"Breakfast In America" Report Card

[Hervard]

The topic of "Cupid's Chokehold" by the Gym Class Heroes inspired me to make a topic of an album I used to listen to over and over again back in 1979, when I was all of seven years old. I love most of the songs from the album and here is how they stack up:

"Gone Hollywood": B-
"The Logical Song": B
"Goodbye Stranger": B
"Breakfast In America": C-
"Oh Darling": A-
"Take The Long Way Home": C+
"Lord Is It Mine": A
"Just Another Nervous Wreck": A-
"Casual Conversations": B
"Child Of Vision" D+

With the exception of three songs, I like the entire album. "Take The Long Way Home" has gotten overplay on Chicago's Jack FM, so that's why it got a lower grade than in the past, when it was somewhere in the B range. The title track doesn't really make any sense, plus the melody's kinda meh, so that explains its low grade. At least the song's only two and a half minutes long, which is more than I can say for "Child Of Vision", which is three times as long. Much of it is a long, boring, drawn out instrumental part that seems to go on forever. Plus, I don't really like the tune. I am glad that it's the last track on the album. I usually turn it off when it comes on, or at the part where the Rich Davies' piano solo starts off.

So what do you think? (Other than that I'm an old fart that posted a topic about an album that most people here have never heard before )

[Libra]

If you lived in my area, your grade for the title track would probably drop a couple notches (possibly to failing). Basically, your TTLWH is my BIA.

TTLWH is the only other track from that album that I've heard (that's right, I've never heard their #1 "The Logical Song"!), and I'd give it either a B or B-. The title track I give a C+.

[tico]

^^

You never heard "The Logical Song"? That is illogical, criminal, unbelievable.

[Libra]

tico said:

^^

You never heard "The Logical Song"? That is illogical, criminal, unbelievable.

Well, so is Joe FM's fascination with "Breakfast in America" (maybe not criminal, but you get the idea).

The only other Supertramp songs that they've ever played are "Take the Long Way Home" and "Give a Little Bit". TTLWH is a distant second and GALB a sizeable third.

[tico]

I also like "Take A Look At My Girlfriend".

[Hervard]

tico said:

I also like "Take A Look At My Girlfriend".

I assume you're being facetious. Because everyone knows those are the opening lines from "Breakfast In America".

Signed,
Bill from Syracuse

[Hervard]

mikek102 said:

I've never heard their #1 "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
And 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
But please tell me who I am

I say, Now watch what you say
Or 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
whoa dig, dig, dig it yeah!

(Saxophone solo)

But at night, when all the world's asleep
The questions run so deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
(Oh, won't you tell me, can you tell me what)
I know it sounds absurd
(Oh, can you hear me, I know it sounds)
But please tell me who I am
(Oh won't you help me and tell me who I am)
Who I am
WHO I AM
WHO I AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM
Yeah!

(long, drawn out instrumental part, nowhere near as long as the one in "Child Of Vision")

Note: In the last chorus, the lines in parentheses are layered roughly with the lines above. Something very similar happens during the choruses of "Goodbye Stranger".

[jimmy74747]

Love "Goodbye Strabger". Like "Take The Long Way Home" & "Breakfast in America". Think "Logical Song" is okay

[tico]

ulij20 said:

tico said:

I also like "Take A Look At My Girlfriend".

I assume you're being facetious. Because everyone knows those are the opening lines from "Breakfast In America".

Signed,
Bill from Syracuse

So that's what the name of the song is? I typed in the lyrics for it on Google and the title came up as "Take A Look At My Girlfriend". I didn't think that was the actual title, but I just ran with it. And to Bill from Syracuse, Tony Gwynn did play basketball for Michigan. ;)

[Hervard]

Yeah, the strange thing is, they don't actually sing "Breakfast In America". Lots of people thing that's what they're saying in the chorus, but they're actually saying, "Like to see America". The only time they mention breakfast is in the second verse, when they ask mummy dear if they can have kippers for breakfast.

Anyway, as I said, that song really doesn't seem to have any point to it, which is one of the reasons I don't really like it that well. I do, however, like the line later in the second verse, "I'm a wiener, I'm a senior..."

[BillboardBoy]

ulij20 said:

"Gone Hollywood": B-
"The Logical Song": B
"Goodbye Stranger": B
"Breakfast In America": C-
"Oh Darling": A-
"Take The Long Way Home": C+
"Lord Is It Mine": A
"Just Another Nervous Wreck": A-
"Casual Conversations": B
"Child Of Vision" D+

My rankings:

"Gone Hollywood": N/A
"The Logical Song": B
"Goodbye Stranger": B+
"Breakfast In America": B
"Oh Darling": N/A
"Take The Long Way Home": C
"Lord Is It Mine": N/A
"Just Another Nervous Wreck": N/A
"Casual Conversations": N/A
"Child Of Vision" N/A

N/A means I haven't heard the song or don't remember it.

[H.]

I love Breakfast In America. The song and the album.