Breakfast in America

As with Even in the Quietest Moments..., Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson wrote most of their songs separately but conceived the theme for the album jointly. Their original concept was for an album of songs about the relationship and conflicting ideals between Davies and Hodgson themselves, to be titled Hello Stranger. Hodgson explained: "We realized that a few of the songs really lent themselves to two people talking to each other and at each other. I could be putting down his way of thinking and he could be challenging my way of seeing life [...] Our ways of life are so different, but I love him. That contrast is what makes the world go 'round and what makes Supertramp go 'round. His beliefs are a challenge to mine and my beliefs are a challenge to his."{{Cite book|last=Melhuish|first=Martin|title=The Supertramp Book|place=Toronto, Canada|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=1986|isbn=0-9691272-2-7|pages=139–161}}

This idea was eventually scrapped in favour of an album of "fun" songs, and though Davies initially wanted to keep the title Hello Stranger, he was convinced by Hodgson to change it to Breakfast in America. Hodgson commented later: "We chose the title because it was a fun title. It suited the fun feeling of the album." Due to the title and the explicit satirising of American culture in the cover and three of the songs ("Gone Hollywood", "Breakfast in America" and "Child of Vision"), many listeners interpreted the album as a whole as being a satire of the United States. Supertramp's members have all insisted that the repeated references to US culture are purely coincidental and that no such thematic satire was intended. Hodgson has described the misconception as a parallel to how Crime of the Century (1974) is often misinterpreted as being a concept album.

"Gone Hollywood" is the opening track of Breakfast in America. Written by Rick Davies, the song tells about a person who moves to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a movie star, but finds it far more difficult than he imagined. He struggles and becomes frustrated, until he ultimately gets his break and becomes "the talk of the Boulevard". The lyrics were originally more bleak, but under pressure from the other band members, Davies rewrote them to be more optimistic and commercially appealing. Billboard writer David Farrell felt that, other than Davies' lead vocal, the song sounds like a Queen song.{{cite news|title=Closeup|newspaper=Billboard|access-date=8 July 2020|date=31 March 1979|page=166|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-03-31.pdf}}

"Child of Vision" is the closing track. Much like "The Logical Song", it uses a Wurlitzer electric piano as the main instrument. After the lyrical part, the song goes into a long solo played on the grand piano alongside the original melody on the Wurlitzer. The track fades out with a short saxophone solo by John Helliwell. Roger Hodgson has said that the song was written to be an equivalent to "Gone Hollywood", looking at how Americans live, though he confessed that he had only a limited familiarity with US culture at the time of writing. He also said there is a slight possibility that he subconsciously had Rick Davies in mind while writing the lyrics.

Each song was credited to a single musician on the inner sleeve, but on the central vinyl label was printed "Words and Music by Roger Hodgson & Rick Davies", combining the two and confusing the issue of composition credit. Roger Hodgson's management has described "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home", "Lord Is It Mine" and "Child of Vision" as 'Roger's songs';{{YouTube|IfB3O4eDXos|Child of Vision – Roger Hodgson, Writer and Composer}}. Retrieved 30 April 2012. See video description. however, this apparently does not mean he necessarily wrote them by himself, for Hodgson has credited Davies with writing the vocal harmony on "The Logical Song". Davies has referred to "The five songs that I did on Breakfast", but has not specified which ones.

The album went through two rounds of demos. The first were home demos, each of which consisted of the chief songwriter (either Rick Davies or Roger Hodgson) singing and playing either acoustic piano or Wurlitzer electric piano.Buskin, Richard (July 2005). [http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul05/articles/classictracks.htm Classic Tracks: Supertramp's 'Logical Song'], Sound on Sound. The second were eight-track demos recorded at Southcombe Studios in Burbank, California during late April and early May 1978. It was in recording these demos that the band worked out the backing track arrangements for all the songs (with the exception of "Take the Long Way Home") and determined the order in which they would appear on the album.

In order to avoid spending a lot of time on mixing, the band and their production team devoted a week to experimenting with different sound setups until they found the perfect arrangement. The effort proved to be wasted, as the engineering team would end up spending more than two extremely stressful months searching for the right mix, and were finished after that length of time only because the deadline had arrived, not because they felt at all satisfied with the results.

