You should never read too much into Steely Dan's lyrics, or take the lyrics to their songs too literally. Their lyrics are filled with metaphors, inuendo, double entendre, inside jokes, sarcasm, and at times just plain lunacy. They never took themselves too seriously. Just enjoy the music and the ride.
It was at Bard College that Donald Fagen befriended the wife of one of his profs, Professor Guy Ducornet. Rikki Ducornet was a writer who had grown up on the college’s campus and graduated from the university with a B.A. in Fine Arts a year before Fagen had enrolled there. The two found themselves at the same party, and despite Fagen’s knowledge of her marriage and her pregnancy at the time, he gave Rikki his number. Ducornet, as can be culled from the lyrics, never called Fagen. When talking with writer Steven Moore in 1998, Ducornet offered up her own interpretation of the tune: “Philosophically it’s an interesting song; I mean I think his ‘number’ is a cipher for the self.” She wouldn’t be the only person looking for deeper meaning within the song’s lyrics, but Fagen has played these interpretations off, saying that it was simply an unrequited love song.
Thank you for providing that accurate description of what the song is about. I've seen some wacky, completely off-base nonsense expressed by others over the years.
Rikki ended up divorcing her professor husband and moved to France to study French poetry. She returned to the US and has published many books of poetry and is quite famous among poets.
And I can completely imagine how a slightly older married woman might react to such a bold gesture from a precocious, full-of-himself college student: "Well, that's flattering and kind of cute, but uh..No thanks." But whereas someone like me would kind of cringe with embarrassment thinking about such an incident later on (and believe me, I have), Fagen wrote a top five hit song about it.
Lex has done it again with her amazing, out-of-left-field music analogies .. "It's like a Reuben Sandwich"! .. Your mind works in a wonderfully different way to any other reactor I've come across .. Love it !
Lex's synesthesia strikes again. All of this brings back to mind a specific adjective used back in the 70s for this kind of music....TASTY. Perhaps it was a regional word, but there was a song by a '70s Long Island band (The Good Rats) that was titled "Tasty".
@@cotedebeaune2012 You've taught me a new word today .. Yes, "synesthesia" is a good description for how Lex's mind seems to work when describing music .. As for "Tasty", I just had a listen to it .. Not a bad song, with a blues / jazz / pop fusion feel to it.
But maybe it was Reelin in the Years. Yeah I think so. Still hits me at 65. Transports me to breakfast in the kitchen before store with the little am radio on the shelf above my head.
Brad & Lex, you'll love their "Deacon Blues", "Aja" and "Josie"!!!!! Great songs from a legendary album. The album ‘Aja’ won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical. In my top 5 of all-time great albums!!!
Good lord, I can’t wait for them to attempt interpreting “She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire”. Uh, she got back from vacation in Rome and she’s mad at people parking in the street? No, I think it means she got something in her eyes and they’re irritated. Wait, where did you get Roman? It’s how she prays? Did they say Roman? I thought it was ramen. Why would someone pray like ramen? I dunno, maybe ramen meant something different in the 70s. It was before they had cell phones, right? Right.
I’ve been requesting “Josie” on a few react channels and to my knowledge no one has touched it yet. Just a shame, as it’s a timeless feel-good classic fully deserving of a react, and I think even sampled in a Hip Hop cut as well as is “Peg”.
So glad to see you getting into Steely Dan. Two guys that used the cream of the crop STUDIO MUSICIANS and Singers to realize their ideas of these songs. And as someone has already said, don't try to analyze their lyrics too closely. Bob Dylan changed everything about song lyrics. They don't have to tell a story in a linear fashion. They can be like an abstract painting that could mean something completely different to anyone that sees or in this case hears it. As homework, or on the show listen to Desolation Row by Bob Dylan. A perfect example of that type of lyric. Each verse is a little abstract painting of words that create an image or hint at a deeper story for you to fill in. Try it. Really hope you like Steely Dan. Each note on each song is meticulously crafted and perfectly played. I really love you guys and the smiles and laughter you bring to my life. Keep it up.
