In 1979, Supertramp released Breakfast In America. The album had several hits that would become classics; in addition to the title track, Goodbye Stranger, Take The Long Way Home, and The Logical Song hail from this release. Whether you’re a fan or not, I’m sure the melody of at least one of these songs has crawled into your head already.
These songs are everywhere; in the grocery, the dentist’s office, the local dive bar. Sometimes songs can become so familiar that we sing along without really processing the lyrics we’re singing. For me, The Logical Song was an example of this.
I grew up hearing it in the background; it seeped into my unconscious yet I never really thought about what the song was saying. It actually took listening to a cover version by Sexton Blake to open my eyes. I guess more accurately, to open my ears. The Supertramp hit is pretty amped up, but the Blake version is toned down and minimal, pointing the focus onto the lyrics. When I truly listened, I recall being surprised by the depth of this jovial pop song. All these years and I’d never realized!
I’ve written several posts about the experience of growing up, about leaving the magic of childhood behind to discover the disappointments of reality. This song certainly says what I wanted to, but much more concisely. Somehow, Supertramp poetically captured the discomfort of imposed indoctrination and a lament for the freedom of youth in a four minute song. Mind blowing.
I have to admit this is a case of me missing the point when it had been right in front of me the whole time!
The Logical Song
When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful
A miracle, oh, it was beautiful, magical
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily
Oh, joyfully, oh, playfully watching me
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh, responsible, practical
Then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Oh, clinical, oh, intellectual, cynical
There are times when all the world's asleep
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned?
I know it sounds absurd
Please tell me who I am
I said, now, watch what you say, they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh, fanatical, criminal
Oh, won't you sign up your name? We'd like to feel you're acceptable
Respectable, oh, presentable, a vegetable
Please tell me who I am
'Cause I was feeling so logical
Ooh, it's getting unbelievable