Super Boy [Glen Burtnik]

Super Boy
Words and Music by Glen Burtnik
Vocals by Glen Burtnik

Hyperactive demographic
This year's favorite son
Silver stainless steel reflects
The monster he's become

Condescending gender bending
Target market dead
Autotuned and pixelated
Image consciousness

He's on the airwaves
He's everywhere

Super boy
Everybody's idol
No one can deny you are
Super boy
How's it's gonna feel
The day they come to steal the sun?

Twice the comet they projected
Lighting up the night
Twice as fast disintegrating
Burning out of sight

He's off the radar
He's gone nowhere

Super boy
Merchandising icon
No one can deny you are
Super boy
Sugar coated trinket
How'd you ever sink that far?

Says the ink on his skin he's
"Bad for good in Hollywood"

Consolation prize
There was a time I was one
Super boy
Everybody's punch line
No one can deny you are
Super boy
How's it's gonna feel
The day they come to steal the sun

Super boy
Super boy
Once you were the young 'un
Now they want the new one more
Super boy
Bitching with the old hacks
Banging on the comeback door

Yeah
Uh

Interpretation

Breaking it down verse by verse:

Hyperactive demographic
This year's favorite son

In 1994 Superboy was thrust onto the comic book scene following the death of Superman. By 2003 he was ending his run as a solo comic title and starting a run with the Teen Titans.

Silver stainless steel reflects

The monster he's become

A play on words, after returning from the 31st century, the boy of steel is revealed to have both Superman's and Lex Luthor's DNA.

Condescending gender bending

Target market dead

The target market for the original Clark Kent Superboy from 1944 had died off. At one point as early as 1960, Superboy was tricked into believing he was female and called himself Claire Kent.

Autotuned and pixelated
Image consciousness

Recently, autotune has in some ways ruined music, and everything is now digital. Image is matters more than substance.

He's on the airwaves

He's everywhere 

Everybody's idol
No one can deny you are

The Superboy TV Series (1988-1992) brought Superboy from the comics to the airwaves where people could see him anywhere. 

How's it's gonna feel the day they come to steal the sun?

Just like Superman and other Kryptonians, Superboy gets his super powers from our yellow sun, so if someone were to steal the sun, it would rob him of his powers.

 

Twice the comet they projected

Lighting up the night

Twice as fast disintegrating

Burning out of sight  

He's off the radar
He's gone nowhere

Superboy was one of DC's most popular heroes in the '90s, with a solo series and leading several high profile teams. But by the mid-2000's, his popularity was rapidly declining.

Super boy
Merchandising icon

No one can deny you're one

By the 1990s all the most popular comic book and cartoon characters were available as action figures and a variety of branded merchandise, and Superboy was no exception.

Sugar coated trinket
How'd you ever sink that far?

Marketing sugarcoated how popular he and by extension his merch sold well, while in truth he peaked early.

Says the ink on his skin he's
"Bad for good in Hollywood"

The new Superboy, cloned from an future evil Superman in an alternate timeline and discovered to have Lex Luthor's DNA, is a good guy despite that. He can't get tattooed because he's invulnerable, but he can have ink printed on his skin.

Consolation prize

There was a time I was the one

Superboy was always second to Superman, like a consolation prize.  Glen was like that, too, when he joined Styx in 1990 to replace Tommy Shaw.

Superboy
Everybody's punch line
No one can deny you are

Now that your popularity is fading, you have become the subject of many jokes.

Once you were the young 'un. Now they want the new one more.

Superboy was originally just a young Clark Kent before becoming Superman, but in 1994, a new Superboy was created as a clone of Superman, first emerging as a teenager.

Bitching with the old hacks
Banging on the comeback door

You've been around now and can complain about your fate with the other has-beens who are trying to make come-backs.