This whole album is glorious. "Haitian Divorce," "The Royal Scam," "Caverns of Altamira," "Don't take me Alive." So much good stuff in this part of their catalogue.
@@godbluffvdgg Huge fan of The Royal Scam. Aja is dope in it's own right. But, something about Royal Scam that's raw with a harder edge, that gets me all of the time.
@@beantowne617 It is such a killer album, as are most of Steely Dan's works... It came out when I was in High School, we used to hooky every day ( philly public school) One of my corner bros used to play it all the time while we got high....He died a couple years ago so; it reminds me of those times we had..:)...Hope that wasn't too boring...
Im old, I've gone to many many concerts, 70s 80s 90s 2000s to current, and Steely Dan, hands down, was the absolute best concert I've ever seen!!!! I've always loved them, the jazzy, rock n roll, the brass. The guitar, piano, the voices, ohhhhh, absolute joy!!!!✌🦋♥️🎶
This song is about Augustus Owlsley Stanley III, aka "Bear." He was the Grateful Dead's sound engineer and a renowned LSD chemist. Kinda the Walter White of Acid.
I don't think that a person should try to analyze lyrics so much on the first listen. it takes away form you just appreciating the song. lyrics are something that should start to sink in after a few listens, and I never would read the lyrics while listening the first time. part of the joy of new music is discovering things a little bit at a time on each listen.
People listen to it in their own ways. There's no right way to listen to a song. I always take in the words. Then, that's just me. I liked watching her discovery of the story in the song.
@@andyo3689 Yes yes yes. Personally I'm a music guy, but I agree with every word you said. I really liked watching her piece together the story line and the characters. I just wish she hadn't cut off the music early.
Not quite, they are production perfectionists I'll give you that, but they gotta lotta soul. Amazing that even with their intensity in production and the amount of time given, I don't believe they've ever "over produced" anything, quite a feat, considering.
They never said who the song was about, but it's assumed to be Owsley “Bear” Stanley, who was a legendary for cooking LSD back in the 60s. Stanley was imprisoned at one point but released on a technicality, and put under continuous surveillance by the authorities, hence the lyrics, 'Cause the man is wise. You are still an outlaw in their eyes'.
"Do It Again," "Reelin' in the Years," "My Old School," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," "Peg," "Deacon Blues," "FM (No Static at All)," ... These songs filled the radio airwaves throughout in the 70's. "Hey Nineteen" capped off the decade in 1980. Each tells a tale of its own. "Kid Charlemagne" spins a tale about the way Owsley finished The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. And what a great guitar solo too.
So happy to see you reacting to Steely Dan. I still have 2 of my original albums Katy Lied and the masterpiece Aja album. Pick any song from that album.
I guess Michael may have had a sentimental message to convey about himself with a line like, "It ain't long!" Sorry, but I can't even bring my mouth to say the words, "Toto, Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins" in the same breath without vomit juices shooting up the back of my throat! Toto? What a freaking lame name for a band who all wore the same kind of 80's eyewear, and the same polyester pants with the string ties and ran around in the same Chinese slippers together!! I have no sympathy for terrible plastic and polyester bands like... *spew* "Toto!" "Run Toto, run!!!!
Kids Charlemagne is about Owsley Stanley. The first person to synthesize LSD in San Francisco mid 1960's. He became a millionaire, but as the song said, "his world would fall apart"
Yes!! India is reacting to Steely Dan!! Id say what this song is about but somebody covered it in the comments I'd suggest from them Big Black Cow or the Fez or Hatian Divorce
This Band is so unique. A mix of Rock and Jazz fusion. Excellent musicians and incredible lyrics make Steely Dan a very different experience. Someone once said, "You either love them, or hate them, there is no in-between." I happen to really like them.
Now THAT, is just another OUTSTANDING song from that album. After I first bought the album in my early teenage years, that was THE ONE song that I listened to over and over again!!!