I was working night-stock at Kroger, we put radio on store intercom real LOUD. This song played about twice every hour. Got kinda old after a week. Enjoy it now after 50 years.
This band had some of the best musicians of the time in it. Check out the list of them if you can still find it. Michael McDonald was one of them. They were constantly evolving and changing. Great band.
Well, there’s an interesting story that the “Rikki” mentioned in the song is a New York writer and artist, Rikki Ducornet. Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen said he met Ducornet while attending a college party in a small liberal arts school, Bard College. Although, it wasn’t in the same context as the song, the story goes that Ducornet was pregnant and married at the time, but that didn’t stop Fagen to give his number to her. It made Ducornet intrigued and she was tempted to call him, but decided not to go with the feeling.
Yes, the Entertainment Weekly story! Back in the day, we argued about the meaning of the lyrics: a gay flirtation? A drug deal? For once, Fagen and Becker are pretty straightforward with the song's meaning: a girl named Rikki at a party.
Lex nailed it. At least from the story I read in an article. A woman he was interested in that he met at a party and gave her his number is what the song was based on.
There’s a very good guitar part playing just under the surface that gets increasingly complex as the song progresses. Not sure who played the solo, but it kinda sounds like Skunk Baxter if it wasn’t Walter Becker.
I bought this single when it first came out in uk , I was about 12 so must’ve been 1974 ish. Compelling song and still love it near 50 years later 👍🏴
1. What a great song. 2. What a great guitar solo 3. I always thought the line was "It's the only one you *want* " and that it's just singing style that draws out the "aw" and softens the "t". 4. What a great song.
Always remember hearing this for the first time ---on the radio while riding in the old man's Buick LeSabre with my kid brother not long after our 'rents had split in, like, '74-5
Steely Dan manages to come up with some of the sweetest guitar solos in popular music history, while using a variety of soloists, I might add. The magnificent Skunk Baxter plays on this one!
I was expecting Brad to ask about the practice of sending important information in the mail addressed to yourself so you can pick up and use it later since people don't seem to do that anymore
So back in the day, when we actually sent letters in the mail, I got the bright idea to put my name and address on the letter and the person I was sending it to in the return address upper left hand corner. Then I'd drop it off at the post office without a stamp. The USPS would "return" it to sender for lack of postage. It worked like a charm.
"Send it off in a letter to yourself" refers to 'commonlaw copyright'. If you write a 'number', you send a copy by registered mail addressed to yourself and if anyone says they wrote it, you have valid proof that you actually did.
IMO their best song - and they've done some classics. That little piano run just before the chorus gets me every time. Innovative, jazzy, and produced to perfection. I put them in the same category as Supertramp as far as that's concerned.
I love Lex's moves! I can tell she really digs the music. The story behind the lyrics is that the songwriter, Donald Fagen, gave his phone number to one of his college professors' wives. Very inappropriate, like a lot of Steely Dan's lyrics, but they are filled with so much life. There has been a great online resource for a couple decades now, The Steely Dan Dictionary, which has been indispensable for fans, since they were always intentionally evasive about explaining their song lyrics.
Always loved their music....but I'll be damned if I can understand a lick of what they're singing about. I remember hearing this a lot, while stationed down at Camp Pendleton in 1974.
Brad, "I don't know what a Reuben sandwich is." Me, "Lex! Make one for him!! For dinner! Soon!!!" The ingredients are a bit pricey; especially the meat. But it's definitely worth it! Corned beef on rye bread, baby swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing. Grill it like a grilled cheese sandwich. There's something about this combination of ingredients that just seem to flawlessly blend together and taste amazing. Most people will be turned off by the thought of sauerkraut on a sandwich. Believe me, try it as is first, even if you don't like sauerkraut. Expect to be amazed.
