Why I Heart Supertramp

It has been a while since I have had the time to sit down and write...though my lack of free time to devote to this hasn't been a bad thing.  I've spent the last month or so writing more music, focusing on time with family, getting acquainted with my roomie, and making up for lost time.  Today, my son requested a very special song that is near and dear to me:  "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp.

I get heckled when most people hear that I am a big fan of Supertramp.  "Are you serious?"

     Yes.  Yes I am.  Very much.

     "Why?"
     I am so glad you asked.

Let us first distinguish the listeners from the listeners.

Most people listen to music.  They bob their heads along thinking about what lies in the day ahead...paying little to no mind about what the artist is actually trying to convey.  Then there are those that listen.  One of the most amazing things about music is decoding what message lies within.  Not only decoding the message, as it applies to its author, but as it applies to each listener...all the while with the understanding that the message translated by one, will not necessarily be the same message translated by the next. 

The thing that amazes me about Supertramp is the fact that many of their melodies aren't theoretically supportive of their lyrics.  In addition to the fact that they wrote about history, philosophy, and real-world topics that most pop bands at the time wouldn't touch.

Goodbye Stranger:  Basically about not being ready to settle, but having fun settling in for just one night.  Who could sing a song in which it's basis is surrounding the beauty of the one night stand??  Supertramp.

It was an early morning yesterday

I was up before the dawn

And I really have enjoyed my stay

But I must be moving on

Like a king without a castle

Like a queen without a throne

I'm an early morning lover

And I must be moving on

Now I believe in what you say

Is the undisputed truth

But I have to have things my own way

To keep me in my youth

Like a ship without an anchor

Like a slave without a chain

Just the thought of those sweet ladies

Sends a shiver through my veins

And I will go on shining

Shining like brand new

I'll never look behind me

My troubles will be few

Goodbye stranger it's been nice

Hope you find your paradise

Tried to see your point of view

Hope your dreams will all come true

Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Jane

Will we ever meet again

Feel no sorrow, feel no shame

Come tomorrow, feel no pain

Now some they do and some they don't

And some you just can't tell

And some they will and some they won't

With some it's just as well

You can laugh at my behavior

That'll never bother me

Say the devil is my savior

But I don't pay no heed

And I will go on shining

Shining like brand new

I'll never look behind me

My troubles will be few

Goodbye stranger it's been nice etc...

Casual Conversations:  A dead-end relationship, barely hanging on...the melody of this tune sounds like a perfect song for a stroll in the park on a Sunday.

It doesn't matter what I say

You never listen anyway

Just don't know what you're looking for

Imagination's all I have

But ever then you say it's bad

Just can't see why we disagree

Casual conversations how they bore me

They go on and on endlessly

But no matter what I say

You ignore me anyway

I might as well talk in my sleep (I could weep)

You try to make me feel so small

Until there's nothing left at all

Why go on? Just hoping that we'll get along

There's no communication left between us

But is it me or you who's to blame?

There's nothing I can do, yes you're fading out of view

Don't know if I feel joy or pain

And now it's all been said

If you must leave then go ahead

Should feel sad

But I really believe that I'm glad

Yes I really believe that I'm glad

Take the Long Way Home:  A man taking the long way home because he can't stand his marriage anymore.  A position 75% of us have likely experienced at one point or another...yet this song sounds so magical and uplifting.

So you think you're a Romeo

playing a part in a picture-show

Take the long way home

Take the long way home

Cos you're the joke of the neighborhood

Why should you care if you're feeling good

Take the long way home

Take the long way home

But there are times that you feel you're part of the scenery

all the greenery is comin' down, boy

And then your wife seems to think you're part of the

furniture oh, it's peculiar, she used to be so nice.

When lonely days turn to lonely nights

you take a trip to the city lights

And take the long way home

Take the long way home

You never see what you want to see

Forever playing to the gallery

You take the long way home

Take the long way home

And when you're up on the stage, it's so unbelievable,

unforgettable, how they adore you,

But then your wife seems to think you're losing your sanity,

oh, calamity, is there no way out?

Does it feel that you life's become a catastrophe?

Oh, it has to be for you to grow, boy.

When you look through the years and see what you could

have been oh, what might have been,

if you'd had more time.

So, when the day comes to settle down,

Who's to blame if you're not around?

You took the long way home

You took the long way home...........

I wanted a better understanding of the group and their roots.  Apparently, the band chose their name after a book that was published in 1908 by William Henry Davies called "Autobiography of a Supertramp."  A 'tramp' is a person who travels on foot from place to place, especially a vagabond living on occasional Jobs or gifts of money or food.  Given the frequent rotation of band members, I'd say the title was much appropriate.  I ordered the book, and it was a great depiction of early life in the United States just before the railway industry lit up.  

Though many of the songs suggest reality; the melody and Davies'/Hodgson's soprano-esque vocals start any day like no other.  They casually remind us that life isn't perfect, however living any life at all is reason enough to relish in the upbeat of the opportunity in which it brings.

I Heart Supertramp.