Love this. That was one of my fav songs in the mid 1980s. Lyrics are excellent. Yes, we have a crisis of meaning today, especially for men (and increasingly women, who are trying to be Boss Babes). Which is one of the reasons why J B Peterson is on such a tear. Even Man's Search For Meaning and V. Frankl was on to this in the 1960s.
The song actually alludes to the feelings Gerry Rafferty felt at the time as he was going back and forward from Scotland to London (baker street was where a friends flat was) as he was in legal battles over his former brand Stealers wheel (he stated everyone was suing everyone). He was unable to release music then due to contractual issues. At the end, the battle was resolved and he went home (to Scotland). He was a big drinker and liked to drink to forget as the person in the song does. His daughter said he was reading The Outsider by Colin Wilson at that time too which influenced a lot of the lyrics also especially in terms of feeling alienated. I like your explanation of its relationship to the modern era as well.
I still play that album regularly, it's one of our favs. As a rural lad I moved to Sydney (Australia) and it took me 20 years to escape. We did follow through with the 'dream to buy some land' and after 18 years, wild horses could not drag me back there.
Love this. That was one of my fav songs in the mid 1980s. Lyrics are excellent. Yes, we have a crisis of meaning today, especially for men (and increasingly women, who are trying to be Boss Babes). Which is one of the reasons why J B Peterson is on such a tear. Even Man's Search For Meaning and V. Frankl was on to this in the 1960s.
I bought Frankl's book for a friend not long ago. He was a wise man.
(And this is still one of my fav songs!)
The song actually alludes to the feelings Gerry Rafferty felt at the time as he was going back and forward from Scotland to London (baker street was where a friends flat was) as he was in legal battles over his former brand Stealers wheel (he stated everyone was suing everyone). He was unable to release music then due to contractual issues. At the end, the battle was resolved and he went home (to Scotland). He was a big drinker and liked to drink to forget as the person in the song does. His daughter said he was reading The Outsider by Colin Wilson at that time too which influenced a lot of the lyrics also especially in terms of feeling alienated. I like your explanation of its relationship to the modern era as well.
I still play that album regularly, it's one of our favs. As a rural lad I moved to Sydney (Australia) and it took me 20 years to escape. We did follow through with the 'dream to buy some land' and after 18 years, wild horses could not drag me back there.
Wise words!