Breakfast In America was the sixth album by the UK ‘Art School’ rock band Supertramp, released on 29 March 1979 on A & M Records. It was recorded in 1978 at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It featured four U.S. Billboard hit singles: “The Logical Song” (No. 6), “Goodbye Stranger” (No. 15), “Take The Long Way Home (No. 10), and “Breakfast in America” (No. 62).
In the UK, “The Logical Song” and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country. Breakfast in America won two Grammy Awards in 1980, and holds an RIAA certification of quadruple platinum. All the singles from the album are on the RockSport Playlist.
Punk and New Wave was the popular genre of music in Rock and Pop in 1979, so it was a major surprise when the band formerly known as Daddy scored so highly with this album which is a travelogue of America. The opening track ”Gone Holywood, which was also a B side on one of the singles, explores the rise and fall of those who seek fame while the near seven minute closing track on the album ”Child of Vision” is an exploration of American innovation tainted by the upcoming greed is good culture of the 1980’s so the album in many ways is ahead of its time.
Lead singer Roger Hodgson’s distinctive vocal style is like a cry for help for a great nation on many of the tracks while saxophone and drums also feature heavily on this classic album as well as Hodgson’s distinctive electric keyboard played simply sometimes but always effectively.
Breakfast In America is also the biggest selling Rock album in English of all time in France.