Song of the Day 11/22: Grand Funk Railroad, “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home”

When it comes to guys cracking up, I like the classics. This song, probably best and most-popular in Grand Funk’s repertoire, has been open to wide interpretation — one view holds that the “captain” is Richard Nixon, and the song about Vietnam. I always thought it represented a guy losing control of both his life and his mind, ending with a grandiose mantra of withdrawal (drug addiction is another popular interpretation). Mark Farner, who lost the copyright to the song when the band lost a court battle with its ex-manager, called it the best thing he ever wrote for GFR.

The song concluded the band’s third album, released in mid-1970. An abbreviated version, eliminating most of the fadeout, made it to No. 22, Grand Funk’s first single to reach the Top 40. The “Closer to Home” album went platinum but still failed to impress critics, who found their loud but basic style unworthy of attention. They’re still not popular with critics — they can’t get a sniff from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.