Super Men Trivia Quiz

Answer: Donovan

"Sunshine Superman" was the 1966 song released by the Scottish singer / songwriter Donovan which went on to become his first number one hit in the US. In fact, it would be the only Donovan song to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song, which was the title track of Donovan's third album, was originally subtitled "For John and Paul" in reference to John Lennon and Paul McCartney with whom Donovan was good friends and it is considered to be one of the first songs of a genre that would become known as "psychedelia".

The "sunshine" referred to in the song was a nickname for LSD. This song was the first single with the word "Superman" in the title to become a hit.

Answer: Prince

With its catchy refrain "get the funk up! Batman", "Batdance" was written by the American artist Prince and included on his 1989 soundtrack album for the film "Batman" (1989). Although six songs written by Prince were used in the film, "Batdance" itself was not one of them.

However the song proved popular and was released as a single in June 1989. It became Prince's fourth number-one single when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the song Prince amalgamates music with sounds and dialogue from the film.

Answer: The Kinks

A disco type song released by The Kinks in 1979, "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" was written by Ray Davies after he had watched "Superman: The Movie" (1978). Filled with such self-deprecating lyrics as "I looked in the mirror, what did I see / A 9 stone weakling with knobbly knees", the song sees Davies poking fun at himself and wishing that he could be more like Superman. Davies later stated that the song was also meant to "take the mickey out" of their producer who had been pleading for some time with The Kinks to record a "club-friendly" song.

The song was the lead single from the 1979 album "Low Budget" and, while it did not set the charts alight, it remains a popular song for use on compilation albums.

Answer: Black Sabbath

The great irony about Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" is that while the song has become widely associated with the Marvel Comics character of the same name, its creation had absolutely nothing to do with the super hero. The song gained its title when Ozzy Osbourne declared that the main guitar riff sounded "like a big iron bloke walking about". Released as a single from the 1970 album "Paranoid", the song has become one of the band's most popular hits and, in 2006 was awarded the top spot on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs list.

Despite "Iron Man" not being involved in the song's birth, the 2008 film "Iron Man" included an instrumental version of the song during its credits.

Answer: Eminem

"Superman" is the 2003 single released by the rapper Eminem from his 2002 album "The Eminem Show". Featuring backing vocals from Dina Rae, the song was decried in certain circles for its misogynistic lyrics and only rose as far as number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song deals with the less than happy relationships that the artist had experienced with women and his future plans for dealing with women. In his 2008 autobiography "The Way I Am", Eminem explained that "Superman" was, in part, about his "relationship" with the singer Mariah Carey.

Answer: The Traits

Beloved of Marvel Comics afficianados, "Nobody Loves The Hulk" is a novelty song released in 1969 by the American garage band, The Traits, who hailed from La Rochelle, New Jersey. Written by songwriter / producer Rosalind Rogoff, the emerald green record was sold exclusively through an advertisement placed in the back of Marvel Comics between 1969 and 1970. Only 2000 copies were pressed and of these, only a few hundred were actually sold at the time. Copies of the record have now become a highly prized collectors' item among both collectors of garage music and those of comic books. Rogoff was, at the time, trying to break into the music industry and wrote songs that would appeal to Marvel Comics who still hold the copyright to the song. The song tells the story of how The Hulk came into being and the rejection he suffered.

The song also takes a subtle swipe at racism with the line "We don't allow no green skin people in here!".

Answer: Wings

"Magneto and Titanium Man" was released by Wings in 1975 as the B-side to their single "Venus and Mars/Rock Show". Written by Paul McCartney, a self-confessed Marvel Comics fan, the song tells the story of three super-villains, Magneto, Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo who are planning a bank robbery.

The song apparently gained the approval of Stan Lee, one of the co-creators of the three protagonists, who pronounced it "terrific". The song was included in the playlist for Wings' 1975/76 World Tour. During these concerts, artwork of the characters provided the backdrop for the song's performance.

At the Los Angeles gig, Jack Kirby, the other co-creator of the characters, took pride of place in the front row when the song was performed.

Answer: Crash Test Dummies

"Superman's Song" was the first hit single for the Canadian group Crash Test Dummies. Released from their 1991 debut album "The Ghosts That Haunt Me", the song is written as a eulogy to Superman and points out that while Superman could have used his powers to have taken anything he wanted, he didn't, but, as Clark Kent, worked a regular job.

In other words, "there was a real gent". The song reached number four in the Canadian charts and broke into the Billboard Top 100 where it made it to number 56.

Answer: The Ramones

"Spider-Man", the theme from the 1967 TV show "Spider-Man", is probably one of the most covered songs about any super hero. In 1995 The Ramones revived the song and produced their own version which was the final track on their final studio album "Adios Amigos!".

They also played the song during their final live performance "We're Outta Here" in 1996. The song was originally written by Academy Award winning songwriter Paul Francis Webster and Robert "Bob" Harris when Marvel Comics, who were known for their catchy theme songs, asked them to write a theme song for the TV show "Spider-Man". With its catchy opening lines of "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can", the song has become an integral part of Spider-Man persona and legend.

The song has also been covered by Canadian singer Michael Buble whose included on his 2001 album "BaBula". This version was subsequently used in the 2004 film "Spider-Man 2" .

Answer: Queen

"Flash" was the song released by the British super group Queen as the theme song for 1980 film "Flash Gordon". Written by Brian May the song captures the "tongue-in-cheek" nature of the film. Two versions of the song were produced, one for the soundtrack album ("Flash's Theme") and a second version which was released as a single by Queen.

This version incorporates dialogue from the film including the immortal line "Gordon's Alive?!" spoken by actor Brian Blessed. This was the version used by Queen on the 1981 album "The Greatest Hits".

Although the song only reached number 42 on the Billboard Top 100 in the US, it was a top ten hit elsewhere around the world. The song was often used to introduce the group on stage at live performances.