Tensions between Hodgson and Davies were reportedly almost non-existent on the album. Engineer Peter Henderson recalled: "They got along fantastically well and everyone was really happy. There was a very, very good vibe and I think everyone was really buoyed up by the recordings and A&M's response to them." Hodgson contested this, saying that he and Davies had increasingly different lifestyles, and that he felt that Davies disliked many of his songs and kept quiet about his displeasure only because he sensed that he would be voted down.(2009). [http://www.inthestudio.net/ 30th Anniversary Breakfast in America Feature] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208014251/http://www.inthestudio.net/ |date=8 February 2014}}, In the Studio. Melody Maker journalist Harry Doherty offered a third take on the duo's interactions during the album sessions: "In three days with the band, I don't think I saw Davies and Hodgson converse once, other than to exchange courteous greetings."

The album's front cover resembles an overlook of Manhattan through an aeroplane window. It was designed by Mike Doud and Mick Haggerty. The image depicts Kate Murtagh, dressed as a waitress named "Libby" from a diner, as a Statue of Liberty figure holding up a glass of orange juice on a small plate in one hand (in place of the torch on the Statue), and a foldable restaurant menu in the other hand, on which 'Breakfast in America' is written. The background features the Financial District within the New York City borough of Manhattan, with the Lower Manhattan skyline represented through a cornflake box, ashtray, cutlery (for the wharfs), pancake syrup bottles, egg crates, salt and pepper shakers, coffee mugs, ketchup and mustard bottles, etc., all spray-painted white. The twin World Trade Center towers appear as two stacks of boxes, and the plate of breakfast represents The Battery, the departure point for the Staten Island Ferry. The back cover photo, depicting the band members having breakfast while reading their respective hometown newspapers, was taken at a diner called Bert's Mad House.

Breakfast in America won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, defeating albums by Talking Heads and Led Zeppelin, among others.{{Cite web|url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1980-228.html|title=Grammy Award Nominees 1980 – Grammy Award Winners 1980|website=Awardsandshows.com|access-date=9 August 2019}}

Breakfast in America topped the US Billboard 200 for six weeks and became Supertramp's biggest selling album, while producing four hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home" and the title track. In Japan, the album reached number 1 on the Music Labo chart in 1979.Billboard. 20 October 1979, [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT90#v=onepage&q&f=false p 63]. 6 October 1979, [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT83#v=onepage&q&f=false p 68]. Breakfast in America would become Supertramp's most popular album. By the 1990s, it had sold in excess of 18 million copies worldwide. By 2010, the album had sold well over 20 million copies.

{{Album ratings

| title = Retrospective professional reviews

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/breakfast-in-america-mw0000308462 | title = Supertramp Breakfast in America Review |access-date=11 July 2011 |last = Erlewine | first = Stephen Thomas | author-link = Stephen Thomas Erlewine |work=AllMusic | publisher = Rovi Corporation}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = C+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: S|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70|access-date=March 13, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies}}

| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev4 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev4score = 7/10{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Martin Charles|author-link=Martin C. Strong|title=The Great Rock Discography|publisher=The National Academies|year=2002|isbn=1-84195-312-1|chapter=Supertramp}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite news|title=Review: Breakfast in America|work=Mojo|location=London|date=December 2010|page=123}}

| rev6 = Record Collector

| rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news | title = Supertramp – Breakfast in America:Deluxe 2-Disc Edition| work = Record Collector | date = December 2010 | first = William | last = Pinfold | issue = 382| url = http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/breakfast-in-americadeluxe-2-disc-edition |access-date=12 July 2012}}

| rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev7score = {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev8 = Smash Hits

| rev8score = 8/10{{cite news|last=Starr|first=Red|title=Albums|work=Smash Hits|issue=19 April – 2 May 1979|page=25}}

| rev9 = Sputnikmusic

| rev9score = 3/5

| rev10 = Uncut

| rev10score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|last=Staunton|first=Terry|title=Supertramp Breakfast in America|work=Uncut|location=London|date=December 2010|page=102}}

