang and supporting them as they had this huge hit at the time in Germany, so we played with them in England and all of a sudden when we played 'Superman,' everyone went ballistic," he told Loudwire. "It was the biggest circle pit of the entire night. There was no moment in Bloodhound Gang's set or our set that surpassed what happened with that song. I was like, 'What the f--k is happening with this song?' But I put two and two together and realized that Pro Skater had globally just become this huge hit of a video game."