Bernard Purdie was the fucking man. That drum groove is incredible. The Greatest studio drummer of a generation. Larry Carlton's guitar solo was special as well.
The song's partly about Owsley Stanley, a chemist who probably did more than anyone to produce and popularize LSD in the Sixties. He was also the Grateful Dead's sound engineer.
I recommend ‘Cousin Dupree’ from their album Two Against Nature, it’s one of the most under rated albums of all time IMO, but it did win Grammy’s Album of The Year, I love it. That being said, Dan’s older stuff is very good as well. My Old School, Bodhisttva (Spelling?), Dirty Work, Black Cow etc are a few of the many excellent Dan songs. I’ve seen them three times in concert, they are top notch musicians, Fagen and the late Walter Becker were amazing writers. Complete perfectionists, fired band members all the time for not being perfect, they usually used studio musicians. Their music usually has a naughty theme and they use jazzy or intellectual terms a lot in their music. The name ‘Steely Dan’ comes from the book Naked Lunch, it’s a dildo, that’s what their name means. Just my two cents.
Watching videos of people reacting to this song just makes me kinda wish that I could have heard "Champion" by Kanye West without first knowing where the sample came from.
Everyone is doing the same reaction videos so why don't you take it to the next level and look into a group called Dave Brubeck and listen to Take Five. This is what got the real solo instrumentals going and was a powerful influence to all the rock greats..... Just a thought. @
Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne Lyrics: While the music played you worked by candlelight Those San Francisco nights You were the best in town Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl You turned it on the world That's when you turned the world around Did you feel like Jesus Did you realize That you were a champion in their eyes On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene But yours was kitchen clean Everyone stopped to stare at your technicolor motor home Every A-Frame had your number on the wall You must have had it all You'd go to L.A. on a dare And you'd go it alone Could you live forever Could you see the day Could you feel your whole world fall apart and fade away [Chorus:] Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne Get along Kid Charlemagne Now your patrons have all left you in the red Your low rent friends are dead This life can be very strange All those dayglow freaks who used to paint the face They've joined the human race Some things will never change Son you were mistaken You are obsolete Look at all the white men on the street [Chorus] Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail Those test tubes and the scale Just get them all out of here Is there gas in the car Yes, there's gas in the car I think the people down the hall Know who you are Careful what you carry 'Cause the man is wise You are still an outlaw in their eyes [Chorus]
Both of Larry Carlton's guitar solos on this track = GOAT In addition to being a session musician on literally hundreds of tracks from artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell and Michael Jackson, Larry was also part of the smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay, with Bob James, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason Jr.
Kid Charlemagne is the first track off of Steely Dan's "The Royal Scam". The song is written about Owsley Stanley, a manufacturer of high-quality LSD at the time and a sound technician for The Grateful Dead. The last verse describes an incident in which Owsley and another person were busted after their car ran out of gas.
Steely Dan was a group who never played in public. They were some of, if not the first and only, studio artist of their time. You MAY find a video of them playing together but most people have never seen them. It was ALL about their music and not their physical appearance so their popularity was solely based on their musical talent.
Steely Dan [which is a reference to Beat writer William S. Burroughs--Junky, Naked Lunch, et al.-- apparently he had a dildo called Steely Dan, lol!] is one of the most exquisite, unique, complex, and brilliant bands ever. Very underrated. You should def check out songs like "Aja," "Black Friday," "Deacon Blues," "Dirty Work," "Razor Boy," and "Josie." Cheers!
Steely Dan is like Rush for people who drink martinis. It is not surprising Dan fans are giving you grief. They are very fanatical about these guys. By far, one of the most talented bands. Great musicians with amazing talent and chemistry.
"Kid Charlemagne" in this song was a guy named Owsley, I forgot his first name. Owsley did sound for the Greatful Dead early on and was also a chemist. In San Francisco during the 60's he manufactured the purest LSD made outside a laboratory setting. He produced the majority of the LSD consumed in the Greater Bay area during that time. He was eventually arrested and did time in prison and I was living in San Francisco when he got out. Rolling Stone did a big story on him. He made a new batch. Anyway, he is Kid Charlemagne in this song. We just called him Owsley.
