"Pretzel Logic" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen that was released as a single by Steely Dan from their album Pretzel Logic, originally released in 1974 by ABC Records. Most rock & roll bands are a tightly wound unit that developed their music through years of playing in garages and clubs around their hometown. This was Steely Dan's breakthrough hit, putting them on the map in both the U.S. and U.K. William Becker and Donald Fagan are well known for writing provocative lyrics that deal with controversial themes. It reached number 57 in the Billboard charts. Societal collapse runs rampant in Steely Dan’s music — we listen because we know the bitter truth, but we wouldn’t mind being able to hum along. The track was released as single in 1977 and reached number 11 on the US Billboard chart in 1978 and number eight on the Cash Box chart. Lyrically, this is one of the simpler Dan songs, with no narrative development, or real emotional depth. "What do the lyrics of Steely Dan's "Gaucho" mean?" With a chart run of 19 weeks, "Peg" is tied with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Hey Nineteen" for being their longest-running chart hit. Steely Dan: Babylon Sister Meaning. Steely Dan never subscribed to that aesthetic. I'd puzzled on this song for many years before arriving at this conclusion. Anatomy of a Song: Jay Graydon Discusses Steely Dan’s “Peg ... Anatomy, which looks at one aspect of a song or album through the eyes of the person who made it happen. Interested in the deeper meanings of Steely Dan songs? This week, we talk with Jay Graydon, who supplied the famous guitar solo for Steely Dan’s classic “Peg. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen explain the meaning behind Steely Dan songs such as Rikki Don't Lose That Number, My Old School and Kid Charlemagne. / Hey Nineteen … Due to this reputation, many fans look deeply into the meaning of Steely Dan's lyrics. Spearheaded by keyboardist/vocalist Donald Fagen and guitarist Walter Becker, the duo assembled many of the best studio musicians to bring their musical ideas to life. But if you watch the film and understand its historical background and context, and have some familiarity with Steely Dan's multi-layered approach to, well, everything, and then study the lyrics, it becomes clearer that the song is really saying, "The war is over, and we lost, because tragic as it is, most people just don't care. Babylon Sister Lyrics. And yet, that flagrant bleakness is itself a mask, hiding the deep compassion that, when the Dan chose to reveal it, could be devastating. "Peg" is a song by American rock group Steely Dan, first released on the band's 1977 album Aja. Steely Dan song meanings and interpretations with user discussion. As the vehicle for the songwriting of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan … The song also reached number 39 on the U.K. charts. You're looking at an A-Z glossary of over 130 obscure words, people and places — all taken from the lyrics of Steely Dan songs. The songs were so good that the origin of the name Steely Dan mattered little. Hey Nineteen Lyrics: Way back when, in '67 / I was the dandy of Gamma Chi / Sweet things from Boston / So young and willing / Moved down to Scarsdale / Where the hell am I? The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones. So are we. Steely Dan was one of the most successful music acts of the 1970s. Tagged: Prostitution. Update 15-Mar-2020: Of my Quora posts, I think this is my most valuable contribution.