Tuesday Tunes: The Logical Song
A couple of years ago I published a short series of posts called Tuesday Tunes. Those ones were all about songs with memorable lyrics. I’d like to kick the series off again, but with no fixed idea or agenda, beyond that on a Tuesday I’ll post about a song I’ve been listening to lately.
Sometimes a little of bit of British prog rock is what you need.
Not long after I first started listening to music with any kind of interest, I would lie on the floor beside my dad’s stereo with his headphones on, working my way through his small but interesting collection of actual vinyl LPs. (I had to lie on the floor to get close enough to look through the shelves — the hi-fi unit was in the corner beside the dining table, with no room for any other approach.) One of the albums that caught my attention was Supertramp’s Breakfast in America, released in 1979.
There are a few tracks on it that have stuck with me since, but my favourite is “The Logical Song”. The rhythmic keyboards are as enjoyable as ever, and while the lyric isn’t what you’d call subtle or clever, you can see why it appealed to a smart-alec teenager (and why it’s still fun):
Now watch what you say, or they'll be calling you a radical,
Liberal, fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're
Acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable.