Supertramp were one of the most successful British bands of the 1970s, and one of the most distinctive. Across a string of hit albums they fused progressive ambition with irresistible pop craft, built on the contrasting voices and songwriting of Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their finest songs.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “The Logical Song”, “Dreamer”, “Goodbye Stranger” and “Give a Little Bit” — their biggest hit, the song that broke them, Davies’ sly masterpiece and a worldwide singalong. The full ranking is below.

Two voices, one band

Formed in London in 1970, Supertramp spent their first two albums as an experimental, Pink Floyd-influenced cult act before everything clicked. Their genius lay in a partnership of opposites: Roger Hodgson, the soaring tenor and dreamy idealist, and Rick Davies, the earthy, blues-loving baritone. Though they shared songwriting credits on every song, they rarely wrote together — and each sang his own. Add John Helliwell’s elegant saxophone, the warm tone of the Wurlitzer electric piano and some of the cleverest production of the era, and you have a band that sold more than sixty million albums while never quite sounding like anyone else. Their twin peaks, Crime of the Century (1974) and Breakfast in America (1979), are among the finest albums of their kind. These fifteen songs are the best.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, hooks, ambition and lasting impact — and trying to do justice to both of their singular songwriters. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the very top sits “The Logical Song” (1979), Hodgson’s wistful, world-conquering lament for lost innocence and their biggest hit. With it: “Dreamer” (1974), the airy single that broke them; “Goodbye Stranger” (1979), Davies’ sly, irresistible masterpiece; “Give a Little Bit” (1977), Hodgson’s beloved anthem of kindness; “Take the Long Way Home” (1979), a bittersweet portrait of suburban drift; and “Bloody Well Right” (1974), Davies’ punchy, sardonic first US hit.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. The title track “Breakfast in America” (1979) winks at American excess; “School” (1974) opens their breakthrough with alienated brilliance; “Fool’s Overture” (1977) is an eleven-minute epic woven with Churchill and Blake; “Crime of the Century” (1974) is Davies’ brooding, cinematic title piece; and “It’s Raining Again” (1982) is one of their last great singles.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “My Kind of Lady” (1982) is a breezy Davies charmer; “Rudy” (1974) is a seven-minute Davies epic with a tumbling orchestral climax; “Sister Moonshine” (1975) is a bright, underrated Hodgson gem; and “Cannonball” (1985) was Davies’ final hit, after Hodgson had gone.

Every song at a glance

All fifteen songs, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with “The Logical Song”, then the album it comes from, Breakfast in America — their best-selling record. From there, the masterpiece Crime of the Century and the lovely Even in the Quietest Moments... are essential, while Crisis? What Crisis? and the later albums reward deeper exploration.

The players

Supertramp were built on the contrast between their two founders. Roger Hodgson — the high, angelic tenor — played guitar and keyboards and wrote and sang many of the biggest hits, before leaving in 1983 for a solo career. Rick Davies — the bluesy baritone, equally at home with jazz and R&B — led the band on keyboards and harmonica, and kept it going for decades after Hodgson’s departure. Around them stood the classic line-up: saxophonist John Helliwell, whose playing became part of the band’s signature, bassist Dougie Thomson and drummer Bob Siebenberg. Rick Davies died in 2025; Roger Hodgson continues to tour his and the band’s songs around the world.

Why they still matter

Supertramp proved that progressive ambition and pop immediacy were never enemies — that you could fill stadiums with eleven-minute epics and three-minute singles alike. Standing a little apart from peers like Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis, Pink Floyd and Camel, they built a sound — those Wurlitzer chords, that saxophone, those soaring harmonies — that is instantly recognisable to this day. Few bands of their era wrote songs this clever, or this enduring.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank their records with our guide to the best Supertramp albums, find an entry point with where to start with Supertramp, or dig into the underrated Supertramp albums. You can also place them in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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