School

Supertramp co-vocalist Roger Hodgson was packed off to boarding school at an early age - first to Woodcote House in Surrey and then to the grand and imposing Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. Stowe, for the uninitiated, is one of those classic English institutions where the architecture screams "privilege." Hodgson later described his time there as something akin to surviving "the end of the Victorian era," which, as anyone familiar with the Victorian era knows, is not a compliment. "I was a sensitive boy thrust into the middle of nowhere with 600 other boys," he told Mojo magazine, adding that the wounds inflicted by such an experience would take years to heal. From this wellspring of alienation and frustration came the song "School," a cathartic howl against the English education system. "Basically, it's saying that what they teach us in schools is all very fine," Hodgson told Louder, "but it's what they don't teach us that creates so much confusion in our being. They don't really prepare us for life in terms of teaching us who we are on the inside. They teach us how to function on the outside, how to be intellectual, but they don't tell us how to act with our intuition or our heart." In other words, they teach you Latin but not how to be happy.

"School" serves as the opening track on Supertramp's breakthrough 1974 album, Crime of the Century. The song is credited to Roger Hodgson and the band's co-songwriter, Rick Davies. The collaboration of Davies and Hodgson evolved over time. In the band's early years, they worked more closely together, co-writing songs and blending their distinct styles. Hodgson brought the melody and emotional sensitivity; Davies countered with his bluesy, no-nonsense grounding. However, as with so many great partnerships, time and success began to fray the edges. By the time Crime of the Century rolled around, their songwriting had become more independent, with each bringing their own compositions to the table. That said, they still worked together on arrangements and contributed to each other's tracks musically, as seen in "School," where Davies' piano solo added a key element to Hodgson's composition.

"School" stands out in Supertramp's catalog as one of their more progressive rock-oriented songs, lacking a traditional verse-chorus structure. In that way, it's a cousin to another Supertramp track, "Fool's Overture."