}}

In a positive review for Rolling Stone magazine, music critic Stephen Holden viewed Breakfast in America as an improvement over the "swatches of meandering, Genesis-like esoterica" on Supertramp's previous albums, and called it "a textbook-perfect album of post-Beatles, keyboard-centered English art rock that strikes the shrewdest possible balance between quasi-symphonic classicism and rock & roll ... the songs here are extraordinarily melodic and concisely structured, reflecting these musicians' saturation in American pop since their move to Los Angeles in 1977."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/breakfast-in-america-255426 |title=Supertramp: Breakfast in America|last=Holden|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen Holden|date=14 June 1979|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|access-date=20 June 2021}} Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was less impressed, saying that the "hooky album" evokes "random grunts of pleasure" but lacks emotional substance because of "glib" lyrics and no "vocal personality (as opposed to accurate singing) and rhythmic thrust (as opposed to a beat)".{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=2 July 1979|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv6-79.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|access-date=11 June 2013}}

Colin Larkin, writing in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2006), said that the "faultless" album "elevated" Supertramp to "rock's first division".{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|year=2006|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|page=857|volume=7|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=4th|isbn=0195313739|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album's "tightly written, catchy, well-constructed pop songs" and described it as the band's "high-water mark". John Doran of BBC Music said that the songwriting has an "unbeatable quality" and asserted that "any of the ten tracks could have been hit singles".{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/bb28 | title = Supertramp Breakfast in America Review |access-date=13 June 2011 |last = Doran | first = John | date = 29 October 2010 | publisher = BBC Music}} Sputnikmusic's Tyler Fisher said that its singles are mostly the highlights because of their "catchy hooks", and found the ballads "absolutely terrible".{{cite web|last=Fisher|first=Tyler|date=2 July 2006|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8084/Supertramp-Breakfast-in-America/|title=Supertramp - Breakfast in America (album review)|website=Sputnikmusic|access-date=11 June 2013}} Rob Sheffield, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), also felt that its "nice moments" were the highlights, including "the jolly 'Take the Long Way Home,' the adjectively crazed 'Logical Song,' [and] 'Goodbye Stranger.'"{{cite book|author=Sheffield, Rob|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/797 797]|display-authors=etal|author-link=Rob Sheffield|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide}} William Pinfold of Record Collector considered the album "a classic example of flawlessly-played and -produced late 70s transatlantic soft rock".

In the 1987 edition of The World Critics List, music historian Joel Whitburn ranked Breakfast in America the fourth-greatest album of all time.[http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/world_critics_lists.htm The World Critics List]. 1987 In the 1994 edition of The Guinness All Time Top 1000 Albums, Breakfast in America was voted No. 207 in the all-time greatest rock and pop albums,[http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/larkin1000_94.htm Guinness: All-time top 1000 albums]. 1994. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk and it was voted the 69th-greatest British rock album of all time in a 2006 Classic Rock industry poll.[http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/classicrock2.htm "100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever"]. Classic Rock. April 2006. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk Triple M listeners voted the album No. 43 in the "100 Greatest Albums of All Time".[http://www.triplem.com.au/melbourne/music/100-greatest-rock-albums 100 Greatest Albums] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227114732/http://www.triplem.com.au/melbourne/music/100-greatest-rock-albums |date=27 February 2011}}. Triple M Melbourne Retrieved 18 June 2011. Recognising the band's disfavour among music critics during their career,Marsh, Dave. "Sez Who? Bands & Singers Critics Love to Hate". New Book of Rock Lists. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1994. Q magazine ranked Breakfast in America second on its "Records it's OK to Love" list in 2006.[http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage3.htm Guilty Pleasures!: Essential Playlist of the 115 Records it's OK to Love]. Q magazine. September 2006. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk

In 2000 it was voted No. 294 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|author=Colin Larkin|author-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=124}}

"The Logical Song" won the 1979 Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically".{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/pop-ballads-bite-back-in-lyrical-fashion-david-lister-charts-a-sea-change-away-from-rap-towards-memorable-melodies-1438995.html |title=Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion: David Lister charts a sea change away from rap towards memorable melodies |access-date=21 March 2012 |last=Lister |first=David |date=28 May 1994 |work=Independent.co.uk |publisher=The Independent}}

