History Music / SteelyDan

'''Steely Dan''' is a jazz-rock duo (originally a full group) consisting of songwriters Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards) and Walter Becker (guitar, bass). The duo were the only consistent members of the band since they would hire a rotating set of talented musicians for each album. The band is named after a dildo in Creator/WilliamSBurroughs' ''Literature/NakedLunch''. ([[http://www.steelydan.com/schiller1.html There is an alternate story]] for where the name came from, [[TrollingCreator however considering their reputation]], and their site's content, it's a bit of a toss up as to which story is really true, and if you ask them, they'll probably just play along.)

* IncrediblyLamePun: The covers to their albums ''Pretzel Logic'' (a pretzel cart) and ''Katy Lied'' (a katydid).

--> No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on, oh no

* EpicRocking: Topping the six-minute mark are "West of Hollywood" (8:21), "Aja" (7:57), "Deacon Blues" (7:33), "Glamour Profession" (7:29), "Your Gold Teeth" (7:02), "Everything Must Go" (6:45), "The Royal Scam" (6:28), "Two Against Nature" (6:17), and "Jack of Speed" (also 6:17). In fact, they have never been ones to cut their songs short - roughly a quarter of their songs run around five minutes or higher, surprisingly including some of their biggest radio hits like "Do It Again" (5:56), "FM (No Static at All)" (4:52), and "Hey Nineteen" (5:06, although there is a single edit that runs 4:44).

%%* CoolOldGuy: Becker until his death, and Fagen now.

Becker died on September 3, 2017 of undisclosed causes at age 67, shortly after having an operation whose exact nature was also undisclosed. Fagen has said he will continue the band on his own.

The band is known for a string of hit singles released from 1972 to 1980. The duo split, amicably, in 1981 and reunited in the early 1990's, with the band releasing their first album in 20 years, ''Two Against Nature'' in 2000. That album won them four UsefulNotes/{{Grammy Award}}s, including Album of the Year. The group was inducted into the UsefulNotes/RockAndRollHallOfFame in 2001.

The band is known for a string of hit singles released from 1972 to 1980. The duo split in 1981 and reunited in the early 1990's, with the band releasing their first album in 20 years, ''Two Against Nature'' in 2000. That album won them four UsefulNotes/{{Grammy Award}}s, including Album of the Year. The group was inducted into the UsefulNotes/RockAndRollHallOfFame in 2001.

* MediumAwareness: "Deacon Blues" has the line "Sue me if I play too long"; at the time of release it was their second longest song, then only beaten by the title track of ''Aja'' immediately preceding it (and only one song afterward would be longer than "Deacon Blue").

And die behind the wheel''
-->--"Deacon Blues"

* ''Music/{{Aja}}'' (1977)

Steely Dan is a jazz-rock duo (originally a full group) consisting of songwriters Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards) and Walter Becker (guitar, bass). The duo were the only consistent members of the band since they would hire a rotating set of talented musicians for each album. The band is named after a dildo in Creator/WilliamSBurroughs' ''Literature/NakedLunch''. ([[http://www.steelydan.com/schiller1.html There is an alternate story]] for where the name came from, [[TrollingCreator however considering their reputation]], and their site's content, it's a bit of a toss up as to which story is really true, and if you ask them, they'll probably just play along.)

* RefrainFromAssuming: The song is called "Peg", not "Your Favorite Foreign Movie".

** "Do It Again", the first song off their first album, sets the tone for their entire discography. It details three scenarios: a man who escapes the gallows after killing another man over water; a pussy-whipped fool who's taken advantage of his manipulative lover; and a man who can't stop his gambling habit despite his losses. Violence, women and money will always drive men toward self-destructive behavior that repeats itself, as bluntly put by the chorus:

* UncommonTime: "Aja". The last word of the chorus ("you") inserts a measure of 3/4 meter into an otherwise 4/4 section. Wiki/ThatOtherWiki sums up the shenanigans in the song's instrumental break:

* BigRottenApple: "The Royal Scam". Also the bizarre cover of the album of the same name, depicting a vagrant sleeping under skyscrapers (that at least suggest New York) that are morphing into the heads of vicious animals.

* RealSongThemeTune: There was a syndicated classic rock radio show in the 80s and 90s called ''Reelin' in the Years''. Guess what the theme song was.

* ActionGirl: The title character of ''Pixeleen'' seems to be a teenage girl who is involved in a fight with an assassin in the subway, complete with descriptions of the weapons she's carrying- while also having to deal with her father and boyfriend calling her in the middle of it. (However, it is also hinted that the whole song is just a video game.)

