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"Sunshine Superman" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. The "Sunshine Superman" single was released in the United States through Epic Records (Epic 5-10045) in July 1966, but due to a contractual dispute the United Kingdom release was delayed until December 1966, where it appeared on Donovan's previous label, Pye Records (Pye 7N 17241). The "Sunshine Superman" single was backed with "The Trip" on both the United States and United Kingdom releases. It has been described as having, "proven to be [one of the] classics of the era," and as, "the quintessential bright summer sing along".
"Sunshine Superman" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and subsequently became the title track of Donovan's third album, Sunshine Superman.[3] A different mix of "The Trip" (without harmonica) is also included in the album. It was the first product from the highly successful three-year collaboration between Donovan and producer Mickie Most and is generally considered to be one of the first examples of the musical genre that came to be known as psychedelia.
The song was written for Donovan's future wife Linda Lawrence.
The lyrics of the song mention not only Superman, but also another DC Comics superhero, Green Lantern.
Chart positions were #1 (US),[3] and #2 (UK). It was Donovan's only single to reach #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 survey.
In popular culture
Writer Grant Morrison referenced the song in an issue of Animal Man by creating Sunshine Superman, an African American version of Superman who was a member of the Love Syndicate of Dreamworld, from a world based on the drug culture of the 1960s. Sunshine Superman and his world were wiped out by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, only to be brought back by the Psycho-Pirate before fading away again. Sunshine Superman returned for a brief, non-speaking cameo in Final Crisis #7, in an army of alternate Supermen.
The song was covered by Dr. Lonnie Smith recorded live on Move Your Hand in Atlantic City on August 9, 1969. It was also covered by The Sugarman 3 on their debut 1998 album Sugar's Boogaloo.
Hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü covered "Sunshine Superman" as a brief 1:56 rendition on their 1983 studio debut Everything Falls Apart.
New York punk rock band Alice Donut covers the song (with changed lyrics) on their debut album Donut Comes Alive.
On their 1987 album Dream Evil, heavy metal band Dio featured a song entitled "Sunset Superman," possibly in reference to "Sunshine Superman."
In 1997, Imani Coppola sampled the instrumental track for her song "Legend of a Cowgirl".