Dear, his lyrics are always subject to speculation but those melodies and harmonies not to mention production are the main attraction. He could’ve been singing about any number of interesting characters but that’s not the main point, it’s the instrumental content that really shines in that unique Steely Dan way that continued for decades!
Yes! Steely Dan is one of my favorites! Deacon Blues Do it again Bad sneakers Midnite Cruiser FM Only a fool would say that Dont take me alive The fez Turn that heartbeat over again Daddy dont live in that new york city Caves of Altamira To name only a few!!
Hey, I think you did a great job analyzing the clues the song throws at you. This band is one of my fav and I can't begin how much I'd love it for you to react to more of their stuff. Their first couple of albums are straight fire, I'm talking not a single one doesn't have 5 star audio quality, lyrics and new GOAT musicians while being catchy as hell. One consistent theme of Steely Dan is their making "losers of life" into heroes. Your hunch about "kid charlemagne" having to do with drugs is spot on. In the 60's, he supplied San Francisco's psychedelic scene with LSD and was a "champion" of the creative artistic hippie scene. He expanded his business into southern Cali & LA and the cops started to break up his drug empire. At that point, even though he was a "champion in their eyes" to all the Cali LSD-hippies, he was still living the life of an "outlaw in their eyes" of society. I'd love to see you react to some more of their earlier stuff, first couple of albums have NOT A BAD SONG on them.
You could spend all day trying to analyse Steely Dan lyrics and still come up with several different interpretations and that's one of the elements that makes their music so revered. In the history of Rock & Roll Popular Music, the Dan remains one of the heavyweights with their unique vision and compositions.
A master piece from Steely Dan, my favorite band. I believe at that time during the 70's, LSD was ok to have and use. Owlsley Stanley III used to prepare to his friends. He was the sound engineer and many other things in the Greatful Dead Band, and also he was the one who created the logo of the band, and the band used to have printed in the Speakers, this way noone could steal the cabinets and amps, the logo became a trademark for the band.
I believe the song is about a drug dealers rise and fall in the San Francisco area. I used to listen to Steely Dan a lot back in Highschool during the early to mid 1990s. But lost touch with the group until last winter while on a family skiing trip. Turned out my brother in law was also a big Steely Dan fan. We listened to Steely Dan all night drinking. being in my early 40s I have a renewed appreciation for their music and the lyrics. This song in particular the music and lyrics are amazing.
This person was Owlsley, one of Ken Keysey's Merry Pranksters. A group of day-blow hippies who partied up and down the California coast in '66, 67. They introduced many to LSD. Owlsley was the chemist in the group who made all the acid.
You get a I like from me and a subscription just for chossing such a bad ass sophisticated song and band to reaction to. Steely Dan is the creme de la creme.
LSD dealer who had his hey day in the late 1960s Hippie era, but now finds himself in mid 1970s, and the prime 'product' that made him a legend - an extremely pure psychedelic drug - is no longer in vogue in the cocaine-fuelled inspired mid Seventies, hence the line 'you are obsolete/look at all the 'white man' on the street' ('white man' meaning 'coke dealer', 'coke user').
Augustus Qwsley Stanley III , he was also a self-taught master recording engineer, professional ballet dancer, jeweler, raconteur, and always good company. Miss him !
Steely Dan is the bomb! Being a young child in the 70’s and not having videos, Steely Dan was not a “Video” band, I was shocked when I was old enough to buy my first Dan Album, I was shocked to find they were not a black band.
King Charlemagne was a street chemist named Stanley Osley who produced high Quality LSD up in San Francisco in the mid 60s . it's chronicled in Tom Wolfe's book the electric Kool aid acid tests
It's about a drug creater/ dealer who found himself a hero in the 1960s, but as things changed (new drugs, the old clients leaving him for life in the suburbs) he found himself obsolete, but still a target of the US Government.
