Supertramp's Songwriters
Roger Hodgson / Rick Davies Song List
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Many fans have written in and asked who really wrote and composed Supertramp’s songs. So, our intention is to help the public realize who the actual songwriters were behind the classic “Supertramp” songs so that when people hear Roger’s voice, “one of the most recognizable voices in rock history,” they will recognize it as Roger Hodgson, the songwriter and composer of the songs we love. It is our hope to give Roger the honor and appreciation for his musical creations that have given the world so much. And with that goal in mind, we have prepared the following song list.
Also many fans have asked about the agreement that Rick and Roger made concerning their respective songs when they dissolved their partnership. When Roger Hodgson left Supertramp 27 years ago he and Rick agreed that the band would not play Roger’s songs. Their agreement was for Supertramp to become a vehicle for Rick’s music and Roger would go forward with his future secured by his songs and his voice. And it wasn’t just a gentleman’s agreement. The publishing company & the contract legally recognize which songs each songwriter actually wrote and Roger was given legal approval rights for his songs and Rick for his.
The songs Roger Hodgson sings that are often referred to as Supertramp songs are songs that Roger wrote and composed alone - that is how he creates music. He will often hear the musical composition first, then the lyrics come. Sometimes he will hear the whole song complete inside himself before he puts it down on paper and recording. When he was with Supertramp, he would make a demo of the song and bring it to the band for them to learn their parts. So Supertramp as a band never wrote and composed together, there were only 2 songwriters for the band. The songs Roger sings lead vocals on are the ones he composed the music and lyrics for, and the songs Rick sings lead vocals on are the ones that he wrote.
We are posting below the song list from Exhibit A of the contract, which is "a schedule of the titles... showing the actual writer(s) of each composition" giving Roger the approval rights of his songs and Rick the rights for his.
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