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Breakfast in America 1979
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Breakfast in America

When Supertramp entered the studio between May and December 1978, they did so with the intention of creating something that would resonate. Recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, the result was Breakfast in America, their sixth studio album, released on March 16, 1979. This work became their most successful record, reaching number one on the US Billboard 200 for six weeks and selling millions of copies. In their native United Kingdom, two of their songs, The Logical Song and the title track, managed to enter the top 10, being the only ones to achieve that distinction for the band. The album was also recognized at the 1980 Annual Grammy Awards, taking home two awards: one for album package design and another for best non-classical recording engineering.

Year
1979
Songs
10
Duration
45 min 50 seg
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About the album

Breakfast in America, according to DoReSol

The gestation of Breakfast in America was marked by the particular songwriting style of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson. Although they conceived the general idea of the album together, a large part of the songs were written separately. Hodgson explained that the theme revolved around the differences and the relationship between the two of them, imagining a dialogue or a clash of ideas. Originally, they thought of titling it Hello Stranger, but they finally decided on Breakfast in America, a name that reflected the more lighthearted and "fun" energy they were looking for in the album. This choice, along with the critical look at American culture present in songs like Gone Hollywood, Breakfast in America, and Child of Vision, led many to interpret it as a satire of the United States, something the band members have always denied, stating that the references were rather coincidences.

The album opens with Gone Hollywood, a piece written by Rick Davies that tells the story of someone arriving in Los Angeles seeking film fame, facing difficulties until finally achieving a breakthrough. The original, darker lyrics were modified to be more optimistic and accessible. On the other hand, Child of Vision closes the album, using the Wurlitzer electric piano as the main instrument, similar to The Logical Song. After the vocal part, the song expands with a piano solo and concludes with a brief saxophone solo by John Helliwell. Hodgson mentioned that this track aimed to reflect the American way of life, although he admitted to having limited knowledge of the country's culture at the time.

Discography

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