"The Logical Song" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Supertramp | ||||
from the album Breakfast in America | ||||
B-side | "Just Another Nervous Wreck" | |||
Released | March 1979 | |||
Recorded | 1978 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 4:11 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Supertramp singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Logical Song" on YouTube |
"The Logical Song" is a song by English rock group Supertramp that was released as the lead single from their album Breakfast in America in March 1979. It was written primarily by the band's Roger Hodgson, who based the lyrics on his experiences being sent away to boarding school for ten years. The song became Supertramp's biggest hit, rising to No. 7 in the United Kingdom and No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2001, a cover version by the band Scooter returned the song to the top 10 in several European countries.
"The Logical Song" was written primarily by Roger Hodgson, the lyrics based on his experience of being sent away to boarding school for ten years. [3] It was a very personal song for Hodgson; he had worked on the song during soundchecks, and completed the lyrics and arrangement six months before proposing it to the band for the album. [4] In 1980, Hodgson was honoured with the Ivor Novello Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for "The Logical Song" being named the best song both musically and lyrically.
Hodgson has said of the song's meaning: "'The Logical Song' was born from my questions about what really matters in life. Throughout childhood we are taught all these ways to be and yet we are rarely told anything about our true self. We are taught how to function outwardly, but not guided to who we are inwardly. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence that often ends in the cynicism and disillusionment of adulthood. In 'The Logical Song', the burning question that came down to its rawest place was 'please tell me who I am', and that's basically what the song is about. I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful." [5] [6] [7] [8] : 3
The lyrics have been said to be a condemnation of an education system focused on categorical jargon as opposed to knowledge and sensitivity. [9] Billboard writer David Farrell described the song's theme as a "man lost in the world." [10] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso described the theme as "the loss of childhood idealism." [11]
According to the 1979 album notes, Supertramp co-founder Rick Davies wrote the vocal harmony on the second chorus, [12] though Hodgson alone is credited with songwriting.
The song is written in the key of C minor and is set in the time signature of common time (although the verses follow a 10-beat pattern of 4/4 - 2/4 - 4/4) with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. [13] Roger Hodgson's vocal range spans two octaves, from G3 to E♭5. [13] The song makes use of keyboards, castanets, and an instrumental section. [14] Among the contemporary sound effects in this song are the 'tackled' sound from a Mattel electronic football game – popular at the time this song was released. [11] [12]
Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone called the song a "small masterpiece", praising the "hot sax" and Hodgson's "wry humor". [9] The magazine also made comparisons between Hodgson and Ray Davies from the Kinks. [9] Paul McCartney named "The Logical Song" as his favourite song of the year. [15] Billboard considered it to be possibly Supertramp's best song to date with "solid and incisive lyrics" and a catchy hook. [16] Cash Box said that "a skillful and probing lyric and a raucous sax line are joined by a familiar circling guitar lick and excellent singing" and also praised the "emphatic" beat. [17] Record World said that it "should hit the AORs first with Top 40 likely to follow." [18]
The song was a hit on its original release, reaching No. 7 in the United Kingdom [19] [20] and No. 6 in the United States. [21] The song achieved the most success in Canada where it spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart, [22] was the top song of the year, and was certified Platinum in Canada. [23] It stayed for three months on the Billboard Hot 100 in the middle of 1979. [14]
Hodgson rated it as one of the top 10 songs he ever wrote. [8]
Personnel are sourced from Sound on Sound. [12]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [43] | Platinum | 150,000^ |
France (SNEP) [44] | Gold | 500,000* |
Italy (FIMI) [45] sales since 2009 | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [46] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
"The Logical Song" | ||||
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Single by Scooter | ||||
from the album Push the Beat for This Jam (The Second Chapter) | ||||
B-side | "Siberia" | |||
Released | 10 December 2001 | |||
Length | 3:57 | |||
Label | Sheffield Tunes | |||
Songwriter(s) | Roger Hodgson | |||
Producer(s) | Scooter | |||
Scooter singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Logical Song" on YouTube |
German techno band Scooter covered "The Logical Song" and released it as a single in 2001 under the title "Ramp! (The Logical Song)"; for later releases, including those in the UK and Australia, the song retained its original title. Scooter's cover is included on their second singles compilation album, Push the Beat for This Jam (The Singles 98–02) . This version heavily samples Supertramp's recording, and makes lyrical references to British stadium house band the KLF.
The single reached No. 1 in Norway and Ireland, as well as in Australia in October 2002. It reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom, becoming Scooter's highest-charting single there; it has been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), selling over 400,000 copies, and was the UK's 15th-best-selling single of 2002. [48]
The Scooter version was an anthem in Glasgow's rave culture throughout the 2000s. [49] [50]
German maxi-CD single [51]
German limited-edition maxi-CD single [52]
German 12-inch single [53]
European CD single [54]
| UK CD single [55]
UK 12-inch single [56]
UK cassette single [57]
Australian CD single [58]
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [84] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [85] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [86] | Platinum | |
United Kingdom (BPI) [87] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Germany | 10 December 2001 | CD | Sheffield Tunes | [66] |
Australia | 19 August 2002 | Addiction | [88] |
Supertramp were a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. They experienced their greatest global success in 1979 with their sixth album Breakfast in America. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, the group were distinguished for blending progressive rock and pop styles as well as for a sound that relied heavily on Wurlitzer electric piano. The group's lineup changed numerous times throughout their career, with Davies being the only constant member throughout its history. The classic lineup, which lasted ten years from 1973 to 1983, comprised Davies, Hodgson, Dougie Thomson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (drums) and John Helliwell (saxophone).
Scooter is a German happy hardcore, rave and techno music band founded in Hamburg in 1993. To date, the band has sold over 30 million records and earned over 80 Gold and Platinum awards. Scooter is considered the most commercially successful German single-record act with 23 top ten hits. Since December 2022, the band is composed of lead vocalist H. P. Baxxter, musician/producer Marc Blou, DJ/producer Jay Frog and manager Jens Thele.
Breakfast in America is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released by A&M Records on 16 March 1979. It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned three US Billboard hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", and "Take the Long Way Home". In the UK, "The Logical Song" and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country.
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Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founding member of the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the band’s hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "Take the Long Way Home", "The Logical Song", "It's Raining Again", and "Breakfast in America".
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Kent Music Report Logical Song.
Portugal Logical Song.
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