The story behind this song improves the experience of listening to it. I'm gonna quote user RazzMcTazz (thank you!) who gracefully put together a summary from various sources about the song's meaning: "Fagen's high school girlfriend, Dorothy White, gives Fagen (ahem, half of "69") or "35 sweet goodbyes" before she sends him off on a train called the "Wolverine" to Annandale-on-the-Hudson, NY where Fagen would attend Bard College, sometimes referred to as "The William & Mary of the North". Bard's dean of students, (the girl who "could be so cruel") worked with the district attorney, G Gordon Liddy (Daddy G) and the local police to snitch and to drug-bust Fagen's dorm and arrest about 50 kids. The bust happens on a weekend that Dorothy is visiting and so Dorothy also gets arrested, as does Fagen who is "smoking with the boys upstairs" at 5AM. Bard bails out the students, but not Dorothy since she's not a student, so her daddy has to bail her of jail (full of "working girls"). Fagen offers to take his increasingly bohemian girlfriend, Dorothy, to Guadalajara to avoid prosecution but she doesn't want to go. Fagen was angry at Bard for its complicity in the bust and so he didn't attend graduation (when the whistle blows) and Fagen swears that he'd never going back to his old schoool. He also thinks that Bard doesn't deserve to be called "The William & Mary of the North". (So "William & Mary won't do".) Oleanders can't grow in New York's climate and apparently refer to cannabis (perhaps growing under UV lights). Fagen did go back to Bard 16 years later, in 1985, to accept an honory doctorate."
@@amercadodf Nice description of the background to the song. Only quibble is that I think Oleanders, growing in pots, would have been found at Bard; the gardens are very formal and quite beautiful.
The reference to Daddy G is about the local prosecutor at the time, G. Gordon Liddy, who went on to much greater notoriety as one of the key players in Watergate.
My favorite of all of Steely Dan's fantastic tunes. I always sing along. And let's hear it for the legendary Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's smokin' guitar solos.
I just listened and, before reading your comment, was marveling at that second guitar solo. Pure fire. I was wondering which of the guitar crew it was. Peace.
You guys are really cool.....thanks for doing this! ive followed Steely Dan since I was 10 years old in 1972, The first album i ever bought in my life was Cant buy a thrill! Artwork used to be a big part of the experience!! Liner notes....pics etc
You can't the forget the wonderful background singers in this, if not all of Steely Dan's songs. No pun intended, but they are the unsung heroes of music.
@@SightAfterDark My bad. I was wrong. I just remembered that Jimmy Paige said it was the guitar solo on Reelin' In The Years that's one of his favorites of all time. Not this one.
The counterplay of the bass, the drug references in the lyrics (late 60s - early 70s), that sweet counterpunch of the baritone sax - this song is absolutely genius. KIckin' time signature changes. If this song leaves you flat, well, you must have different tastes in music then....
So great watching your reactions to these classic Dan songs. I was fortunate to have seen Steely Dan guitar legends Jeff Skunk Baxter and Elliott Randall at a Sydney pub gig when they toured Australia with a band they called "My Old School" during the '80s . They played Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers songs, with the most brilliant guitar solos from both. It was AMAZING!
New subscriber here, old musician from the Detroit area. (I’m 63.) ...one of my favorite pastimes lately is watching young people listening to classic rock, and honest reactions.... that’s what I got from watching this. “My Old School” always stood out as a personal favorite of mine. Growing up with this music was incredible. The entire album “The Royal Scam” is excellent.... ...have a fabulous day. ☮️
We’re glad you enjoyed George! As far as we’re concerned, genre and time period is irrelevant if the music is great :) Since we started doing reactions, Steely Dan have grown to be one of our favorite bands. Thanks for watching!
What you two are doing is great! I grew up on this music and always made sure to try and pass it on. People like you are keeping music such as Zappa and Steely Dan going for another generation. For that I say Thanks.
The "Dan" wrote wry, sarcastic, funny, obtuse lyrics. They put fun in their songs. That and the extraordinary musicianship in the recordings place their work among the artists of that time. If I only get one library of work to listen to until my end of days, let it be from these guys.
You guys are fucking awesome! I'm really involved with the live music scene in Wilmington NC. We'd love to book you to come and play here at the beach! Oleanders grow here!
There's a Russian band, Leonid & Friends, that has a bunch of videos on RUclips and they're mostly known for doing absolutely fantastic Chicago covers, but they recently did an incredible cover of this song.
@@SightAfterDark Daddy G was G Gordon Liddy - at the time of the events in this song, he was a prosecutor for the DA up in Duchess County (yep, Annandale on the Hudson). He later rose to infamy as part of the Watergate conspirators.
what great lyrical content..she could not do the 9-5..we got to respect these girls...Oleander growing outside her door..I got one of those in my yard and my wife is poisoning it cause it is a very poisonous plant..Ugly flowers and big bulbous root structure...a mongrel of a plant...when they started building suburbia with fibro in Sydney they put these ugly mongrel plants as part of some cheap landscape ...maybe west LA did the same when surburban sprawls happen.
