Album: Breakfast In America (1979)

Charted: 9 62

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• Take a look at my girlfriend
  She's the only one I got
  Not much of a girlfriend
  I never seem to get a lot
  
  Take a jumbo across the water
  Like to see America
  See the girls in California
  I'm hoping it's going to come true
  But there's not a lot I can do
  
  Could we have kippers for breakfast
  Mummy dear, Mummy dear?
  They gotta have 'em in Texas
  'Cause everyone's a millionaire
  
  I'm a winner, I'm a sinner
  Do you want my autograph?
  I'm a loser, what a joker
  I'm playing my jokes upon you
  While there's nothing better to do, hey
  
  Don't you look at my girlfriend (girlfriend)
  She's the only one I got
  Not much of a girlfriend (girlfriend)
  I never seem to get a lot (what's she got? Not a lot)
  
  Take a jumbo across the water
  Like to see America
  See the girls in California
  I'm hoping it's going to come true
  But there's not a lot I can do, hey
  
  Hey, oh, hey, oh, hey, oh, hey, oh
  Hey, oh, hey, oh, hey, oh, hey, oh
  La-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la-la Writer/s: Richard Davies, Roger Hodgson
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 26

• Anonymous from Usa@Greg -- kippers are not "like a herring" -- they ARE herring -- smoked, split, and salted.
• Anonymous from Noneya"Nearly impossible to name all the instruments used"
  
  Nah, not really lol... I had EVERY woodwind, and Brass instrument named even before I scrolled down. The rest was either filled with specifics that everyone can hear, like voices, and specifics of instrument brands. Bass, guitar, drums, and piano are the norms for this band's usage as well, as well as many other bands for DECADES to follow, and before. The only instrument I wouldn't have named to be perfectly honest, was the foot pump organ.
• Danny B from Indiana@ John Roberts - I have seen NIN live nine times, all of them legendary. Their record sales are huge considering they are not well known. Sadly, most people's only experience with NIN music is "Closer."
• Mike From Crocus Hill from MinnesotaAs alluded to above, the lyrics of this song are the result of some playful day dreaming. Take a jet across the pond to check out the girls in California; become famous too. Kippers for breakfast, it’s herring, and folks in Texas much prefer their bacon and sausage patties. I really like the utilization of the clarinet and all that “ba-ba-da-dum” is some amusing filler. The album’s font side showcases New York City and I believe Miss Libby the waitress played a small part in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The band lived in Los Angeles and that cafe shown on the back was also in Los Angeles.
• AnonymousI grew up when Supertramp was big. Always liked this song - but I think the Gym Class Hero's take on it was excellent. Great artists don't borrow: they steal. So says Stravinsky. (Who stole the quote from Picasso. ...Gotta be true. I read it on the web.)
• AnonymousWas supertramp's Breakfast in America cover on the album supposed to look like New York?
• AnonymousI love the klezmer elements of this song. Somebody got creative here.
• John Roberts from ChicagoJim from Stonerville: "Now here are some of your no-name bands: Supertramp - 71.2 million equivalent album sales. Nine-Inch Nails - 20 million album sales"
• Seventhmist from 7th Heaven"I never seem to get a lot." Unlike the fellow in "Goodbye Stranger," who got plenty by sowing his oats.
• Jerry from Sussex, NjFirst of all, the song is not Polka music.. geez! The tuba and styles of the oboe and clarinet capture the music style of Immigration periods of the early 1900s, Italian, Greek, Jewish and other types of Mediterranean sounds. Which is appropriate to the song as many Immigrants of the time dreamed of success, money, stardom in America. Even eating a decent breakfast and full stomach in America was a dream, because where they are they did not have much.
• Andy from London, United KingdomI havn't a clue what most of these comments are about. What I can say is that this is a great song. Kippers are smoked Herrings. I love them. They are grilled.
  
• Eli from Hesperia, CaAm i the only one pissed at gym class heros
• Ashley from Edmonton, Abdiggin song,
  and i hate how no one
  knows that, that part in gym class
  heros is supertramp
• Geo from Altoona, Pakippers are smoked and salted herring...
• Marie-pier from Saint-zotique, QcGym class hero completly destroy this song who used to be so good at the begenning
• Dogma from Alexandria, LaI'm a DJ on a classic rock station and I love to go down the hall and tell the DJs at our sister (a contemporary hits station) that most of the songs they are playing are either samples or covers of songs that we play on the rock station.
• Matt from New Castle, NhThere aren't many riffs as achy and expressive as the "na na na, na na na na" parts of this song. For me, it sort of creates an illusion of English life as bitter and empty as Eastern Europe, when compared to American extravagance.
• Jim from Does It Matter, NcMy friends and i have a list of songs that we joke about and sing this is one of them ahaha
• Joey from Boston, MaPerhaps the only polka-rock song ever, besides the Weird Al Yankovic parodies of course.
• Jailene from K-town, WaThis song will forever make me cry a little on the inside, cuz my "ex"/guy I'm taking a break from used to play and sing this song to me all the time. :*(
• Bob from Oakland, CaJim in Stonerville, you must be pretty young to call Supertramp a band that no one has heard of. They were fairly popular in the 70s and *HUGE* in the early 80s.
  
  I never cared for them myself.
• Jim from Stonerville, Cagreat song. samples should not happen, but this was a better sample than most (in chokehold). but original is way better. supertramp is the most famous band that no one has heard of.
• Rob from Wilkes-barre, PaYea this destroys cupid's chokehold; most artists should be banned from sampling others
• Shannon from Bakersfield , CaI hate cupids chokehold.It's stupid.
  But this song is the sh!t
  (in a good way)
• Greg from Strongsville, OhI beleive in the line "Can we have Kippers for breakfast?" That Kippers are fish, Much like a Herring.
• Rob from Wilkes-barre, PaThis song is sampled in Gym Class Heroes' Cupid's Chokehold.

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