All songs credited to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson. Listed below are the respective writers.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = Gone Hollywood

| length1 = 5:19

| writer1 = Davies

| extra1 = Davies and Hodgson

| title2 = The Logical Song

| length2 = 4:07

| writer2 = Hodgson

| extra2 = Hodgson

| title3 = Goodbye Stranger

| length3 = 5:46

| writer3 = Davies

| extra3 = Davies

| title4 = Breakfast in America

| length4 = 2:37

| writer4 = Hodgson

| extra4 = Hodgson

| title5 = Oh Darling

| length5 = 3:43

| writer5 = Davies

| extra5 = Davies

| total_length = 21:32

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title6 = Take the Long Way Home

| writer6 = Hodgson

| extra6 = Hodgson

| length6 = 5:08

| title7 = Lord Is It Mine

| writer7 = Hodgson

| extra7 = Hodgson

| length7 = 4:08

| title8 = Just Another Nervous Wreck

| writer8 = Davies

| extra8 = Davies

| length8 = 4:22

| title9 = Casual Conversations

| writer9 = Davies

| extra9 = Davies

| length9 = 2:56

| title10 = Child of Vision

| writer10 = Hodgson

| extra10 = Hodgson and Davies

| total_length = 23:58

45:30

| length10 = 7:24

}}

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Deluxe edition, disc 2

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = The Logical Song

| note1 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer1 = Hodgson

| extra1 = Hodgson

| length1 = 4:06

| title2 = Goodbye Stranger

| note2 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer2 = Davies

| extra2 = Davies

| length2 = 6:11

| title3 = Breakfast in America

| note3 = live 1979 at Wembley

| writer3 = Hodgson

| extra3 = Hodgson

| length3 = 3:05

| title4 = Oh Darling

| note4 = live 1979 in Miami

| writer4 = Davies

| extra4 = Davies

| length4 = 4:21

| title5 = Take the Long Way Home

| note5 = live 1979 at Wembley

| writer5 = Hodgson

| extra5 = Hodgson

| length5 = 4:48

| title6 = Another Man's Woman

| note6 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer6 = Davies

| extra6 = Davies

| length6 = 7:32

| title7 = Even in the Quietest Moments

| note7 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer7 = Hodgson

| extra7 = Hodgson

| length7 = 5:36

| title8 = Rudy

| note8 = live 1979 at Wembley

| writer8 = Davies

| extra8 = Davies and Hodgson

| length8 = 7:29

| title9 = Downstream

| note9 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer9 = Davies

| extra9 = Davies

| length9 = 3:28

| title10 = Give a Little Bit

| note10 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer10 = Hodgson

| extra10 = Hodgson

| length10 = 4:03

| title11 = From Now On

| note11 = live 1979 at Wembley

| writer11 = Davies

| extra11 = Davies

| length11 = 6:53

| title12 = Child of Vision

| note12 = live 1979 at Pavillon de Paris

| writer12 = Hodgson

| extra12 = Hodgson and Davies

| length12 = 7:32

}}

;1990 Remaster

In June 1990, MFSL re-released a remaster on Ultradisc™ 24 KT Gold CD from their "Original Master Recording" Collection.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Supertramp-Breakfast-In-America/release/1608139 |title=Supertramp - Breakfast in America (CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered) |author= |date=June 1990 |website=discogs.com |access-date=2018-12-31}}

;2002 reissue

On 11 June 2002 A&M Records reissued Breakfast in America with full original album art, plus the label art from side one recreated on the CD. It was mastered from the original master tapes by Greg Calbi and Jay Messina at Sterling Sound, New York, 2002. The reissue was supervised by Bill Levenson with art direction by Vartan and design by Mike Diehl, with production coordination by Beth Stempel. It makes limited use of dynamic range compression and peak limiting, rejecting the loudness war trends of modern CD releases.

;2010 deluxe edition

A deluxe edition was released on 4 October 2010, including a second disc with songs recorded live in 1979, in particular songs not appearing on the live album Paris.

;2010 super deluxe Edition

A super deluxe edition, which was released on 6 December 2010, includes the 2-disc deluxe edition CD, vinyl LP, poster, DVD, hardcover book, and other memorabilia.

;2013 Blu-ray high definition disc

A&M offers a High Definition Blu-ray Disc of the album. It contains the album in three different sound formats: 2-Channel PCM 24bit/96 kHz, 2 Channel DTS-Master Audio 24bit/96 kHz and 2-Channel Dolby True-HD 24bit/96 kHz. This High Definition Blu-ray Disc is playable in all Blu-ray Disc players.