The meaning behind a song can be hard to pin down, and Steely Dan can be especially mysterious. In theory, this song was inspired by an actual event of Don Fagen passing his phone number to Rikki Ducornet at a party. But the people in Fagen's circle were all jazz fans, and the meaning might have more to do with the world losing appreciation for old jazz music. Losing the number could be a metaphor for losing jazz, in that "number" is a slang word for a song. In other words, "Don't lose that number" could be "don't lose that song." This theme shows up again in "Hey Nineteen," where the singer laments how old songs are fading away. "Hey, Nineteen. That's Aretha Franklin. She don't remember the queen of soul. It's hard times befalling the sole survivors. She's thinks I'm crazy, but I'm just growing old." This song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," has a keyboard riff that's based on a jazz classic from 1964, "Song For My Father," which was also reprised in songs by other bands, like Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind, and Fire. If we're being really literal about it, "Song For My Father" might be the actual number to keep, but it's probably not intending to be that literal, and instead the meaning is just to keep jazz alive in the heart and mind. So what I envision is Fagen approaching Rikki at the party, talking about jazz. She doesn't really like jazz, but he's thinking, why don't we spend some time together, maybe have some romance or just goof off, and play jazz music. Maybe you'll like it?
A Reuben sandwich is a strange but satisfying combination of a sandwich. Normally I am not a fan of sauerkraut but when it is part of a Reuben it turns magically delicious.
The guitar solo is by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter who later joined The Doobie Brothers. Baxter has also worked as a consultant for the Department of Defense. He is also a close friend of June Millington of the 70s all-female band Fanny. I highly recommend you react to Fanny especially their live performances.
Lex, you make sure to take Brad to a good deli and get that man a proper Reuben sandwich. With good, DARK pumpernickel rye bread. A good introduction to a Reuben can be a life-altering event.
Steely Dan is usually about a relationship that took a side turn but they OWN it. They have this quality to their music that's very educated but also loose where they don't hold back. I don't think there are many other bands like them. They're kinda their own jazz rock fusion thing but then they have the lyrics that stick in your head.
One of the coolest, cleverest, most creative, off beat, timeless bands ever. A national and international treasure.
@@mr.privately7125 as well as a phone number as in this lyric.
@@mr.privately7125 yeah, the joint interpretation’s been debunked I do believe.
I hear what ya saying Vinnie..................................and I dig it.
You should never read too much into Steely Dan's lyrics, or take the lyrics to their songs too literally. Their lyrics are filled with metaphors, inuendo, double entendre, inside jokes, sarcasm, and at times just plain lunacy. They never took themselves too seriously. Just enjoy the music and the ride.
I mean c'mon. They named themselves after a dildo from a novel...
you only have to go as far as to consider the source for their name!! lol
@@JamesJoyce12 still not sure which it is, a sex toy from a popular book or a needle? Both had the name
@@chrismiller5875 And their material is full of homage to Heroin. Time Out Of Mind, Aja, etc.
@@chrismiller5875 the band has always been pretty clear about it: a steam-powered dildo mentioned in the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch
It was at Bard College that Donald Fagen befriended the wife of one of his profs, Professor Guy Ducornet. Rikki Ducornet was a writer who had grown up on the college’s campus and graduated from the university with a B.A. in Fine Arts a year before Fagen had enrolled there. The two found themselves at the same party, and despite Fagen’s knowledge of her marriage and her pregnancy at the time, he gave Rikki his number.
Ducornet, as can be culled from the lyrics, never called Fagen. When talking with writer Steven Moore in 1998, Ducornet offered up her own interpretation of the tune: “Philosophically it’s an interesting song; I mean I think his ‘number’ is a cipher for the self.” She wouldn’t be the only person looking for deeper meaning within the song’s lyrics, but Fagen has played these interpretations off, saying that it was simply an unrequited love song.
Thank you for providing that accurate description of what the song is about. I've seen some wacky, completely off-base nonsense expressed by others over the years.
Rikki ended up divorcing her professor husband and moved to France to study French poetry. She returned to the US and has published many books of poetry and is quite famous among poets.
And I can completely imagine how a slightly older married woman might react to such a bold gesture from a precocious, full-of-himself college student: "Well, that's flattering and kind of cute, but uh..No thanks." But whereas someone like me would kind of cringe with embarrassment thinking about such an incident later on (and believe me, I have), Fagen wrote a top five hit song about it.
