Let's get a few things straight. There's only one man in Five for Fighting, and after years of battling the record industry, John Ondrasik finally has a hit on his hands with "Superman." He talked to VH1.com about how he manages to be rock star and ordinary dude and somehow stay sane. See Mr. FFF flex his muscles by clicking the linked phrases.

So John, if the band's called Five for Fighting, how come there's only one of you?

"I was on EMI Records in '97, and at that time, at least in the thoughts of management, male singer/songwriters were the kiss of death," explains the good-natured Californian. "I just wanted my music to come out. I didn't care what you called it. My publishing company was Five for Fighting Music because I was a big hockey fan. I just mentioned Five for Fighting and they thought that was cool. Five for Fighting was born in the penalty box!"

It's taken four years, but Ondrasik and Five for Fighting are back on the ice. His soaring ballad "Superman," in which the Man of Steel wishes he could just be like everybody else, was featured on Dawson's Creek and is now on VH1. He's also made friends like Dave Matthews, David Gray, and Pat Monahan from Train. The only downside of this success, he says, is being away from his family.

Although he certainly has a gift for melodies that wrap themselves around radio speakers, Ondrasik's neatest trick shot is balancing being an aspiring rock star and staying a family man. Maybe that's why so many of his songs, like the fantasia "Michael Jordan," focus on celebrity. When it came to making the video for "Superman," though, Ondrasik managed to get his own wife and son in the final shot.

"At the end of the video, when I fall into the bed, my son looks like he's clapping for Daddy," he laughs. "He's really not. In Los Angeles, the newest thing is to teach your son or daughter as an infant to sign before they can talk, to communicate. The one thing Johnny learned was the sign for 'more.' These three stagehands would push this bed behind me to fall into with my wife and son on the bed. He was having so much fun on this ride, he's not saying, 'Daddy, nice song.' He's saying, 'Give me one more ride.'"

Already the veteran of two labels going bust beneath him ("Frankly I threw in the towel for a bit"), Ondrasik is pursuing his dream of touching the masses with renewed vigor. He just needs a pinch every once in a while. "I still think it's crazy when I hear 'Superman' on the radio," he says. "I've only waited my whole adult life to hear this and make it happen."

Five for Fighting are even becoming a real band. "As much as I love singer/songwriters, I want to go see the Who, I want to see Queen, I want to see Pearl Jam," Ondrasik says. "It's a rock band. I like to rock. I'm not that old yet. I like to jump around. I like to dig in. That's what we do."

Welcome to the big leagues.