Sueperman's Big Sister
Encyclopedia
Sueperman's Big Sister is a song and a 1979
single by Ian Dury
& The Blockheads. Its title purposefully misspells 'Superman' with an extra 'e' to avoid any copyright issues with DC Comics
.
Released as a single (BUY 100) to promote Ian Dury & The Blockheads upcoming album Laughter
, it was a commercial failure, reaching 51 in the UK pop charts, but the Sueperman's Big Sister / You'll See Glimpses 7" single has the added significance of being Stiff Records
' 100th Single. To mark this occasion the record had special labels printed, these labels were copies of Stiff's very first single Nick Lowe
's So It Goes / Heart Of The City that had been adjusted as if by someone writing on them with Biro or Black Marker (given Stiff Record's reputation, it's likely this was the actual method) all of the information from the sticker is crossed out and replaced with the correct information for the single (I.e. 'So It Goes' is crossed out and 'Sueperman's Big Sister' is written by it).
The inspiration behind the song is supposedly a picture of a 'Teddy Girl' (a female counterpart for Teddy Boys), possibly the same image used for the single's sleeve, and its lyric tells the story of a chauvinistic, cocky man whose ideas on the opposite sex are radically changed by a relationship with a woman so imposing she could well be 'superman's big sister'. At one point she is so rough/domineering with him he even considers homosexuality ('if I'd gone on the turn dear') the two eventually break-up but remain friends, according to the song's narrator, for fear of repercussions if they did not:
Ironically Ian Dury, who wrote the song's lyrics, as he would with every song he would release bar one, had been falsely accused of misogyny two years earlier because of the track If I Was With A Woman, a song appearing on his solo debut New Boots and Panties!! (in truth the track is just a bitter love song) in contrast Sueperman's Big Sister gives an anti-misogyny/pro-Woman's Liberation message. With its narrator who thinks that 'a bit of treatment' (sex) is all that's needed is shown the error of his ways by a dominant, independent woman.
The song is co-written by Wilko Johnson
, formerly of influential pub-rock band Dr. Feelgood
, who had joined the band as a replacement for Ian Dury's former co-writer Chas Jankel
, who had left to pursue a solo career, and features string arrangements by Ivor Raymonde
(who also composed the string arrangements for Fucking Ada, the song's B-side on its 12" release).
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
single by Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
& The Blockheads. Its title purposefully misspells 'Superman' with an extra 'e' to avoid any copyright issues with DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
Released as a single (BUY 100) to promote Ian Dury & The Blockheads upcoming album Laughter
Laughter (album)
Laughter is an album by Ian Dury & The Blockheads; released in 1980, it was the last studio album Dury made for Stiff Records. It was also the last studio album he made with The Blockheads, until 1998's Mr...
, it was a commercial failure, reaching 51 in the UK pop charts, but the Sueperman's Big Sister / You'll See Glimpses 7" single has the added significance of being Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
' 100th Single. To mark this occasion the record had special labels printed, these labels were copies of Stiff's very first single Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
's So It Goes / Heart Of The City that had been adjusted as if by someone writing on them with Biro or Black Marker (given Stiff Record's reputation, it's likely this was the actual method) all of the information from the sticker is crossed out and replaced with the correct information for the single (I.e. 'So It Goes' is crossed out and 'Sueperman's Big Sister' is written by it).
The inspiration behind the song is supposedly a picture of a 'Teddy Girl' (a female counterpart for Teddy Boys), possibly the same image used for the single's sleeve, and its lyric tells the story of a chauvinistic, cocky man whose ideas on the opposite sex are radically changed by a relationship with a woman so imposing she could well be 'superman's big sister'. At one point she is so rough/domineering with him he even considers homosexuality ('if I'd gone on the turn dear') the two eventually break-up but remain friends, according to the song's narrator, for fear of repercussions if they did not:
Ironically Ian Dury, who wrote the song's lyrics, as he would with every song he would release bar one, had been falsely accused of misogyny two years earlier because of the track If I Was With A Woman, a song appearing on his solo debut New Boots and Panties!! (in truth the track is just a bitter love song) in contrast Sueperman's Big Sister gives an anti-misogyny/pro-Woman's Liberation message. With its narrator who thinks that 'a bit of treatment' (sex) is all that's needed is shown the error of his ways by a dominant, independent woman.
The song is co-written by Wilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson is an English guitarist and songwriter, particularly associated with the UK rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.-Career:...
, formerly of influential pub-rock band Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood may refer to:In music:*Dr. Feelgood , an album by American band Mötley Crüe**"Dr. Feelgood" , a single and the title track from that album*"Dr. Feel Good", a song by Travie McCoy on the album Lazarus...
, who had joined the band as a replacement for Ian Dury's former co-writer Chas Jankel
Chas Jankel
Charles Jeremy Jankel professionally known as Chaz Jankel, is a musician best known as the keyboard player and guitarist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads...
, who had left to pursue a solo career, and features string arrangements by Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.-Life and career:...
(who also composed the string arrangements for Fucking Ada, the song's B-side on its 12" release).
Sources
- Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life Of Ian Dury by Richard Balls, first published 2000, Omnibus Press
- Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song by Jim Drury, first published 2003, Sanctuary Publishing.