Steely Dan were perfectionists in the studio.
Lex has done it again with her amazing, out-of-left-field music analogies .. "It's like a Reuben Sandwich"! .. Your mind works in a wonderfully different way to any other reactor I've come across .. Love it !
Lex's synesthesia strikes again. All of this brings back to mind a specific adjective used back in the 70s for this kind of music....TASTY. Perhaps it was a regional word, but there was a song by a '70s Long Island band (The Good Rats) that was titled "Tasty".
@@cotedebeaune2012 You've taught me a new word today .. Yes, "synesthesia" is a good description for how Lex's mind seems to work when describing music .. As for "Tasty", I just had a listen to it .. Not a bad song, with a blues / jazz / pop fusion feel to it.
Yeah it made me sit up. She's right.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad Steely Dan track. Fantastic production and superb instrumentals to die for!🖖🏼
Every Steely Dan track is good, except for the ones that are great, which is all of them.
@@473mec Apart from the exceptional ones.
This band is just fantastic. Their songs are so intricate and interesting. Musical heaven 🌺✌️
The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.
By the way, which one’s Dan?
@@MarcosElMalo2 My first thought as well
you could turn on any station during the 70s and this and their others playing continuously. So much talent, music for the masses......
Opening bass/piano riff is Steely Dan's nod to jazz great Horace Silver's "Song For My Father"
Lex loves Steely Dan! Jazzy rock. Do more Steely Dan songs, yall!
One of the great guitar solos of all time, and one of the most underrated.
Agreed. "Skunk" nailed it.
and one of the shortest
It is smooth & very satisfying..like a freshly brewed cup of black coffee.
The guitar soloist ratings board actually scores it at 92%, which is quite high.
SD has killer guitar solos, they just aren't ever long enough..
Steely Dan is one of the Biggest names out of the 70`s Rock scene! Their play list of BIG hits is deep, dig in guys!
And don't ask the origin of the band name. I mean it, Don't Ask!
@@DavidSmith-pg1ob could it be something steam powered? lol
@@scottmatzeder9162 I believe it was electric.
As a kid in the 70s, this was my very first favorite song on the radio.
You must be around 60 like me.
@@TheJohnnywbred 57 :)
@@kel5423 I am 60. The first favorite song I remember via radio was Bill Withers Lean on Me.
I'm never sure if it's this or Do it Again
But maybe it was Reelin in the Years. Yeah I think so. Still hits me at 65. Transports me to breakfast in the kitchen before store with the little am radio on the shelf above my head.
Brad & Lex, you'll love their "Deacon Blues", "Aja" and "Josie"!!!!! Great songs from a legendary album. The album ‘Aja’ won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical.
In my top 5 of all-time great albums!!!
Josie is a masterpiece - Lex would LOVE the vibe!
Yes… All three of these songs are 1st class tunes.
Good lord, I can’t wait for them to attempt interpreting “She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire”. Uh, she got back from vacation in Rome and she’s mad at people parking in the street? No, I think it means she got something in her eyes and they’re irritated. Wait, where did you get Roman? It’s how she prays? Did they say Roman? I thought it was ramen. Why would someone pray like ramen? I dunno, maybe ramen meant something different in the 70s. It was before they had cell phones, right? Right.
I’ve been requesting “Josie” on a few react channels and to my knowledge no one has touched it yet.
Just a shame, as it’s a timeless feel-good classic fully deserving of a react, and I think even sampled in a Hip Hop cut as well as is “Peg”.
So glad to see you getting into Steely Dan. Two guys that used the cream of the crop STUDIO MUSICIANS and Singers to realize their ideas of these songs. And as someone has already said, don't try to analyze their lyrics too closely. Bob Dylan changed everything about song lyrics. They don't have to tell a story in a linear fashion. They can be like an abstract painting that could mean something completely different to anyone that sees or in this case hears it. As homework, or on the show listen to Desolation Row by Bob Dylan. A perfect example of that type of lyric. Each verse is a little abstract painting of words that create an image or hint at a deeper story for you to fill in. Try it. Really hope you like Steely Dan. Each note on each song is meticulously crafted and perfectly played. I really love you guys and the smiles and laughter you bring to my life. Keep it up.
