Wikipedia has a great quote from the artist, Roger Hodgson, from a "making of Breakfast in America" recording:
'Take The Long Way Home' has a quality about it that just makes me feel warm inside. I don't know if it's the harmonies or the melodies, or whatever, but I never get sick of it. I always saw the song a little ambiguous. It's on two levels. I see 'home' as being internal and external. It's kind of a play on words. Definitely part of the song is about the shallowness of success and getting caught up in a world and success and chasing, being popular, or whatever, is taking 'the long way home'. Because I think 'home' in its deepest sense is inside, is being at peace with oneself. Again it's ambiguous - 'if you're not around' means… you're dead or you couldn't settle down - you couldn't take it and you're off looking for things that are more important. It's a fun song! I remember having a lot of fun writing it but never really having a clear picture of it. It was more… often when I write songs, I go by gut instinct. A line comes to me and they usually do come to me… the best lines come to me rather than me trying to think them up consciously and I just feel they're right and I go with them whether I totally understand the meaning or not.
@TheLongWayHome sometimes the intent of songs is lost when other people try to interpret what the artist was trying to say. Refreshing to hear what Roger Hodgeson was actually thinking about while penning this song.
@TheLongWayHome sometimes the intent of songs is lost when other people try to interpret what the artist was trying to say. Refreshing to hear what Roger Hodgeson was actually thinking about while penning this song.
Wikipedia has a great quote from the artist, Roger Hodgson, from a "making of Breakfast in America" recording: 'Take The Long Way Home' has a quality about it that just makes me feel warm inside. I don't know if it's the harmonies or the melodies, or whatever, but I never get sick of it. I always saw the song a little ambiguous. It's on two levels. I see 'home' as being internal and external. It's kind of a play on words. Definitely part of the song is about the shallowness of success and getting caught up in a world and success and chasing, being popular, or whatever, is taking 'the long way home'. Because I think 'home' in its deepest sense is inside, is being at peace with oneself. Again it's ambiguous - 'if you're not around' means… you're dead or you couldn't settle down - you couldn't take it and you're off looking for things that are more important. It's a fun song! I remember having a lot of fun writing it but never really having a clear picture of it. It was more… often when I write songs, I go by gut instinct. A line comes to me and they usually do come to me… the best lines come to me rather than me trying to think them up consciously and I just feel they're right and I go with them whether I totally understand the meaning or not.
@TheLongWayHome sometimes the intent of songs is lost when other people try to interpret what the artist was trying to say. Refreshing to hear what Roger Hodgeson was actually thinking about while penning this song.
@TheLongWayHome sometimes the intent of songs is lost when other people try to interpret what the artist was trying to say. Refreshing to hear what Roger Hodgeson was actually thinking about while penning this song.