The story behind this song improves the experience of listening to it. I'm gonna quote user RazzMcTazz (thank you!) who gracefully put together a summary from various sources about the song's meaning:
"Fagen's high school girlfriend, Dorothy White, gives Fagen (ahem, half of "69") or "35 sweet goodbyes" before she sends him off on a train called the "Wolverine" to Annandale-on-the-Hudson, NY where Fagen would attend Bard College, sometimes referred to as "The William & Mary of the North". Bard's dean of students, (the girl who "could be so cruel") worked with the district attorney, G Gordon Liddy (Daddy G) and the local police to snitch and to drug-bust Fagen's dorm and arrest about 50 kids. The bust happens on a weekend that Dorothy is visiting and so Dorothy also gets arrested, as does Fagen who is "smoking with the boys upstairs" at 5AM.
Bard bails out the students, but not Dorothy since she's not a student, so her daddy has to bail her of jail (full of "working girls"). Fagen offers to take his increasingly bohemian girlfriend, Dorothy, to Guadalajara to avoid prosecution but she doesn't want to go.
Fagen was angry at Bard for its complicity in the bust and so he didn't attend graduation (when the whistle blows) and Fagen swears that he'd never going back to his old schoool. He also thinks that Bard doesn't deserve to be called "The William & Mary of the North". (So "William & Mary won't do".) Oleanders can't grow in New York's climate and apparently refer to cannabis (perhaps growing under UV lights).
Fagen did go back to Bard 16 years later, in 1985, to accept an honory doctorate."
Holy shit. That is amazing! That really does add a whole new dimension to the song. Thanks for informing us!
'Fagen'.
@@teelurizzo8542 You're right. I copied and pasted without doing spellcheck, but it's corrected now. Thanks!
@@amercadodf You're most welcome.
@@amercadodf Nice description of the background to the song. Only quibble is that I think Oleanders, growing in pots, would have been found at Bard; the gardens are very formal and quite beautiful.
The reference to Daddy G is about the local prosecutor at the time, G. Gordon Liddy, who went on to much greater notoriety as one of the key players in Watergate.
Interesting! Never would have known that. Thanks for dropping that knowledge Steve!
Who’s Chino?
"Daddy G" was one hard dude.
My favorite of all of Steely Dan's fantastic tunes. I always sing along. And let's hear it for the legendary Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's smokin' guitar solos.
This is a great one!
Skunk Baxter's guitar solos on this tune are amazing but his second solo is one of my all time favorites. Give it a second listen.
We’ve listened a few times since then :) thanks for watching!
The dan fade out !
Notbaxter
I just listened and, before reading your comment, was marveling at that second guitar solo. Pure fire. I was wondering which of the guitar crew it was. Peace.
You guys are really cool.....thanks for doing this! ive followed Steely Dan since I was 10 years old in 1972, The first album i ever bought in my life was Cant buy a thrill! Artwork used to be a big part of the experience!! Liner notes....pics etc
We think you’re cool too John! Thanks for watching!
Bard College in NY! That’s where Walter and Donald met!
Shoutout to Bard College!
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter...his guitar solos through this are among my favorite guitar solos of all time. Just HOT.
I was just listening to them, and loving them.
You can't the forget the wonderful background singers in this, if not all of Steely Dan's songs. No pun intended, but they are the unsung heroes of music.
Good point! They really do make the song!
Steely Dan is top fucking tier. Great stuff, thanks.
The highest of tiers!
Love this tune. So much can be said but I will say only this. The bari-sax sings to me.
Such an amazing groove.
Indeed!
This one is very popular when it is performed live by SD. Jimmy Paige of Led Zeppelin said the guitar solo is one of his favorites of all time.
Love Jimmy Page! Love this solo!
@@SightAfterDark
My bad. I was wrong. I just remembered that Jimmy Paige said it was the guitar solo on Reelin' In The Years that's one of his favorites of all time. Not this one.
Awesome guitar work on this one! THE DAN does it again! I can relate...I'm never going back to my old school again either!
We aren't either!
The counterplay of the bass, the drug references in the lyrics (late 60s - early 70s), that sweet counterpunch of the baritone sax - this song is absolutely genius. KIckin' time signature changes. If this song leaves you flat, well, you must have different tastes in music then....
cowbell always rocks hard as hell! And you're a badass guitarist man!
Thank you so much Zamauri! Gotta love the cowbell :)
Sherlie Matthews back up vocalist extraordinaire
Absolutely!
So great watching your reactions to these classic Dan songs. I was fortunate to have seen Steely Dan guitar legends Jeff Skunk Baxter and Elliott Randall at a Sydney pub gig when they toured Australia with a band they called "My Old School" during the '80s . They played Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers songs, with the most brilliant guitar solos from both. It was AMAZING!
Thanks for watching!
New subscriber here, old musician from the Detroit area. (I’m 63.) ...one of my favorite pastimes lately is watching young people listening to classic rock, and honest reactions.... that’s what I got from watching this. “My Old School” always stood out as a personal favorite of mine. Growing up with this music was incredible. The entire album “The Royal Scam” is excellent....