They're singing about Owsley Stanley. He was a major producer of LSD on the west coast in the 1960s. The song is about how is product was the best and how the police eventually came after him when LSD was outlawed at the federal level.
I" would say it was very loosely inspired by a character named Owsley. His name was actually Augustus Stanley Owsley. He was a well-known psychedelic chef of the day. Later a sound man for the Grateful Dead."~ Walter Becker
Steely Dan had some great songs in the 70s, always presented with awesome instrumentation, complex song structure and sometimes complicated lyrics. I'd recommend you also hear their songs "Hey Nineteen" or "Do It Again."
Another great one by them is Bodhisattva. Listen to the instrumentation on that, the musicians are so great, especially the lead guitar! ruclips.net/video/IRdj9eTp6X0/видео.html
All three of those are great. I've always loved "Peg" for some reason. Thought De La Soul's sample of it in their song "Eye Know" is pretty awesome too
@@MartiansSkateKrew Thanks for reminding me of "Peg." Playing that right now and it is one of their best. Once again, varied and layered instrumentation, with both chorus and verses hooking us to keep on listening all the way through. I don't know De La Soul's sample, but will find that.
Yes, I found De La Soul's "Eye Know," and that's a great sample of "Peg" throughout. Also Otis Redding's whistle from "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay," one of my favorites from the 60s.
This song is about Owsley Stanley. He made the best LSD and was the Dead's soundman for several years in the late 60's and in the 70's. Some of these posts are way off however. The "Day Glow Freaks who used to paint the face have joined the human race" are the former hippies who have gotten jobs and stopped tripping (look at the old footage of San Fran in '68...they've all got flowers painted on their faces). "You're obsolete, look at all the white men on the street" 'White Men' are the coke dealers. No one was dropping anymore by the mid 70's, but rather doing blow. Hence, Owsley was obsolete. And the running out of gas thing is apparently a true story....He got caught 'cas his car ran out of gas. Now the idea of Owsley creating something new ie "crossing a diamond with a pearl" I don't really see. I think it just refers to the good LSD he was making. The Acid derivative he created was a big failure and was responsible for nothing but bad trips, so I don't see that experiment being eulogized in song.
The whole song is a reference to an infamous acid dealer named Owlsley, and his fall from grace. “all the white men on the street” is a reference to cocaine, which became huge in the 70’s.
What a cool chick. She won't back down. Love the way she sits.... like drivin' a car. She doesn't know about LSD and the 60's but I was there and I could teach her.
Aja, Deacon Blues, FM, Peg, Any Major Dude, Do It Again, Josie, Hey Nineteen, Green Earrings, The Royal Scam, Reeling In The Years, Caves of Altamira, Dr. Wu, Pretzel Logic, Sign In Stranger.... to name a few!
You could literally put the whole Steely Dan catalog on a wall and throw a dart at it and hit gold.
Thank you!
Agreed
Yup!!
I can only think of 2 or 3 classic Dan tunes that I would skip over from all of those albums.
How could you not hit gold on that catalog
This whole album is glorious. "Haitian Divorce," "The Royal Scam," "Caverns of Altamira," "Don't take me Alive." So much good stuff in this part of their catalogue.
One of my personal faves!
They're my favourites on the album too.
Caves of Altamira ...
@@stevenwaters7733 when there wasn't even any Hollywood.
Agree, my favorite also.
Steely Dan's "Aja" album is perfection. The whole album. 😎
Still not as good as the Royal Scam...And I love Purdie and Gadd , and Larry Carlton on that album too... Let's say they're tied...:)...
Aja was their biggest commercial hit LP. IMO their best.
@@godbluffvdgg Huge fan of The Royal Scam. Aja is dope in it's own right. But, something about Royal Scam that's raw with a harder edge, that gets me all of the time.
