The Logical Song
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| “The Logical Song” | |||||
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| Single by Supertramp from the album Breakfast in America |
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| B-side | Just Another Nervous Wreck | ||||
| Released | 1979 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 3:45 (Single version)
4:11 (Album version) |
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| Label | A&M | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson | ||||
| Producer | Supertramp, Peter Henderson | ||||
| Supertramp singles chronology | |||||
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| “The Logical Song” | |||||
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| Single by Scooter from the album Push The Beat For This Jam (The Second Chapter) |
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| Released | 2002 | ||||
| Genre | Hardcore Techno | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rick Davies/Roger Hodgson | ||||
| Producer | Scooter | ||||
| Certification | Silver (BPI) | ||||
| Scooter singles chronology | |||||
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"The Logical Song" is a hit single on Supertramp's 1979 album Breakfast in America and written and sung by band member Roger Hodgson. It was a huge hit and reached number 6 on the U.S. charts and number 7 on the UK charts on its original release. It is one of the band's most recognized songs.
[edit] Sound
Among the contemporary sound effects in this song are the 'tackled' sound from a Mattel digital football game[1], as well as the Trouble "Pop-o-matic" bubble - both popular at the time this song was released.
The signature 'crunchy' electric piano sound on this and other Supertramp hits of the era such as Goodbye Stranger is a Wurlitzer electric piano.
[edit] Theme
The song relays the story of a man who comes to lose childhood's innate innocence and idealism through pressured conformism. Akin to the discontent expressed by the Counterculture of the mid-1900s, the narrator of the song laments his forced transition from individuality to the norm ("but then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible, logical, (oh) responsible, practical"). He also loathes society's attempt to compromise his individuality; through a very sarcastic verse, he warns the listener to "watch what you say", or else risk being called a radical, liberal, fanatic, or criminal. He then condemns society's supposedly benevolent intentions as a thinly-veiled excuse to promote uniformity. The song also touches on the difficulty of retaining self-image despite outside pressures.
[edit] Legacy, remixes, and cover versions
There was a parody of this song called "The Topical Song" by The Barron Knights.
A remake by German techno band Scooter reached number 1 in several European territories, including Germany and Ireland, as well as number 1 in Australia in 2002. The single reached number 2 in the UK.
It was featured on the 1999 Magnolia soundtrack album, along with "Goodbye Stranger".
There's also a second remake by the German Hands Up band Rave Allstars in 2007.
On The History Channel's program History Rocks, which takes popular rock songs of the 1970s and plays them over an important historical event during the same time period, this song was played over a video montage of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and fall of the Shah.
| Preceded by "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne |
ARIA (Australia) number one single (Scooter version) September 29, 2002 - October 6, 2002 |
Succeeded by "The Ketchup Song" by Las Ketchup |
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