The use of imagery through similar strings of descriptive adjectives is used throughout the song, to portray the loss of individuality. In the second verse, Hodgson tells us that you must conform, and if you don’t, you are considered to be a “radical, liberal, fanatical, criminal”, using a hyperbole to emphasize that social order must be maintained and any deviation from this path will result in being labeled as an outcast.
#Supertramp school original song how to
Under the auspice of “learning”, children are not taught how to think, but rather told to accept that ‘That’s just the way the world works’ without an explanation why. Social conditioning begins upon entry into school and group standardization/ mentality becomes the norm, resulting in unconditional and unquestioned acceptance of societal expectations and values. It is during this transitional period of life that we forget about the simplicity of childhood and instead, we complicate our life by becoming ‘slaves’ to the system, starting with our introduction (and indoctrination) into the education system. ” This particular verse describes this magic ending when he was sent off to boarding school and was forced to grow up and start seeing the world in a different light. This visual symbolism is then suddenly juxtaposed with, “But they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible, logical, responsible, practical.
” It seems Hodgson used the imagery of birds to symbolize how light and beautiful his childhood was, when his sole task was to enjoy the naive, simple pleasures of a carefree existence, experiencing spiritual freedom in a “garden of Eden” type of environment. Hodgson then elaborates what life was like in childhood, singing, “And all the birds in the trees, well they’d be singing so happily, joyfully, playfully watching me. ” These lyrics emphasize the spiritual innocence of youth as an almost inspirational, magical experience, and help the audience realize how all humans all born with incredible potential and creativity, having the innocent stance that life is a wonderful adventure about to unfold. The first verse starts with Hodgson describing in an autobiographical fashion, what it is like to be a child: “When I was young, it seemed like life was so wonderful, a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical. This one line of text implies that he questions his own identity, as he realizes that he no longer recognizes himself. One of the key verses, “please tell me who I am”, Hodgson repeats many times throughout the song.
The Logical Song, both written and performed by Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson, was composed from an autobiographical context, with the song’s media text reflecting back on his experience of being sent away to boarding school as a young child.
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