* CoolOldGuy: Becker until his death, and Fagen now.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The duo were considered the anti-heroes of the 1970s since their music wasn't very radio-friendly for the most part, mainly due to the darker subject matter when compared to other pop and jazz songs of that era. Instead of writing love songs, Steely Dan's music was often cynical and featured unlikeable characters. Working class schmoes, addicts, hitmen, gangsters, prostitutes and pimps were the main protagonists and the inability to escape your fate was a recurring theme throughout the band's songwriting.

* DemotedToExtra: David Palmer, the band's "original" lead singer (he only sang on three tracks on the first album, as well as in concerts) was bumped down to one of several backing vocalists for ''Countdown to Ecstasy''. No surprise that he's gone by ''Pretzel Logic'', since the band had abandoned touring.

* DrunkenSong: Several of their songs mention some kind of alcoholic beverage, and even those that don't often sound like they were written by a very morose drunk, or are about the results of a bender.

* EpicInstrumentalOpener: "Bodhisattva".
** "Babylon Sisters" as well.

** "Reelin' in the Years" and "The Boston Rag" have these as well.
* EpicRocking: Topping the six-minute mark are "West of Hollywood" (8:21), "Aja" (7:57), "Deacon Blues" (7:33), "Glamour Profession" (7:29), "Your Gold Teeth" (7:02), "Everything Must Go" (6:45), "The Royal Scam" (6:28), "Two Against Nature" (6:17), and "Jack of Speed" (also 6:17).
** They have never been ones to cut their songs short - roughly a quarter of their songs run around five minutes or higher, surprisingly including some of their biggest radio hits like "Do It Again" (5:56), "FM (No Static at All)" (4:52), and "Hey Nineteen" (5:06, although there is a single edit that runs 4:44).

* GetTheeToANunnery: "The Fez": Although it can be guessed from context, nobody calls a condom a "fez" anymore.

* HeterosexualLifePartners

--> ''Madame Erzulie she come last night\\

--> "I know you're used to 16 or more\\

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: "Josie".

* MinimalisticCoverArt: ''[[http://www.berklee.edu/sites/default/files/steely-dan_aja.jpg Aja]]''
* MoralityBallad: "Kid Charlemagne"

* ObsessionSong: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"
* OdeToIntoxication: "Black Cow"

* OneWomanSong:"Aja", "Peg", "Josie" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"

* RearrangeTheSong: The band liked to rearrange tracks, in particular "Reelin' In The Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" when they started touring. They stated it was because they'd gotten bored of the old versions.

* SexTourism: "Haitian Divorce", probably (it isn't the whole story, though).
* SheIsAllGrownUp: "Cousin Dupree"
* ShoutOut: "Turn up the Music/{{Eagles}}, the neighbors are listening" from "Everything You Did". They returned the favor by including the line "They stab it with their steely knives" in "Hotel California".

* SingleStanzaSong: "The Fez".

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: "Slang of Ages" from ''Everything Must Go'' and "Book of Liars" from the band's one live album, ''Alive in America'', are Walter Becker's only lead vocal credits in the band's history. He also sings half of the lead vocal for "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" on ''Can't Buy a Thrill''.

*** Several demo songs like "Undecided", "Soul Ram", "The Mock Turtle Song", "A Horse in Town", one version of "Sun Mountain" and "Brooklyn" are all sung by either David Palmer or Jim Hodder. With the sound quality it is sometime hard to tell.
* StopAndGo: "Bodhisattva"

* TakeThat: The song "Show Biz Kids" is one against L.A. and the Hollywood social scene in general.

** Also includes a bit of BitingTheHandHumor and SelfDeprecation, since among the show biz kids' fashionable accessories are Steely Dan t-shirts.
** Also, "Only a Fool Would Say That" seems to be a deconstructive critique of Music/JohnLennon's "Music/{{Imagine}}".
*** Or, [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation alternatively]], mocking others' cynical reaction to the idea of peace and love.

* ThoseTwoGuys

* TimeTravel: [[WordOfGod Apparently]] what "Pretzel Logic" is about
* TitleTrack: "Pretzel Logic", "The Royal Scam", "Gaucho", "Aja", "Two Against Nature", "Everything Must Go"
* UncommonTime: "Aja". Wiki/ThatOtherWiki sums up the shenanigans in the song's instrumental break:

** The last word of the chorus ("you") also inserts 3/4 into an otherwise 4/4 section.

* {{Yandere}}: "My Rival"

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%27t_Buy_a_Thrill Can't Buy a Thrill]]'' (1972)

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretzel_Logic Pretzel Logic]]'' (1974)
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Lied Katy Lied]]'' (1975)
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royal_Scam The Royal Scam]]'' (1976)

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaucho_(album) Gaucho]]'' (1980)
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Against_Nature Two Against Nature]]'' (2000)
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Must_Go_(Steely_Dan_album) Everything Must Go]]'' (2003)

* MeaningfulName: Hoops McCann the basketball player from "Glamour Profession", though it's likely a nickname.