...have a fabulous day. ☮️
We’re glad you enjoyed George! As far as we’re concerned, genre and time period is irrelevant if the music is great :) Since we started doing reactions, Steely Dan have grown to be one of our favorite bands. Thanks for watching!
Good on you for listening to do much steely Dan. They are the greatest band of all time
We love SD!
What you two are doing is great! I grew up on this music and always made sure to try and pass it on. People like you are keeping music such as Zappa and Steely Dan going for another generation. For that I say Thanks.
Our pleasure! We love Steely Dan!
Rick Derringer played the lead guitar in this song, the second session player on this album ( the other being Elliot Randall on Reelin In the Years)
They killed it!
It’s actually Jeff Skunk Baxter on lead guitar here. Derringer plays lead on “show biz kids”
Yup...got it mixed up
Steely Dan is pure musical genius and the lyrics are timeless
For real!
The "Dan" wrote wry, sarcastic, funny, obtuse lyrics. They put fun in their songs. That and the extraordinary musicianship in the recordings place their work among the artists of that time. If I only get one library of work to listen to until my end of days, let it be from these guys.
Everybody notices the cowbells, but nobody comments on the cha cha cha, that is right there !!! I hear it & I ain't even THAT old !!!!!
Lots going on with SD!
The baritone sax in this is the shit
Hell yeah it is!
This was SDs landmark album. It affected every musician worldwide.
You guys crack me up!🤣
Check out Jeff Baxter on "how do the fools survive" with the Doobie brothers. Phenomenal outro.
Thanks Dennis!
Night by Night Pretzel Logic!!!! Whole Pretzel Logic Album
Coming soon 😎 thanks for watching!
Love your reactions!!
NY’s own Lou Reed live(Bottom Line) Take No Prisoners Album
You guys are fucking awesome! I'm really involved with the live music scene in Wilmington NC. We'd love to book you to come and play here at the beach! Oleanders grow here!
RIP WALTER BECKER
and for this song RIP DADDY 'G'.
RIP Thanks for watching Steven!
It's rock It's Jazz. It's pop. It's perfect and it's...funk with the skunk!
I own the entire Steely Dan album collection on original vinyl. Some are half speed mastered on heavy vinyl. I've listened to them for a long time.
Hell yeah!
There's a Russian band, Leonid & Friends, that has a bunch of videos on RUclips and they're mostly known for doing absolutely fantastic Chicago covers, but they recently did an incredible cover of this song.
Nice!
They make songs about pimps: Daddy don't live in that new york city no more
Or about porno: The Fez
Oh yeah, we love the seediness in their songs. Way deeper than some happy pop songs
As Donald said about this song “ dumb but effective “ and I agree
Maybe might be my favorite Steely Dan Song!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️🎃☮️
They went to Bard College in Annandale, NY.
And they’re never going back!
It amazes me that you made no mention of the the guitar and horn players. The are famous on their own.
LOL well apparently they aren't famous to us. But they did a great job!
@ 5:20 What person that plays guitar doesn't wish they could play this. starting here?
Cha cha cha !
🎶🎶🎶
I hope you'll ain't in california when it tumbles into the sea. Stay safe
Haha nope, we’ll be here when NYC tumbles into the sea instead ;)
Thanks for watching Robert!
Three words: Jeff Skunk Baxter.
" Skunk Baxter" ?
Super group? Check out The Dukes of September.
From D. C. ??
Chino and Daddy gee are actually real people!
What a crew!
@@SightAfterDark Daddy G was G Gordon Liddy - at the time of the events in this song, he was a prosecutor for the DA up in Duchess County (yep, Annandale on the Hudson). He later rose to infamy as part of the Watergate conspirators.
Two words: outro guitar
Two words: you’re right
@@SightAfterDark fun-kay
Extra points: What does the 35 sweet goodbyes refer to?
Half of 70?
@@SightAfterDark I prefer a 68 myself. I’ll owe ya one 😉
Believe its the 35 mins before the Wolverine train left for Annondale.....
Your comment that they seem to write songs for pimps is an apt one, typically, Steely Dan songs are about criminal activity.
Definitely
That's not steely Dan it's Lionid and friends
what great lyrical content..she could not do the 9-5..we got to respect these girls...Oleander growing outside her door..I got one of those in my yard and my wife is poisoning it cause it is a very poisonous plant..Ugly flowers and big bulbous root structure...a mongrel of a plant...when they started building suburbia with fibro in Sydney they put these ugly mongrel plants as part of some cheap landscape ...maybe west LA did the same when surburban sprawls happen.
Make songs for pimps? Love it. Look up the origin of the name 'Steely Dan'.
Haha we’ve heard about it 😂
I will never understand lyric videos, why would anybody want to read ahead the lyrics rather than just hear them sung in the moment?
Sometimes it’s hard to hear what they’re saying. Thanks for watching!
Sometimes it’s hard to hear what they’re saying. Thanks for watching!
Sometimes it’s hard to hear what they’re saying. Thanks for watching!
They make songs for pimps ...belissmo