;2018 Remastered Hybrid SACD

On May 17, 2018, MFSL re-released a remaster on hybrid SACD.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Supertramp-Breakfast-In-America/release/12050380 |title=Supertramp - Breakfast in America (SACD, Hybrid, Stereo, Album, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Special Edition) |author= |date=May 17, 2018 |website=discogs.com |access-date=2018-12-31}}{{cite web |url=https://www.mofi.com/product-p/udsacd2189.htm |title=Supertramp - Breakfast in America Hybrid SACD |author= |website=mofi.com |access-date=2018-12-31}}

Supertramp

• Rick Davies – vocals and keyboards including clavinet on track 2{{Cite web | url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-supertramp-logical-song | title=CLASSIC TRACKS: Supertramp 'The Logical Song'}}
• Roger Hodgson – vocals, keyboards and guitars including acoustic 12-string guitar on track 2
• John Helliwell – woodwinds
• Bob Siebenberg (credited as Bob C. Benberg) – drums
• Dougie Thomson – bass

Additional personnel

• Slyde Hyde – tuba and trombone
• Gary Mielke – Oberheim programming

Production

• Peter Henderson – producer, engineer
• Supertramp – producer
• Lenise Bent – assistant engineer
• Jeff Harris – assistant engineer
• Greg Calbi – remastering (2002)
• Jay Messina – remastering (2002)
• Russel Pope – concert sound engineer
• Mike Doud – art direction, cover art concept, artwork
• Mick Haggerty – art direction, cover design
• Mark Hanauer – photography
• Aaron Rapoport – cover photo

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Breakfast in America}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Australia|award=Gold|relyear=1979|certyear=1980|certref={{cite book|title=Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5iIKAQAAMAAJ&q=%22double+gold+in%22 |first=Joseph|last=Murrells|publisher=Barrie & Jenkins|page=482|date=31 December 1984|access-date=1 May 2013|isbn = 9780713438437}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Belgium|award=Gold|relyear=1979|certyear=1979|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Canada|award=Diamond|relyear=1979|certyear=1979|salesamount=1,500,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1980/BB-1980-04-12.pdf|title=Anne Murray Nabs 4 Junos In Top Canada Competition|magazine=Billboard|via=World Radio History|first=David|last=Farrell|page=62|date=12 April 1980|accessdate=3 August 2022}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Denmark|award=Gold|id=14981|certyear=2025|access-date=3 February 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=France|award=Platinum|source=infodisc|certyear=1980|salesamount=3,200,000|salesref={{cite web|url=https://www.letelegramme.fr/soir/quel-est-le-disque-le-plus-vendu-en-france-de-tous-les-temps-25-09-2020-12625130.php|publisher=Le Télégramme|title=Quel est le disque le plus vendu en France de tous les temps ?|author=Steven Leroy|date=25 September 2020|language=french|accessdate=3 August 2022}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Germany|award=Platinum|relyear=1979}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Greece|award=Gold|salesamount=50,000|salesref=|relyear=1979|certref={{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1980/CB-1980-03-01.pdf|title=Supertramp Gets Gold|magazine=Cash Box|via=World Radio History|page=45|date=1 March 1980|accessdate=30 November 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Israel|award=Gold|salesamount=20,000|type=album|artist=Supertramp|title=Breakfast in America|relyear=1979|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1979/CB-1979-10-27.pdf|title=Supertramp - Gold in Israel|publisher=Cash Box|page=56|date=27 October 1979}}|salesref={{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ciQEAAAAMBAJ&q=israel+gold+20,000+billboard&pg=PT88|title=Israeli Awards|publisher=Billboard|page=57|date=27 August 1982|access-date=14 November 2019}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|award=Platinum|artist=Supertramp|title=Breakfast in America|relyear=1979|note=1979 sales|certyear=1979|salesamount=500,000|salesref={{cite news|title=Ai re del disco, oro, argento e platino |newspaper=La Stampa|page=17|date=15 December 1982|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,15/articleid,1045_01_1982_0275_0017_15039307/|first=Marinella|last=Venegoni|language=it|quote=gli è andato 11 ■disco di platino», destinato a chi ha raggiunto il mezzo milione di copie vendute... mentre il «Disco d'oro» (che sta invece a significare le raggiunte 250 mila copie di vendita)|access-date=30 November 2021}}|certref={{cite web|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,7/articleid,0958_02_1988_0088_0007_25010679/|publisher=La Stampa|title=Carri, vecchi Supertramp|author=Marinella Venegoni|date=11 April 1988|accessdate=30 November 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|award=Platinum|artist=Supertramp|title=Breakfast in America|relyear=1979|note=sales since 2009|certyear=2021|accessdate=March 15, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan (Oricon Charts)|nocert=yes|salesamount=178,000|salesref={{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Netherlands|award=Platinum|relyear=1979|certyear=1979|access-date=July 14, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=New Zealand|award=Platinum|id=1979-07-13|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|relyear=1979}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Norway|award=Gold|relyear=1979|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Portugal|award=Gold|number=2|relyear=1979|certref={{cite book|title=Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5iIKAQAAMAAJ&q=%22double+gold+in%22 |first=Joseph|last=Murrells|publisher=Barrie & Jenkins|page=482|date=31 December 1984|access-date=1 May 2013|isbn = 9780713438437}}

