Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) - wikipedia Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' Single by Five for Fighting from the album America Town Released April 2001 Format CD 7 '' Recorded 2000 Genre Pop rock Length 3 : 42 Label EMI Songwriter ( s ) John Ondrasik Producer ( s ) Gregg Wattenberg Five for Fighting singles chronology `` Easy Tonight '' ( 2000 ) `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' ( 2001 ) `` Easy Tonight '' ( 2002 ) `` Easy Tonight '' ( 2000 ) `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' ( 2001 ) `` Easy Tonight '' ( 2002 ) ( re-release ) Music video `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' on YouTube `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' ( also titled as `` Superman '' ) is a song written and performed by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released in April 2001 as the second single from his second studio album America Town. Following the September 11 attacks, the song was used to honor the victims, survivors, police and firefighters involved in the attacks. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 38 on October 27, 2001, then subsequently peaked at number 14, becoming Five for Fighting 's first top 40 hit in the US. The single was even more popular in Australia and New Zealand, where it reached number two on both countries ' national charts. Elsewhere, the song reached the top 20 in Ireland, Italy, and Norway. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002. Contents 1 Content 2 Music video 3 Charts 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 Certifications 5 In popular culture and covers 6 References 7 External links Content The lyrics focus on the iconic hero Superman, specifically how, in the opinion of the singer, his life as a hero is surprisingly difficult despite his immense power. Music video The music video was directed by Ramaa Mosley and premiered in June 2001. A scene from this video was filmed at Yonge Street and Richmond Street in Toronto, Ontario. At the end of the song 's music video, John Ondrasik lies in bed with his own wife and son. Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 2001 -- 2002 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 54 Brazil ( ABPD ) 83 Ireland ( IRMA ) 5 Italy ( FIMI ) 11 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 43 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Norway ( VG - lista ) 12 Scotland ( Official Charts Company ) 39 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 48 US Billboard Hot 100 14 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) US Adult Top 40 ( Billboard ) US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) 15 Year - end charts Chart ( 2002 ) Position Australia ( ARIA ) 24 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 32 US Billboard Hot 100 46 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Australia ( ARIA ) Platinum 70,000 United States ( RIAA ) Gold 500,000 shipments figures based on certification alone In popular culture and covers The song was covered by shadow musician Catman Cohen in 2005 via CD, How I Want to Live : the Catman Chronicles 2. The song was covered by Boyce Avenue in 2011 via YouTube music video. In his 2010 comedy tour, Conan O'Brien sang a cover of the song by himself before Jim Carrey appeared in a Superman suit and the two men sang a duet. An anonymous cover was played on the seventh series of The X Factor after Liam Payne 's audition. The singer of this version was speculated to be Joe McElderry, the winner of the previous series. This turned out to be true when the track list for his debut studio album Wide Awake was revealed. McElderry 's version reached number 56 in the UK Albums Chart on album downloads alone. The Australian rock comedy ex boy band trio, The Axis of Awesome parodied this song with a new song, `` Birdplane ''. This song turned out to affect the boy band, as it represented Jordan Raskopoulos and her transgender transition. Jimmy Fallon parodied the song on Saturday Night Live about the 2002 Winter Olympics and renamed it `` Down Hill Ski ''. References Jump up ^ `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) - Five for Fighting Attributes ''. AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2018. Jump up ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/five-for-fighting-sings-9-11-anthem-superman/ Jump up ^ CBS News staff ( January 4, 2002 ). `` Complete List Of Grammy Nominees ''. CBS News. Retrieved May 23, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) by Five for Fighting ''. Songfacts. Retrieved May 1, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ `` Brazil '' ( PDF ). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) ''. Irish Singles Chart. Jump up ^ `` Italiancharts.com -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) ''. Top Digital Download. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) ''. VG - lista. Jump up ^ `` Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Five for Fighting Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Five for Fighting Chart History ( Adult Contemporary ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Five for Fighting Chart History ( Adult Pop Songs ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Five for Fighting Chart History ( Pop Songs ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2002 ''. ARIA. Retrieved May 1, 2018. Jump up ^ `` End of Year Charts 2002 ''. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 12, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Songs of 2002 - Billboard Year End Charts ''. Bobborst. Retrieved June 11, 2018. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Charts -- Accreditations -- 2002 Singles ''. Australian Recording Industry Association. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- Five for Fighting -- Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH Jump up ^ `` How I Want to Live : the Catman Chronicles 2 ''. Allmusic.com. Jump up ^ `` Boyce Avenue - Superman ( Five For Fighting Cover ) ''. YouTube.com. Jump up ^ `` Conan O'Brien & Jim Carrey Perform Superman Live ''. Retrieved 2 May 2011. Jump up ^ cover version plays in the background after Payne 's audition Jump up ^ Joe McElderry Forums Joe song on The X Factor ? Jump up ^ Joe McElderry - Wide Awake External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics hide Five for Fighting Studio albums Message for Albert America Town The Battle for Everything Two Lights Slice Bookmarks Live album Back Country Singles `` Easy Tonight '' `` Superman ( It 's Not Easy ) '' `` 100 Years '' `` The Riddle '' `` World '' `` Chances '' `` Slice '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superman_(It%27s_Not_Easy)&oldid=846032741 '' Categories : 2001 singles 2001 songs APRA Award winners Debut singles Five for Fighting songs 2000s ballads Rock ballads Superman music Songs about comics Songs about fictional male characters Billboard Adult Top 40 number - one singles Songs written by John Ondrasik Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart called without artist Singlechart usages for Italy Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Scotland Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary Singlechart usages for Billboardadultpopsongs Singlechart usages for Billboardpopsongs Certification Table Entry usages for Australia Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Nederlands Português Edit links This page was last edited on 15 June 2018, at 20 : 49. 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Question: who sings its not easy to be me
Answer: Five for Fighting