One of the coolest, most personal & nailed reaction/descriptions ever; "A Reuben Sandwich!" 💜💙💥👌👍🤛👏
This is a song I remember well from the summer of 74 or 75. It was popular on the radio and got frequent air play for quite a while.
Great reaction!
'74.
Class of 75'
I remember growing up in Brooklyn and my Dad had his album. I was 7 years old. Its almost like somebody else's life in my memory. 47 years ago wow.
Some friends and I were driving cross-country when this song was out. heard it at least 20 million times in 5 days.
Same with Todd Rundgren's Hello It's Me interspersed.
I was working night-stock at Kroger, we put radio on store intercom real LOUD. This song played about twice every hour. Got kinda old after a week.
Enjoy it now after 50 years.
@@slocumb1270 yep
20 million is a lot of times
@@charlieh3998 2 lots is 40 million
Yes...the Steely Dan song I wanted you guys to hear!
For me it’s the Beatles and then Steely Dan. Two groups it was so innovative. I hope Brad and Rex check out more of the Steely Dan catalog.
Used to hear this number almost every saturday night when I was a teenager! The local cover band was really good! :)
This band had some of the best musicians of the time in it. Check out the list of them if you can still find it. Michael McDonald was one of them. They were constantly evolving and changing. Great band.
Steely Dan one of the great musical duos ever. EVER
Another one of Dan at its peak. Thanks, cats. By the way, the video of the song skipped in the middle. Don't know why.
this is my FAVORITE Steely Dan song! such an amazing song
Really love the Brad & Lex show, but my favorite part of all is when Lex catches a groove there in the background - that big smile is contagious!
one of my favorite bands ever. So many wonderful songs. my absolute favorite FM. Masterpiece. Ciao From 🇮🇹
When I listen I hear "want" where the lyrics show "own". My way makes more sense.
Well, there’s an interesting story that the “Rikki” mentioned in the song is a New York writer and artist, Rikki Ducornet. Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen said he met Ducornet while attending a college party in a small liberal arts school, Bard College.
Although, it wasn’t in the same context as the song, the story goes that Ducornet was pregnant and married at the time, but that didn’t stop Fagen to give his number to her. It made Ducornet intrigued and she was tempted to call him, but decided not to go with the feeling.
Yes, the Entertainment Weekly story! Back in the day, we argued about the meaning of the lyrics: a gay flirtation? A drug deal? For once, Fagen and Becker are pretty straightforward with the song's meaning: a girl named Rikki at a party.
@@glawnow1959 lol, a drug deal. I remember when joints were called numbers, so it scans. “Here, smoke this when you get home and feel better.”
Lex nailed it. At least from the story I read in an article. A woman he was interested in that he met at a party and gave her his number is what the song was based on.
Hi guys… yeah, they
clipped both the start and
end of this great tune, and
it’s really worth hearing the whole thing.
These guys wrote a lot of good tunes
Check out their song my old school
Lex, please take Brad out for Reuben sandwich.
Brad: Corned beef, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing and sauerkraut.
now do "Deacon Blues", "Aja" and "Josie"!!!!
Great choice and reaction. more Steely Dan please. All their songs are good. Thanks
since i was 12 years old . born in 1964 and i do not regret a single album i bought! they mean so much too me!
... my second favorite all-time Steely Dan song ... my first favorite will always be "FM (no static at all)"!!!!!
There’s a very good guitar part playing just under the surface that gets increasingly complex as the song progresses. Not sure who played the solo, but it kinda sounds like Skunk Baxter if it wasn’t Walter Becker.
Thanks for reviewing my favorite Steely Dan song, Brad and Lex, it's a classic.
I bought this single when it first came out in uk , I was about 12 so must’ve been 1974 ish. Compelling song and still love it near 50 years later 👍🏴
Steely Dan is like the Mercedes of music….. just quality at a different level.
