Rick Davies, co-founder, pianist, and one of the voices behind Supertramp, has passed away at 81 after a long fight with multiple myeloma. Hearing this made me sad and brought back a lot of memories.
For many of us, certain songs are the soundtrack of growing up. They hold memories of teenage hopes, fears, rules, rebellion, confusion, and longing. Davies helped create that kind of music, especially with Roger Hodgson in Supertramp. Two songs, “School” (1974) and “The Logical Song” (1979), always come to mind when I think of high school, not just the classes and exams, but the search to understand who I was, beyond what I was supposed to become.
“School” Rules, Rebellion, and Seeking Something Beyond
The song “School,” the opening track of Crime of the Century, captures that moment in adolescence when you see both the structure and the cracks within it. (Wikipedia)
In school, I remember rushing to class in the mornings, carrying heavy backpacks, hearing the school bell, and feeling like I was being shaped, told what to believe, what to do, and how to act. But what about all the other lessons, the ones they never teach? What about creativity, intuition, and identity? “They don’t really prepare us for life in terms of teaching us who we are on the inside.” (Wikipedia)
There was a hallway in our school that always felt like a doorway between childhood and something bigger. Friends joked around, and we whispered questions to ourselves, like ‘What do I want?’ The fear of looking foolish was a lesson that mattered more than anything in a textbook. School taught me that asking questions is part of growing up.
“The Logical Song” Identity, Labels, and the Search for Self
Five years after School, Supertramp released The Logical Song on Breakfast in America. This became one of their biggest hits. (Wikipedia)
Roger Hodgson wrote it from a deeply personal place, about being sent away to boarding school, about being taught to be “logical, responsible, clinical…” but not always shown how to be sensitive, emotional, or truly yourself. (Louder)
When I hear “The Logical Song,” I’m taken back to those moments after class, sitting under a tree or walking home, and asking myself: Who am I, outside of those labels? The smart kid, the quiet one, the one who obeys, the one who laughs too loud, which of those is really me, and which are just expectations?
That line in the song, “Please tell me who I am,” feels universal. We all carry it, especially when we’re young, trying to balance what people tell us to be with what we feel inside.
Rick Davies’ Legacy & What It Means Now
With Rick Davies gone, we haven’t just lost a musician, we’ve lost someone who gave voice to the struggle between fitting in and being yourself. He played, wrote, and sang music that made room for both structure and questions. School and The Logical Song aren’t just nostalgic; they still matter because the issues they explore, never really go away.
Reflecting on Davies, I feel grateful for the music he created with Hodgson and the rest of Supertramp, particularly the piano, harmonies, and sharp lyrics. He reminded us that what matters isn’t just what school teaches or what society expects, but what we truly believe inside.
My School Self, Now
I never expected to become a music blogger or someone who looks back at those years with both fondness and a critical eye. But here I am, listening to School again or humming The Logical Song, and realizing something important: those songs were my first teachers. They showed me that rules matter, but they can’t define who we are. Labels can help, but they can also hold us back.
Thank you, Rick Davies, for the music, the questions, and your voice. Your songs will echo far beyond classrooms and hallways, in everyone who ever wondered who they were beyond what they were taught.
Supertramp’s School and the Spirit of Prokofiev
When I think about Supertramp’s School from Crime of the Century (1974), it takes me back to my own high school days, the long hallways, the rules, the quiet questions about who I was supposed to become. It also reminds me of someone unexpected from the classical music world: Sergei Prokofiev.
At first, it might seem like a stretch. What could a Russian composer from the 20th century have in common with a British rock band from the 1970s? But if you listen closely, you start to hear the connection.
Sergei Prokofiev
- Known for sarcastic, playful, yet serious music.
- Works like Peter and the Wolf or Classical Symphony mix innocence and satire, much like Supertramp’s ironic view of school and society.
- The sharp, percussive piano style in Supertramp recalls Prokofiev’s biting piano writing.
Irony in Sound
Prokofiev’s music often has a sharp, satirical feel. His Classical Symphony sounds playful at first, but there’s something biting underneath. In the same way, School starts with a child’s harmonica and playground sounds, but soon shifts to a strong, percussive piano that hints at tension and rebellion. Both Prokofiev and Supertramp use irony, sounding playful while asking serious questions about authority and fitting in.
Structure and Rebellion
Supertramp’s School is built almost like a mini-symphony, with a slow, moody start, tight rhythms, a big climax, and a thoughtful ending. Prokofiev did something similar in his piano concertos, mixing beautiful melodies with sudden bursts of rhythm and dissonance. Both show us that while structure matters, breaking free from it can be just as powerful.
The Lesson Beneath the Lesson
School isn’t just about school. It’s about what society teaches us to be, and what it leaves out, the unspoken lessons of obedience, labels, and expectations. Prokofiev, who wrote music under Soviet rules, also understood what it was like to balance what you’re supposed to say with what you really want to express. His music often has two voices: the official and the personal.
Why This Matters
Linking School to Prokofiev isn’t just about making a comparison. It shows a timeless struggle: how do we balance the rules we’re given with our own inner voice? Whether it’s the sarcasm in Prokofiev’s symphonies or the strong piano in Supertramp, music helps us push back against being seen as just another logical, responsible, clinical person.
When I listen to School now, I don’t just hear memories from my teenage years. I also hear hints of Prokofiev, reminding me that questioning authority, using irony, and music have always been their own kind of art.