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Steely Dan
In the ‘70s, an awful lot of bands were singing about an awful lot of things, but most were pretty much consistent in their themes. At the end of the day, we all knew that Robert Plant wanted somebody to squeeze his lemon, that the Allman Brothers were ramblin' men, that Pink Floyd was desperately neurotic, that David Bowie was a karmic chameleon, that Fleetwood Mac changed partners a few times too often, that Alice Cooper was deliberately attempting to shock us. These were some of the monster bands whose careers were peaking when Steely Dan established itself on the scene.
Who knew what Steely Dan was singing about? Practically every song was veiled in mystery or contained personal references that meant nothing to the listening audience. If not personal, then the references were often scholastic in nature and required a college degree in Western literature to discern the melodic insights. Also, the group hardly ever addressed the same topic twice - that is, when you could determine just what the topic was. The only thing a listener could consistently expect from Steely Dan was inscrutability. How could you not be nonplussed by a pair of guys who would pen the following lyrics;
"Walk around collecting Turkish Union dues. They will call you sir and shine your shoes."
"Greek...medallion...sparkles...when you smile. Sorry...angel..I get hungry...like a child."
"When Black Friday comes, I'll fly down to Muswellbrook. Gonna strike all the big red words from my little black book."
"Five names I can hardly stand to hear, including yours and mine and one more chimp who isn't here."
"Even Cathy Berberian knows there's one roulade she can't sing."
"Maybe he's a fairy? You know I'm through with Buzz."
As clever as this conglomeration of words might be, WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? Granted, I chose them at random and dropped them here completely out of context, but I’ve slowly discerned meaning from enough other Steely Dan song-stories to be relatively certain that these aren't just nonsense syllabics. Like a cryptogram, they at least make you want to understand them. Compared with the slew of contemporary vague-sters who would have us believe that their words were more than cosmic hogwash, Steely Dan was downright earthy. Think of Yes; or Emerson, Lake and Palmer; or Nektar (remember Nektar?); or Kansas; or even Peter Frampton (the most incredible compiler of non-sequiturs I've ever heard). A fragment of a generation was coming of age listening to lyrics that were deliberately constructed to be indecipherable.
"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" seems to possess a soul all its own, and this is true of most Steely Dan compositions. Becker and Fagen's writing was so complex that it provided a landscape for the song's characters to inhabit, granting them their own universe. Maybe we don't understand their culture or their dialogue, but they become as real and tangible as the notes themselves. Only with repeated listenings do we begin to fathom the personalities and idiosyncrasies of these “people”. Very few writers are capable of this. Usually, a pop song attempts to construct a mood or a personal reflection that causes us to relate to the vocalist. Becker and Fagen went well beyond this and captured the character's universe in full perspective. This type of writing is a talent that transcends mere artisanship and defines Walter Becker and Donald Fagen as diverse and visionary artists.
 
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