Laurie Anderson
"O Superman"

Entered Top 20: 17 October 1981
Chart peak: 2
Catalogue: Warner Bros. K17870

Biography

At eight minutes and twenty one seconds, O Superman was, at that time, the longest 7" single ever to make the top ten, but its length wasn't its only striking feature. Taken from the five hour stage show "United States", the lyric was rambling and surreal, and the backing track mainly consisted of a single sampled vocal note repeated over and over to produce a metronomic sound.

Its surprise success (and it really was a surprise - the single was originally intended only as a demo and not for general release) led to Chicago-born Anderson being asked to make an album, which she duly did. "Big Science" confirmed that "O Superman" was no one-off, and made Laurie Anderson into the cult star she remains today. All the same, however much her fans may rave about her later work, it is for O Superman that she is still remembered.

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