Breakfast in America (song)

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"Breakfast in America"
Supertramp Breakfast In America Single Cover.jpg
Single by Supertramp
from the album Breakfast in America
B-side "Gone Hollywood"
ReleasedJune 1979
Recorded1978
Studio The Village Recorder/Studio B, Los Angeles, California
Genre Progressive pop [1]
Length2:39
Label A&M
Songwriters Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson [2]
Producers Supertramp, Peter Henderson
Supertramp singles chronology
"The Logical Song"
(1979)		"Breakfast in America"
(1979)		"Goodbye Stranger"
(1979)
Music video
"Breakfast in America" on YouTube
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"Breakfast in America"
A 26-second clip of "Breakfast in America" as performed by Roger Hodgson.
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"Breakfast in America" is the title track from British rock band Supertramp's 1979 album of the same name. Credited to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, it was a top-ten hit in the UK [3] and a live version of the song reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1981. The lyrics tell about a person, presumably British, who dreams of visiting the United States.

Contents

Composition

The inner sleeve of the 1979 Breakfast in America album lists one musician – Roger Hodgson or Rick Davies  – as composer for each song. For the "Breakfast in America" title track, Davies alone is incorrectly listed as composer and lyricist. [4] However, the center label of the 12-inch vinyl disc credits all songs to both Hodgson and Davies. [5] Similarly, on the vinyl single, it was credited to Hodgson and Davies. [6]

Supertramp started performing the song during a reunion tour without Hodgson; the latter took credit for writing the song, telling reporters that Davies initially "hated" the song, and that he believed Davies did not play on the recording at all. [7] According to Hodgson, he wrote the song when he was 19 years old. [8] Hodgson said: "I was dreaming and having fun one day and this song just flowed out. I think the lyric was written in about an hour, it just came out of me." [8] Hodgson has credited Davies with creating the vocalized retort line: "What's she got? Not a lot." [9]

According to Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso, Hodgson started writing the song as a teenager, and Davies later "helped sharpen the lyrics". [10] Billboard critic Gary Graff agrees with this assessment, including Davies contributing the "What's she got? Not a lot" lyric. [11] Roger Hodgson uploaded an .mp3 version of his original 2-track demo of the track from ca. 1969 to his website in the early 2000s. [12]

DeRiso describes the lyrics as being about a child dreaming about visiting the United States some day. [10]

Hodgson included the song in his 2010 world tour, produced as a live album titled Classics Live .[ citation needed ]

Reception

Billboard writer David Farrell praised John Helliwell's "Benny Goodman-flavoured clarinet solo". [13] DeRiso rated it as Supertramp's 9th greatest song. [10] Graff rated "Breakfast in America" as Supertramp's 5th best song. [11]

Record World predicted that "AOR-pop radio will make sure that [the live version would become] a morning staple", noting Hodgson's "light and lively" vocal performance. [14]

The Gym Class Heroes song Cupid's Chokehold samples the music and chorus of Breakfast in America. [15]

Hodgson rated it as one of the top 10 songs he ever wrote. [8]

Charts

Chart (1979–80)Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16] 16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17] 18
Germany (GfK) [18] 23
Ireland (IRMA) [19] 6
Japan (Oricon Singles Chart) [20] 20
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [22] 16
South Africa (Springbok) [23] 9
UK Singles (OCC) [24] 9
US Billboard Hot 100 [25] 62

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [26] Gold45,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [27] Gold50,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [28] Gold30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [29] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Progressive Rock (And Simpler Pleasures)". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 372. ISBN   978-0-571-28198-5.
  2. ↑ "ACE Repertory: Breakfast in America". ASCAP . Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Supertramp UK chart history, The Official Charts. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Breakfast in America (1979). Inner sleeve credits. A&M Records.
  5. ↑ Breakfast in America (1979). Center label credits. A&M Records.
  6. ↑ "Breakfast in America" (1979). Vinyl disc in-lay credits. A&M Records.
  7. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Roger Hodgson Explains His Reaction To Supertramp Tour - Undercover.fm News". Undercover.fm. 25 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Hodgson, Roger (20 March 2023). "Supertramp's Roger Hodgson: the 10 best songs I've written". Prog. Louder Sound. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Wright, Jeb; Hodgson, Roger. "CRR Interview - Roger Hodgson: What's He Got? Quite A Lot!". Classicrockrevisited.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 DeRiso, Nick (22 July 2013). "Top 10 Supertramp Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  11. 1 2 Graff, Gary (10 October 2017). "Supertramp's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Music of Roger Hodgson". Archived from the original on 3 June 2003.
  13. ↑ "Closeup" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 31 March 1979. p. 166. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 6 December 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  15. ↑ MacIntosh, Dan (11 August 2011). "Gym Class Heroes : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "Supertramp – Breakfast in America" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. ↑ "Supertramp – Breakfast in America" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. ↑ "Supertramp – Breakfast in America" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  19. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Breakfast in America". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  20. ↑ "木曜日のタマネギ - 楽曲検索:ブレックファスト・イン・アメリカ - スーパートランプ".
  21. ↑ "Supertramp – Breakfast in America" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Supertramp" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  23. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Songs (A-B)".
  24. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. ↑ allmusic ((( Supertramp > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))
  26. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Supertramp – Breakfast in America". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  27. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Supertramp – Breakfast in America" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  28. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Supertramp – Breakfast in America". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  29. ↑ "British single certifications – Supertramp – Breakfast in America". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 October 2023.

Sources

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