The Logical Song
| The Logical Song | |
|---|---|
| Supertramp | |
| publication | March 1979 |
| length | 3:45 single version 4:11 LP version |
| Genre (s) | Kind of rock |
| Author (s) | Rick Davies / Roger Hodgson |
| Publisher (s) | AT THE |
| album | Breakfast in America |
The Logical Song is a song by the British pop / rock band Supertramp . It was composed, written, and sung by Roger Hodgson . In 1979 it appeared on the album Breakfast in America and as the A-side of a single, the B-side of which contains the song Just Another Nervous Wreck written by Rick Davies . It is the musical group's biggest hit in the United States and the United Kingdom, and one of their most famous radio hits.
Instrumentation and composition
Keyboards , castanets and an instrumental part with Beatles influence are used in the song . An issue of Rolling Stone magazine reported that it included a section of Hodgson's three- and four-syllable assonances ("reeling off three- and four-syllable assonances") with a kind of schoolboy humor ("schoolboy's tongue in cheek"). The song's sound effects include the 'attack sound' of a Mattel football video game and the 'pop-o-matic' bubble from Trouble , both of which were popular at the time the song was released.
The text is a "story of innocence and idealism lost", with Hodgson complaining that the education system is not focused on knowledge and sensitivity.
Success and reception
The title landed at # 7 in England, # 6 in the US and # 1 in Canada.
Rolling Stone magazine called the song a “small masterpiece” and praised the “hot saxophone” (“hot sax”) and Hodgson's bizarre humor (“wry humor”). The magazine also drew comparisons between Hodgson and Ray Davies of The Kinks group .
occupation
- Roger Hodgson : vocals , electronic piano , guitars
- Rick Davies : synthesizer , Hammond organ , backing vocals
- John Helliwell : saxophone , backing vocals
- Bob Siebenberg : drums , percussion
- Dougie Thomson : bass guitar
Cover versions
In 2001 the song was covered by the band Scooter . This version uses samples of Supertramp's recording taken from their second compilation album, Push the Beat for this Jam (The Singles 98-02) . The song reached 1st place in 2001 in some European countries, such as Norway and Ireland, and in 2002 in Australia. It reached # 2 in the UK, where it was Scooter's top ranked single. The song was awarded a gold record by the British Phonographic Industry for over 400,000 records sold and was there on the 15th place of the best-selling single of 2002.
The Logical Song was also covered by Brad Mehldau and At Vance . The Hee Bee Gee Bees made a parody of the song called The Scatological Song and The Barron Knights made one called The Topical Song .
Use in film and television
The song appeared in television series such as The Simpsons in the episode "Looking Back at Marriage Happiness", History Rocks and in the final scene of Tara's Worlds and in the soundtrack of the film Magnolia .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d The Logical Song - Review . Allmusic. Retrieved April 26, 2009. (English)
- ↑ a b c d Breakfast in America - Review . Rolling Stone . Accessed September 24, 2014. (English)
- ↑ A Relaxed Schedule in: CLASSIC TRACKS: Supertramp's 'Logical Song', on soundonsound.com
- ^ Supertramp - All music chart . Allmusic. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ↑ ChartsPlus.co.uk ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
