Supertramp – The Logical Song
Activity types: vocabulary, word formation, listening for specific words, discussion.
Time: 30 mins.
Taken from Supertramps’s 1979 album Breakfast In America, this is one of their best known hits. Wikipedia explains that the song is about a man who is taken away from the unspoilt immediacy of childhood, undergoes education and sees a future prepared for him lacking any spontaneity of reaction. He feels constricted in his freedom of speech, is put under pressure to conform and ends up confused, without a coherent self-image.
The lyrics are about how the innocence and wonder of childhood can quickly give way to worry and cynicism as children are taught to be responsible adults. It makes the point that logic can restrict creativity and passion. Supertramp keyboard player Roger Hodgson, who wrote this song and sang the lead vocals, said in our 2012 interview: “I think it was very relevant when I wrote it, and actually I think it’s even more relevant today. It’s very basically saying that what they teach us in schools is all very fine, but what about what they don’t teach us in schools that creates so much confusion in our being.