• {{cite book|title=Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5iIKAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Spain+and+Portugal%22 |first=Joseph|last=Murrells|publisher=Barrie & Jenkins|page=493|date=31 December 1984|access-date=1 May 2013|isbn = 9780713438437}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|artist=Supertramp|nocert=true|salesamount=100,000|title=Breakfast in America|salesref={{cite journal|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1980/Music-Weel-1980-04-19.pdf|journal=Music Week|title=CBS's Klintebergoptimistic|page=Supplement 8|date=19 April 1980|accessdate=23 December 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Switzerland|award=Gold|relyear=1979}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|relyear=1979|id=1067-13-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=United States|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=1979}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Europe|nocert=true|salesamount=4,000,000|note=1978-1985 sales|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-06-08.pdf|title=International Viewpoint|magazine=Billboard|first=Mike|last=Hennessey|via=World Radio History|page=9|date=9 June 1985|accessdate=30 November 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Breakfast in America|artist=Supertramp|type=album|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=20,000,000|salesref=|accessdate=30 November 2021}}

{{certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

Grammy Awards

• 1979 in music
• List of best-selling albums
• List of best-selling albums in France
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1979
• List of Canadian number-one albums of 1979
• List of number-one albums in Australia in 1979
• List of top 25 albums for 1979 in Australia

{{notelist-ua}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-supertramp-made-the-classic-breakfast-in-america|title=How Supertramp made the classic Breakfast In America|work=Loudersound (Prog)|date=27 March 2020}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/supertramp-breakfast-in-america-album-roger-hodgson-rick-davies-a9476271.html|title=Why Supertramp's Breakfast in America goes beyond cheese|first=Mark|last=Beaumont|work=Independent|date=23 April 2020}}
• {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=188–189|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}
• {{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/supertramp-breakfast-in-america/|title=When Supertramp Blew Up With 'Breakfast in America'|first=Jeff|last=Giles|work=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=29 March 2016}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/supertramp-breakfast-in-america|title="There have never been fisticuffs in this band… Just tense silences": How Supertramp made the classic Breakfast In America|first=Paul|last=Lester|work=Loudersound (Prog)|date=16 March 2024}}
• {{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/supertramp-breakfast-in-america-911-conspiracy-theory/|title=Did Supertramp's 'Breakfast in America' Cover Art Predict 9/11?|first=Dave|last=Lifton|work=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=7 March 2016}}
• {{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-06-05/how-hit-album-breakfast-in-america-proved-supertramps-undoing.html|title=How hit album 'Breakfast In America' proved Supertramp's undoing|first=Carlos|last=Marcos|work=El Pais|date=5 June 2023}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/cereal-conspiracy-theories-911-curious-legacy-supertramps-breakfast/|title=Cereal, conspiracy theories and 9/11: the curious legacy of Supertramp's Breakfast In America|first=Neil|last=McCormick|work=Telegraph|date=18 June 2020}}
• {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/supertramp-breakfast-in-america-anniversary-8504750/|title='Breakfast in America': On the Album That Turned Supertramp Into Superstars (And Triggered Their Dissolution)|first=Corbin|last=Reiff|magazine=Billboard|date=29 March 2019}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/supertramp-breakfast-in-america-album/|title='Breakfast In America': Supertramp Dine At Rock's Top Table|first=Paul|last=Sexton|work=Udiscovermusic|date=29 March 2024}}

• {{Discogs master|25362|type=album}}

{{Supertramp}}

{{Juno Award for International Album of the Year}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Supertramp albums

Category:1979 albums

Category:A&M Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Rick Davies

Category:Albums produced by Roger Hodgson

Category:Juno Award for International Album of the Year albums

Category:Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Category:Albums recorded at the Village (studio)