Waiting for Superman (song)

"Waiting for Superman" is a song co-written by Chris Daughtry for his band Daughtry's fourth studio album, Baptized.[2] It was released as the lead single from the album on September 17, 2013.[3] An electropop ballad, the song was co-written by Sam Holland and Boys Like Girls lead singer Martin Johnson. The latter also served as the record producer.

"Waiting for Superman"
Single by Daughtry
from the album Baptized
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2013
Recorded2013
Los Angeles, California
(The Cat Room)
Genre
Length4:26 (album version)
4:14 (radio edit)
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Martin Johnson
Daughtry singles chronology
"Start of Something Good"
(2012)		 "Waiting for Superman"
(2013)		 "Battleships"
(2014)

The song's title and lyrics are references to the comic book superhero Superman and contains other allusions and metaphors to the comic—including Lois Lane and Metropolis.

Promotion and release

During early September, Daughtry announced on Twitter that fans would be able to help unlock the single artwork via the band's official website; this took them to Hyperactive, a social media promotion which would let them add their Facebook or Twitter profile photo to the artwork itself and contribute in building the image of the single.

Daughtry announced the release date would be September 17, 2013, though whether the track was to be available to download on that day or was to have its first play on the radio was left unclear.[4] On September 16, Daughtry's official Twitter account sent out a tweet with confirmation that the single would be available at 12:01 am on September 17. (EST).[5] The following week, the single was serviced to hot adult contemporary stations and contemporary hit radio.[6]

Music video

The video began filming on October 3 and finished the same day.[7] The music video features Chris Daughtry, Thomas Dekker and Patrick Muldoon and was directed by Shane Drake. It was released on October 24. 2013.[8]

It features Dekker as a scruffy-looking man in a big city who seems to be able to sense when trouble is about to occur. It shows him saving several people, including a woman about to be run over by a cyclist, a woman who gets her purse stolen and a suicidal man about to jump from a ledge. Each time, his actions are misinterpreted and the victims are shown to be ungrateful. The woman about to be run over is mad that he shoved her, the police think he's in league with the purse snatcher and nearly arrest him and the suicidal man is upset to be pulled away from the ledge. The helpful man seems to be saddened and frustrated, but keeps on trying to help all the same. The song cuts to shots of a girl being teased by a pack of other teens in an alleyway and of Daughtry singing in the midst of his actions. Eventually, he stumbles across the teenage girl being harassed and threatened. He chases the bullies off, but a nearby passerby (bassist Josh Paul) calls the police, thinking the man is attacking the teens. After comforting the girl, he returns her home to her grateful mother. As the police arrive and try to arrest him, the mother and daughter explain that he saved her. Letting him go, they still warn him off. As he turns to leave, clearly saddened, the girl runs up to him and gives him a grateful hug. Happy again and with a smile on his face, the man walks off.

Reception

Critical

Critical reception to the song was positive upon its release.

Music blog POP! Goes The Charts noted positively that, "with a more electro-pop sound, "Superman" is catchy and relatable to a female audience. Look for the single to carry the band back onto the airwaves just in time to save the day."[1]

On September 18, Artistdirect.com published a review in which they praised Chris' voice and songwriting skills. They gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars, concluding: "There's no need to wait for Superman any longer. He's here to save music again with one of the year's catchiest singles."[9]

Commercial

The single opened at number 80 in the UK, the band's first charting single in the UK Top 100 since "What About Now" back in 2009, and is also Daughtry's second highest-charting single in that country.

In the US, "Waiting for Superman" debuted at number 70 on Hot 100 and sold 53,000 downloads.[10] It also debuted at number 25 and number 26 on Billboard′s Hot Digital Tracks and Hot Digital Songs charts, respectively, as well as number 93 on the Canadian Hot 100.[11] The single was certified Platinum in 2013.

Credits and personnel
  • Songwriting – Chris Daughtry, Martin Johnson, Sam Hollander
  • Production – Daughtry, Martin Johnson, additional by Kyle Moorman and Brandon Paddock
  • Mixing – Serban Ghenea
  • Engineering– Kyle Moorman, Brandon Paddock

Chart positions

Weekly charts
Chart (2013–14) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 51
Canada AC (Billboard)[13] 32
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[14] 47
UK Singles (OCC)[15] 80
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 66
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[17] 15
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[18] 11
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[19] 40

Year-end charts
Chart (2014) Position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[20] 45
US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard)[21] 41

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label
United States September 17, 2013 Digital download, CD Single RCA Records
September 26, 2013 Hot Adult Contemporary airplay
January 6, 2014[23] Top 40/Mainstream radio

References
  1. "SINGLE PREMIERE: Daughtry - "Waiting for Superman" (+ Lyrics)". POP! Goes The Charts. WordPress.com. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  2. Angermiller, Michele Amabile. "Chris Daughtry Releases New Track on iTunes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  3. "Waiting for Superman - Single". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  4. http://www.daughtryofficial.com/us/superman
  5. DaughtryOfficial.com [@Daughtry_News] (16 September 2013). "Good day everyone - just heard that #WaitingforSuperman will be available at 12:01am edt - more details coming. #daughtryWFS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. "Stream "Waiting For Superman" on iTunes Radio". Daughtry Official Site. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  7. Chris Daughtry [@CHRIS_Daughtry] (3 October 2013). "Shooting the video for #WaitingforSuperman tomorrow and I'll be sending you lil nuggets throughout the day. Gonna be fun!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. Video on YouTube
  9. Florino, Rick. "Daughtry "Waiting for Superman" Song Review - 4.5 out of 5 stars". Artist Direct. Rogue Digital, LLC. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  10. Trust, Gary (2013-09-27). "Chart Moves: Ylvis' 'The Fox' Scampers Up Hot 100, Pearl Jam Ties Alt Rock Record, Luke Bryan Stays Atop Hot Country Songs". Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  11. Bronson, Fred. "'American Idol' on the Charts: Daughtry Returns with 'Super'-Sized Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  12. "Daughtry Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. "Daughtry Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard.
  14. "Daughtry Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard.
  15. "Daughtry: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  16. "Daughtry Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. "Daughtry Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  18. "Daughtry Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  19. "Daughtry Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  20. "2014 Year End: Adult Contemporary Songs Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  21. "2014 Year End: Adult Pop Songs Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  22. "American single certifications – Daughtry – Waiting for Superman". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  23. http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16691
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