Steely Dan. Always a cerebral complex compilations of notes.
Summer 1974. Top 5 in the US. Between the upcoming disco a real refreshment.
1. What a great song.
2. What a great guitar solo
3. I always thought the line was "It's the only one you *want* " and that it's just singing style that draws out the "aw" and softens the "t".
4. What a great song.
Love your vibe and smile Lex...you feel the music!!
Another great song from Steely Dan
Steely Dan sick as hell LOL. Great music.
Always remember hearing this for the first time ---on the radio while riding in the old man's Buick LeSabre with my kid brother not long after our 'rents had split in, like, '74-5
This is fairly early Dan, and dominated the radio airwaves that summer of '74. Thanks for all your trips down my Memory Lane!
I never had an idea what the song is about, but it's one of the coolest songs ever. My lord the bass and guitar!
If this song was remade today, the title would be "Rikki Don't Delete That Number From Your Fone".
I just wanted to say I see how frequent you upload and I see the grind😭😭👏🏽 u guys are awesome I love the content, know your efforts are being noticed🔥
Steely Dan manages to come up with some of the sweetest guitar solos in popular music history, while using a variety of soloists, I might add. The magnificent Skunk Baxter plays on this one!
This was their biggest hit. It was also the first time they called in session musicians instead of using the band
Again Brad takes everything quite literally
I was expecting Brad to ask about the practice of sending important information in the mail addressed to yourself so you can pick up and use it later since people don't seem to do that anymore
The particular lyric does not make any sense however listening to two of their albums this band are great lyric writers!
I have heard it many times, but did not know that Steely Dan sang it !
Good Lexism - "It's like a ruben sandwitch." LOL
Always loved this song. Maybe it's the time of my life that it came out
I love this song
One of my all time fav songs
Jeez the music of those times it really was a blast.
So back in the day, when we actually sent letters in the mail, I got the bright idea to put my name and address on the letter and the person I was sending it to in the return address upper left hand corner. Then I'd drop it off at the post office without a stamp. The USPS would "return" it to sender for lack of postage. It worked like a charm.
Ahhh nostalgia! Takes me way back to when I was in school, and for some reason going school shopping🤔
Show Biz Kids, one word was always blocked out on the radio, so funny nowadays with all the language used in songs.
A Reuben is my favorite sandwich and Pretzel Logic (which contains this song) is my favorite Steely Dan album, and damn, now I'm hungry!
Actually the song about the "number" is a reference to a joint. A slick way to avoid being banned in the early 70s.
Man lex is like a ray of sunshine Brad's more like rain on your parade.
Opening of the song comes from Horace Silver's "Song For My Father."
"Send it off in a letter to yourself" refers to 'commonlaw copyright'. If you write a 'number', you send a copy by registered mail addressed to yourself and if anyone says they wrote it, you have valid proof that you actually did.
IMO their best song - and they've done some classics. That little piano run just before the chorus gets me every time. Innovative, jazzy, and produced to perfection. I put them in the same category as Supertramp as far as that's concerned.
I love Lex's moves! I can tell she really digs the music. The story behind the lyrics is that the songwriter, Donald Fagen, gave his phone number to one of his college professors' wives. Very inappropriate, like a lot of Steely Dan's lyrics, but they are filled with so much life. There has been a great online resource for a couple decades now, The Steely Dan Dictionary, which has been indispensable for fans, since they were always intentionally evasive about explaining their song lyrics.
Always loved their music....but I'll be damned if I can understand a lick of what they're singing about. I remember hearing this a lot, while stationed down at Camp Pendleton in 1974.
First use of a Rueben sandwich in a song reaction. Double points because the comparison was completely lost on Brad. Too funny!
Love, love, love their sound, I'm 68 now. 🇲🇾
"Its the only one you own" is probably just like 'im the only guy you wanna call' type of thing lol
Lex you crack me up! I need my Lex fix everyday!
Great guitar Solo at @3:25. I believe that was Skunk working it.
Brad, "I don't know what a Reuben sandwich is."
