The meaning of this song blew my mind! Supertramp's 'Take The Long Way Home' ANALYSIS!

I'm going to go down a Supertramp rabbit hole. This is totally happening. I've only heard two of their songs so far, and between "The Logical Song" and "Breakfast In America", I thought I had a fairly good grasp on their sound. I was way wrong. What direction should I go from here?

Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Supertramp performing "Take The Long Way Home" for the first time.
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Written and Performed by Supertramp
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
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#supertramp #Reaction #TheCharismaticVoice
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[BaconFire]

I was about 8 or 9 years old when this song came out. Our yard duty teacher would play records during recess time at our grade school. It was a hard time in my life, physical abuse, unfamiliar town, loneliness. I remember being in lots of trouble and one late afternoon, I missed my bus ride home from school. The train tracks went right thru the middle of this small rural town and I walked the tracks home by myself. As I was anticipating the discipline awaiting me at home and walking slowly on the train tracks, this song came into my head. The harmonica wailed like a train horn - almost like a warning. I started singing the chorus out loud, "take the long way home!" And I remembered most of the lyrics that I could understand. "And when the day comes to settle down, who's to blame if you're not around?" That song profoundly resonated in my 9 year old heart. It was my voice and my escape. Didnt feel so alone after that. Thankfully, life changed several years later and the abuse stopped and we moved far away and started over. This song will always be a bookmark in my life. Thank you for giving this song proper attention.

[patrickjohnston]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Supertramp. The very best band that no one knew. I'm 62 yrs old and Supertramp is one of the top 5 bands in my life. Ooozing talent all over the place.

[riandraegon]

73 year old here. I still have this band in my playlist. “Even In The Quietest Moments” still gives me chills.

[JourneyAlee]

"When you feel that your life has become a catastrophe, well, it HAS TO BE for you to grow, boy." One of my all-time favorite songs!

[twallacea]

Cool to see Supertramp getting the respect they deserve.

[cnrspiller]

I'm a retired DJ.

Whenever I played Supertramp on my shows I'd always tell my listener (you only ever speak to one person), "That's the best band in the World."

I would say it like it was a scientific, irrefutable, self-evident fact. A little bit because I'm an arrogant sob, but also because I kinda believe it might be empirically true.

Hodgson and Davies' voices complement each other perfectly, the musicality of the band is of the highest level, the tension between their progrock and jazz-pop instincts is constantly surprising, the unparalleled mastery of their instruments is a privilege to hear, their lyrics dealing with hippy existential angst, mixed with the ordinariness of humdrum, everyday life are entertaining yet deeply thought-provoking, and last, and probably most, Rodger Hodgson's emotional, crying, plaintive voice brings tears to my eyes even after all these years.

All of the above provides this arrogant DJ with about as much evidence as he needs to confidently announce - Best Band in the World.

[digibirder]

Supertramp were a band who weren't afraid to put every element of music that interested them into their songs. That is why they were so great. So many styles mixed together perfectly, creating a unique sound. It's great see you discover all of these for the first time Elizabeth! This is the joy of music!

[Sarigar]

Every time I hear this song on the radio, I feel like the harmonica in this song is the loneliest sound I've ever heard. It is such a powerful song.

[realpropertymangement]

This song has such significance for me. In 1979, I was a young stud (well, in my mind, anyway) in my early 20s. I was a USG contractor in Saudi Arabia... it was a long way home. Used to sit on a rise overlooking a military city up on the Saudi/Iraq/Kuwait border (KKMC, for those in the know)... and gaze out at the city lights. I'd sit there late at night as the desert heat dissipated, the Arabian night darkened, and the stars became incredibly bright. And there I'd come into the full presence of my then world. I'd sit, listen, and contemplate where I was (that blew me away) and what my future might hold. Lonely days, lonely nights! Now, at 67, when I hear this song, I find myself going back to a place where, no matter the direction I went, I took the long way home! 😊

[MrBruinman]

The entire album "Breakfast in America" was a massive hit for them and is loaded with great songs you'd likely enjoy. One of my favorite albums.

[jtfdan]

These lines in the song always gave me goosebumps and almost made me
"When you look through the years and see what you could have been
Oh, what you might have been
If you would have more time"

dont decide to not follow your dreams or put things off too long and have this regret!

[chadmanfredo]

Im 54, one of my most vivid memories as a child was sitting in the living room with my parents with most of the lights out listening to Crime of the Century and breakfast in America on the quadraphonic. We just sat there engulfed by the music. I absolutely love Supertramp.

[spydude]

Their songs really come alive in the studio when you can hear it the way it was meant to be. That harmonica is haunting in the studio cut.

[RSimoes]

One of the most astonishingly perfect songs ever written, recorded and performed. Masterpiece.

[Tredemptation]

The lyrics are clear and his voice is exceptionally expressive... you can hear so much emotion coming through! What really blows my mind is how the vocals and harmonica both synergize so well at that higher register.

[jaydepereda]

You haven't heard the full musical arc of Roger Hodgson till you hear the best blend of Rick Davies at the piano, and Roger strumming the 12-string guitars, both with superior musicianship padding and oftentimes doubling Roger's vocal prowess. Kindly listen to the studio version of "Give a Little Bit" the opening song on Supertramp's 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments and the single from1982 album …Famous Last Words… "It's Raining Again" Talk about mastery of crisp layeried harmonies. Timeless.

[amargnwalkr]

I heard their songs for years and then suddenly one day I actually listened to the lyrics- incredible. Roger was a genius.

[BarberBobDetecting]

The overall sound of this song immediately captures the melancholy and nostalgia of the story being told. It’s brilliant.

[_k]

As with a lot of the music I grew up listening to, I have to thank my older siblings.
Supertramp is one of those bands that my sisters listened to and I found to be one of my many favorites.
The lyrics to this song are about a person with a bad relationship at home and is doing everything he can to avoid or prolong the time before the inevitable when he gets home.
The lyrics speak about looking back on your life and the choices you made and if you had more time to do things differently.
Definitely one of the best bands of the 1970s - '80s that have had a lot of recognition but not nearly enough celebration for their contribution to rock music

[ron-manke]

You’re definitely not over-analyzing these songs. Supertramp is one of the deepest music you’ll ever listen to. Just like the music, there are 100 layers to the meanings and emotions of every Supertramp song. Best band ever.