1. "Superfly" by Curtis Mayfield
Soul legend Curtis Mayfield performed the soundtrack to the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly, and the title track was a Top 10 hit in the U.S. Fun fact: Mayfield's soundtrack is one of the few soundtracks that outgrossed the movie for which it was made. That, in itself, is superfly.
2. "Supernaut" by Black Sabbath
This is an underrated Sabbath gem with a wicked riff that maybe you're not expecting after the high hat intro. But you should have been expecting it. It's Black Sabbath, for Christ's sake. This song is a blistering metal masterpiece that begs the question: why aspire to be an astronaut when you can be a supernaut?
3. "Lost in the Supermarket" by The Clash
One of the more poppy selections from the band's 1979 iconic album London Calling, "Lost in the Supermarket" has always confused me, since supermarkets are generally well-organized and set up very intuitively. That's what makes them supermarkets, as opposed to just regular markets, whose labyrinth aisles and dead ends have suffocated many a man, woman, and child.
4. "I Ain't Superstitious" by Howlin' Wolf
With one of the greatest voices ever laid down on record, blues legend Howlin' Wolf has one of those "oh shit" moments when he's thinking, Well, actually, I might be superstitious. But then again, is this a self-fulfilling prophecy? Like, what if I didn't know that a black cat crossing my trail is supposed to be bad luck? I sure as shit wouldn't be singing this song.
5. "Superstar" by The Carpenters
Long one of my all-time guilty pleasure songs, "Superstar" is a just a great fucking song. That chorus gets me every time. Say what you will about the tenets of debilitating eating disorders, but they certainly didn't hold back Karen Carpenter on this one. Then again, this song was released during her "heavy" phase.
6. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
This is an all-time classic with one of the best and most-recognizable funk intros ever. And I think we all believe in things that we don't understand, like reincarnation or quantum physics or morning wood.
7. "Super Bowl Shuffle" by The 1985 Chicago Bears
Performed by inarguably the greatest football team in NFL history, the "Super Bowl Shuffle" is so '80s and so great. I played the part of Mike Richardson in my second grade talent show, and I still remember all of his lines. The best part is that the team recorded the song almost two months before they demolished the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The song was even nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, but was beating out by Prince's "Kiss" for the award. And when Sweetness says "we're just doing this to feed the needy," he wasn't lying. The profits from the song and video -- hundreds of thousands of dollars, mind you -- have been donated over the years to help Chicago families in need.
8. "Super Soaked" by Be Your Own Pet
Nashville-based punk and garage rockers Be Your Own Pet was one of my favorite bands of the 2000s. Sadly, they broke up in 2008, but not before providing us with some great music, like "Super Soaked," a breakneck song that I assume was inspired by some pretty intense squirt gun fights.
9. "Super Bad" by James Brown
"I got soul / And I'm super bad." That he did and that he was.
It was a toss-up between this and Oasis's other "super" song, "Champagne Supernova," but I went with "Supersonic" because I like songs that reference gin and tonics that were released when I still drank gin. Also, I miss the Concorde.
Honorable mention: "Super Trouper" by ABBA; "Supersoaker" by Kings of Leon; "Superunknown" by Soundgarden; "Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication" by Parliament; "Super-Charger Heaven" by White Zombie; "Superhuman" by Velvet Revolver; "Superfreak" by Rick James; "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis
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