# what's your favorite Steely Dan song?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 13, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553 "2012-09-13T00:10:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/61 "2012-09-13T17:46:11Z")
I guess I have to go with “My Old School”, although “King of the World” is a strong runner-up. That whole album (_Countdown to Ecstasy_) is one of my favorites, and takes me right back to college days. And I don’t really care for their stuff after that… it seems like they thought they were so cool that they didn’t need to cook any more… they could just… _simmer._
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### Author:  [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/62 "2012-09-13T18:46:12Z")
> [@Xema](#):
>
> No love for _Do It Again_?
That’s my favorite. It’s got this great, steady groove going on, and even as a kid I loved the way the guitar solo just so subtly and smoothly blends into the following synth solo. It almost sounds like the guitar just sort of turns into a synth midway through the solo. Coolness!
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/63 "2012-09-13T19:26:07Z")
Josie is my number one. Followed by Aja and then Katy Lied.
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### Author:  [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/64 "2012-09-13T19:50:12Z")
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number – and by a mile.
Takes me right back to the summer of 1974, my first summer of collecting baseball cards and all the neighbors’ hogging the Petersons’ pool while the parents went through a separation.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/65 "2012-09-13T20:43:29Z")
I couldn’t pick one - Steely Dan is, to me, their own uniquely-defined category. Their music sits at this weird intersection of rock, pop and jazz that has very little overlap with other artists.
\*\*Jaledin \*\*- that’s just it; the Dan is NOT “smooth jazz” - they have enough rock influence in their music and arch/cooler-than-thou cynicism in their lyrics to have some \*danger \*in their songs. THAT is what sets them apart.
ETA: \*\*cochrane \*\*- do you have any evidence that the Eagles used the word Steeley in Hotel California to name-check Donald and Walter? I have never heard of that, and the lyrics don’t seem to need a reference to SD to make sense…
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### Author:  [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/66 "2012-09-13T20:46:58Z")
Green Earrings
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### Author:  [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/67 "2012-09-13T21:07:54Z")
> [@WordMan](#):
>
> ETA: \*\*cochrane \*\*- do you have any evidence that the Eagles used the word Steeley in Hotel California to name-check Donald and Walter? I have never heard of that, and the lyrics don’t seem to need a reference to SD to make sense…
I’m not **cochrane** but I remembered the story from years ago but I couldn’t recall if it was Don Henley or Glenn Frey who mentioned it. So I looked up the Wiki article on _Hotel California_, and it turns out to have been Frey.
> [@](#):
>
> According to Glenn Frey’s liner notes for The Very Best of Eagles, the use of the word “steely” in the lyric (referring to knives) was a playful nod to band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric “Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening” in their song “Everything You Did”.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/68 "2012-09-13T21:09:31Z")
Interesting. Not quite the same as Lynyrd Skynyrd “versus” Neil Young, but there ya go…
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### Author:  [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/69 "2012-09-14T00:35:28Z")
> [@Bass\_Chick](#):
>
> I’d be hard pressed to pick just one. AJA is one of my favorite albums of all time.
I see only two songs from AJA didn’t make it to the best of/show biz kids CD! 🆒
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### Author:  [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/70 "2012-09-14T01:29:11Z")
> [@squeegee](#):
>
> Peg, Kid Charlemagne, My Old School, Bodhisattva, and especially Bodhisattva, because I could play all the cool guitar solos along with the record at some point or other, but I’ll admit it’s been awhile. I never did figure out the “sitar” work on Do It Again though. All awesome songs.
Another vote for **Bodhisattva**. I love Steely Dan and I make the occasional mix cd of their tunes. \*\*Bodhisattva \*\*is always first.
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### Author:  [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/71 "2012-09-14T01:30:49Z")
More giant love for Kid Charlemagne here. And another observation similar to others upthread; the number of disappointing pieces in the SD catalogue is so low compared to just about any other musician or group that I also happen to love. Audio alchemy.
More on the list:
Everyone’s Gone to the Movies
Haitian Divorce (“first we dolly back, now we fade to black…”)
Babylon Sisters
Caves of Altamira
Time Out of Mind (which I wish someone would mash up with Billie Jean, already)
I love this thread. You’ve all just dropped about $18.00 in the All Steely Dan jukebox in my brain.
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### Author:  [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/72 "2012-09-14T02:22:50Z")
Hey Nineteen has to be my favorite. Followed by Bodhisattva, and FM. So many good songs! Who the hell says we’re not supposed to like Steely Dan?
Fuck them.
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### Author:  [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/73 "2012-09-14T02:24:00Z")
Favorite is “My Old School”.
Other favorites: “Katy Lied”, “With A Gun”, “Deacon Blues”, and (from Fagen) “The Goodbye Look”
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### Author:  [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/74 "2012-09-14T02:53:54Z")
Ricky don’t lose that lumber. It’s the only wood you’ve got.
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### Author:  [@COGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/COGringo)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/75 "2012-09-14T02:56:38Z")
My Old School
2nd Bad Sneakers
Don’t know why. Just stick with me. Hey 19 is up there for me too.
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### Author:  [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/76 "2012-09-14T06:18:13Z")
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
… and many more
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/77 "2012-09-14T06:44:59Z")
_Do It Again_ is the only Steely Dan that I’m familiar with. It’s a great song. I didn’t know Rikki Don’t Lose that Number was a Steely Dan song. I like it too.
> [@Xema](#):
>
> No love for _Do It Again_?
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### Author:  [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/78 "2012-09-14T14:23:00Z")
Deacon Blues, straight up. Damn, I can relate to that guy.
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### Author:  [@PoorMarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorMarie)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/79 "2012-09-14T20:53:45Z")
_Only a Fool Would Say That_…I believe it is dripping with sarcasm, though when I go back to look at lyrics, I am often surprised that I apparently miss the whole gist of a song…
And\* Rose Darling\*, which always struck me as a heck of a love song though I could be wrong about that too…
Around here, on my birthday, I get the special right to blast Steely Dan, pour a glass of white wine, and sing all the lyrics to the top of my lungs…Once a year, I can get away with that…
Come to think of it, it is Friday evening and I have had one rotten day…I wonder if I could get away with it now…Sounds like that would fix what ails me!
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### Author:  [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-steely-dan-song/634553/80 "2012-09-14T23:29:23Z")
> [@PoorMarie](#):
>
> _Only a Fool Would Say That_…I believe it is dripping with sarcasm, though when I go back to look at lyrics, I am often surprised that I apparently miss the whole gist of a song…
>
> And\* Rose Darling\*, which always struck me as a heck of a love song though I could be wrong about that too…
>
> Around here, on my birthday, I get the special right to blast Steely Dan, pour a glass of white wine, and sing all the lyrics to the top of my lungs…Once a year, I can get away with that…
> Come to think of it, it is Friday evening and I have had one rotten day…I wonder if I could get away with it now…Sounds like that would fix what ails me!
You can TOTALLY do that, and I might join you! I have certain personal celebratory days like that myself. Used to listen to all my Beatles LP’s back to back, head between the speakers. :D. A Steely Dan holler fest might do us both good.
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