Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single "You Really Got Me" (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory, and bassist Pete Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 as the result of a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.
With Ray Davies' songwriting skills and unabashedly English voices, Dave Davies' impressive guitar work, and Avory's tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British pop and the "British Invasion" of the U.S.A., lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from the Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their catalogue of songs has been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers, Queens of the Stone Age , and many more.
Members:
Ray Davies – vocals, rhythm guitar (1963–1996)
Dave Davies – lead guitar, vocals (1963–1996)
Pete Quaife – bass guitar (1963–1969)
John Dalton – bass guitar (1969–1976)
Andy Pyle – bass guitar (1976–1978)
Jim Rodford – bass guitar (1978–1996)
Mick Avory – drums (1963–1984)
Bob Henrit – drums (1984–1996)
John Gosling – keyboards, piano (1970–1978)
Gordon Edwards – keyboards, piano (1978–1979)
Ian Gibbons – keyboards, piano (1979–1989, 1993–1996)
Mark Haley – keyboards, piano (1989–1993)
Superman
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a cigarette and a cup of tea
I looked in the mirror what did I see
A nine stone weakling with knobbly knees
I did my knees bend press ups touch my toes
I had another sneeze and I blew my nose
I looked in the mirror at my pigeon chest
I had to put on my clothes because it made me depressed
For me to change the shape I'm in
Dissatisfied is what I am
I want to be a better man
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
Superman superman I want to be like superman
I want to be like superman
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
Woke up this morning, what did I see
A big black cloud hanging over me
I switched on the radio and nearly dropped dead
The news was so bad that I fell out of bed
There was a gas strike, oil strike, lorry strike, bread strike
Got to be a superman to survive
Gas bills, rent bills, tax bills, phone bills
I'm such a wreck but I'm staying alive
[look in the paper, what do I see,
Robbery, violence, insanity.]
Hey girl we've got to get out of this place
There's got to be something better than this
I need you, but I hate to see you this way
If I were superman then we'd fly away
I'd really like to change the world
And save it from the mess it's in
I'm too weak, I'm so thin
I'd like to fly but I can't even swim
Superman superman I want to fly like superman
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
Superman superman I want to be like superman
Superman superman I want to fly like superman
The Kinks's song Superman is about a man who is dissatisfied with himself and his life. The song starts with the singer waking up, sneezing, and looking in the mirror only to see a weak and skinny man with knobbly knees and a pigeon chest. He tries to improve his physical state by exercising but fails miserably. The second verse adds to the singer's misery as he listens to the news on the radio and realizes that the world is a chaotic and violent place.
In the chorus, the singer expresses his desire to be like Superman and wishes he could fly. The singer believes that he needs to be a better man in order to survive in a world where there are gas strikes, oil strikes, lorry strikes, bread strikes, and endless bills to pay. The song ends with the singer acknowledging his weakness and expressing his desire to change the world for the better with his love interest by his side.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this morning, started to sneeze
I woke up feeling ill and started to sneeze.
I had a cigarette and a cup of tea
I had a smoke and a hot drink.
I looked in the mirror what did I see
I saw my reflection in the mirror.
A nine stone weakling with knobbly knees
I was thin and weak with bony knees.
I did my knees bend press ups touch my toes
I did some exercise like bending, pushups, and touching my toes.
I had another sneeze and I blew my nose
I sneezed again and blew my nose.
I looked in the mirror at my pigeon chest
I saw my thin and small chest.
I had to put on my clothes because it made me depressed
The sight of myself depressed me so I had to get dressed.
Surely there must be a way
I thought there must be a solution.
For me to change the shape I'm in
To change my physique.
Dissatisfied is what I am
I felt discontented with myself.
I want to be a better man
I want to be a better version of myself.
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
I wish I could fly like Superman.
Superman superman I want to be like superman
I want to be like Superman.
I want to be like superman
I aspire to be like Superman.
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
I wish I could fly like Superman.
Woke up this morning, what did I see
I woke up and saw something unexpected.
A big black cloud hanging over me
I felt like there was something negative looming over me.
I switched on the radio and nearly dropped dead
I turned on the radio and was shocked by the news.
The news was so bad that I fell out of bed
The news was so shocking that it caused me to fall out of bed.
There was a gas strike, oil strike, lorry strike, bread strike
There were multiple strikes taking place causing shortages of essential items.
Got to be a superman to survive
To get through this, one must be invincible like Superman.
Gas bills, rent bills, tax bills, phone bills
I had bills to pay, such as for gas, rent, taxes, and phone.
I'm such a wreck but I'm staying alive
Despite feeling like a disaster, I am persevering.
Hey girl we've got to get out of this place
I told my female companion that we need to leave this situation.
There's got to be something better than this
I believe there is something better than our current situation.
I need you, but I hate to see you this way
I need my companion, but it saddens me to see her in this situation.
If I were superman then we'd fly away
I wish I could fly away with my companion like Superman.
I'd really like to change the world
I aspire to make the world a better place.
And save it from the mess it's in
To rescue it from its current state of disorder and confusion.
I'm too weak, I'm so thin
I am not strong enough both physically and emotionally.
I'd like to fly but I can't even swim
I desire to fly, but I can't even swim.
Superman superman I want to fly like superman
I wish I could fly like Superman.
Superman superman wish I could fly like superman
I wish I could fly like Superman.
Superman superman I want to be like superman
I aspire to be like Superman.
Superman superman I want to fly like superman
I want to fly like Superman.
Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., P.E.S.L (Productions et Editions Serge Lama)
Written by: Raymond Douglas Davies, Serge Lama
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fmagalhaes1521
When the record companies wanted the Kinks to do a disco/club song, they came up with this son to poke the proverbial finger into the proverbial eye of the record companies.
@The_Klystron7
Grew up on this and the live album around the same time.
@user-zr9lt3vq6n
I remember my cousin driving from upstate ny just to get the long dance version of this song for jis dj business. I had no idea the kinks even did this song, still listening to Arthur.
@justinopolimeni7251
Love ❤️✨
@stephencrousey9388
This song deserves more comments..
@mikecouch7242
This was the first "heavy guitar" song
@pgo301
Great Kinks novelty tune. Kinks showed the music world they could easily make a disco song and then they went back to making rock music on rest of Low Budget.
@tatashady
Disco Kinks
@lordvonlord
Change the shape I'm in
@billybandyk0720
Luv this song. How can any1 "bag" on this song? It's got gr8 rhythm.