Me, "Lex! Make one for him!! For dinner! Soon!!!"
The ingredients are a bit pricey; especially the meat. But it's definitely worth it!
Corned beef on rye bread, baby swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing. Grill it like a grilled cheese sandwich.
There's something about this combination of ingredients that just seem to flawlessly blend together and taste amazing. Most people will be turned off by the thought of sauerkraut on a sandwich. Believe me, try it as is first, even if you don't like sauerkraut.
Expect to be amazed.
The meaning behind a song can be hard to pin down, and Steely Dan can be especially mysterious. In theory, this song was inspired by an actual event of Don Fagen passing his phone number to Rikki Ducornet at a party. But the people in Fagen's circle were all jazz fans, and the meaning might have more to do with the world losing appreciation for old jazz music. Losing the number could be a metaphor for losing jazz, in that "number" is a slang word for a song. In other words, "Don't lose that number" could be "don't lose that song." This theme shows up again in "Hey Nineteen," where the singer laments how old songs are fading away. "Hey, Nineteen. That's Aretha Franklin. She don't remember the queen of soul. It's hard times befalling the sole survivors. She's thinks I'm crazy, but I'm just growing old." This song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," has a keyboard riff that's based on a jazz classic from 1964, "Song For My Father," which was also reprised in songs by other bands, like Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind, and Fire. If we're being really literal about it, "Song For My Father" might be the actual number to keep, but it's probably not intending to be that literal, and instead the meaning is just to keep jazz alive in the heart and mind.
So what I envision is Fagen approaching Rikki at the party, talking about jazz. She doesn't really like jazz, but he's thinking, why don't we spend some time together, maybe have some romance or just goof off, and play jazz music. Maybe you'll like it?
A Reuben is a sandwich of deliciousness composed of corned beef in slices of rye topped with Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing and sauerkraut.
In the very beginning of SD their drummer was actor Chevy Chase.
A MUST HEAR Classic,, Steely Dan "FM" (No Static At All)...Nuff Said.
Lex, you nailed it. The song is about the pregnant wife of one of his college professors. He made a play, and she didn't bite.
This song takes me back to the 70's, wonderful memories. BTW Reuban sandwiches are my favorite!
Steely Dan is the perfect band to bridge the gap between rock lovers and jazz enthusiasts.
BRAD!! YOU NEED TO EAT A RUBEN SANDWICH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!
It's Jim Gordon making you feel all swishy and bossa novey. Skunk Baxter plays one of my very favourite electric guitar solos here.
Steely Dan is a band that will never disappoint. I dare somebody to tell me a bad steely Dan song. I will argue with you all day 😂🔥
I thought I would've gotten tired of listening to Steely Dan a long time ago, but it just ain't gonna happen.
They're too damn good.
Cell phone? 😂
All there was back then were home phones, phone booths, and pagers! lol
A Reuben sandwich is a strange but satisfying combination of a sandwich. Normally I am not a fan of sauerkraut but when it is part of a Reuben it turns magically delicious.
Most likely the best rock music ever produced
The guitar solo is by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter who later joined The Doobie Brothers.
Baxter has also worked as a consultant for the Department of Defense.
He is also a close friend of June Millington of the 70s all-female band Fanny. I highly recommend you react to Fanny especially their live performances.
The piano and guitar solo are jazzy, and has a groove that you just don't hear in many other songs or groups.
Lex, you make sure to take Brad to a good deli and get that man a proper Reuben sandwich. With good, DARK pumpernickel rye bread. A good introduction to a Reuben can be a life-altering event.
I believe that number was code word for a joint. Like many of their songs were about drugs back in the day, that was the 70's.
"Reminds me of a Reuben Sandwich.." you never know what Lex is going to say..!!!
Steely Dan is usually about a relationship that took a side turn but they OWN it.
They have this quality to their music that's very educated but also loose where they don't hold back.
I don't think there are many other bands like them. They're kinda their own jazz rock fusion thing but then they have the lyrics that stick in your head.
Reuben Sandwich I’d a PERFECT analogy!!!!