4 September 2014
I’ve just listened to ‘Superheroes’ by The Script. Which of you is going to write an uplifting anthem about how strong and courageous I am for putting myself through this?
‘Superheroes’ is essentially another spin at the formula of their previous chart-topper, ‘Hall Of Fame’. Like that track, it’s U2-aping anthemic arena-pop with a brief to be so visibly and audibly inspirational that even farmyard animals could pick up its meaning. Also as with ‘Hall Of Fame’, the song is emotionally manipulative, irredeemably trite, relentlessly basic, and utterly lacking in self-awareness. And like ‘Hall Of Fame’, its video (below) is appallingly exploitative – this time with its privileged white-saviour poverty tourism filmed in a Johannesburg township where the locals get to run around shanty shacks and scrabble through landfills to serve as our inspo-content. The Script’s superpowers are their brass necks and complete lack of shame.