@@beantowne617 It is such a killer album, as are most of Steely Dan's works... It came out when I was in High School, we used to hooky every day ( philly public school) One of my corner bros used to play it all the time while we got high....He died a couple years ago so; it reminds me of those times we had..:)...Hope that wasn't too boring...
I still remember how blown away I was when they released the album Aja.
We need more Classic Steely Dan on this Channel.
I concur!
"all the white men in the street" is referring to the cocaine dealers who popped up and replaced the LSD he was selling
Meth is more like it.
@@kalishakta not at that time, cocaine was king. Meth became bigger a few years later.
@@cpmf2112 Peed skills! #RCrumb
Hence, Aja..
@@kalishakta u all wrong them boys loved that boy better known as heroin dr wu and time out of mind
Im old, I've gone to many many concerts, 70s 80s 90s 2000s to current, and Steely Dan, hands down, was the absolute best concert I've ever seen!!!! I've always loved them, the jazzy, rock n roll, the brass. The guitar, piano, the voices, ohhhhh, absolute joy!!!!✌🦋♥️🎶
Amen!
Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull
@@mikesimonian484 ABSOLUTELY!!!! They are all Legendary!!!!
@@rmnpeacenluv9824 Their concerts are all legendary. Saw many of them.
Mike Simonian, I’ve seen them 3 times, I agree, amazing performers. No glitz, big light shows or crazy hair, just perfect musicianship.
I love Steely Dan... automatic thumbs up
Same!
One of the best bands ever! Old hippie stuff
This song is about Augustus Owlsley Stanley III, aka "Bear." He was the Grateful Dead's sound engineer and a renowned LSD chemist. Kinda the Walter White of Acid.
Exactly...Chemist, Sound Engineer .The Upper Haight LOL....
Jack Cerro no wonder Jerry Garcia was so happy.
For a deeper view of Fagan and Becker's method, search: Steely Dan - Aja (Classic Albums documentary) on Youknow Tube.
Check out Deacon Blues. Also Steely Dan.
Have you, by chance, read "Strange Scenes Inside the Canyon" by David McGowan? There sure was a lot of acid for free (conspiracy theory or not?)
The name of the band is not Stanley Dan...it's called STEELY DAN.
Hahaaahaaaa.... I didn't have the heart to correct her, it was kinda cute.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, "Stanley Dan"! LMFAO
Just check out what "Steely Dan" is.......
Steely Dan was the name of a sex toy in the book Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs. 😂
@@eileenhenryselby-smith9762 I already knew what it was.
And when toys just won't do, remember not to do it without the fez on.
This song is about Owsley Stanley. Some of you know what I am talking about.
Did Owsley 4 ways couple of times 68-69
I don't think that a person should try to analyze lyrics so much on the first listen. it takes away form you just appreciating the song. lyrics are something that should start to sink in after a few listens, and I never would read the lyrics while listening the first time. part of the joy of new music is discovering things a little bit at a time on each listen.
Yeah I was enjoying the song for a long time before I even knew what it was about
People they aren’t musically inclined usually listen to lyrics right away ....
I like the feel as much as the lyrics so if the lyrices arent that great so what the tune is
People listen to it in their own ways. There's no right way to listen to a song. I always take in the words. Then, that's just me. I liked watching her discovery of the story in the song.
@@andyo3689 Yes yes yes. Personally I'm a music guy, but I agree with every word you said. I really liked watching her piece together the story line and the characters. I just wish she hadn't cut off the music early.
Larry Carlton on that guitar solo. Check him out, he's everywhere.
Andy Gilmour Larry is one of the finest guitar players in our generation..
Forget shredding. This the most perfectly constructed solo to its tune i have ever heard!
Steely Dan never disappoints. My favorite "band".
u figured it out. he was singing bout a dude making drugs. details and music structure are what Steely Dan is all about.
Not quite, they are production perfectionists I'll give you that, but they gotta lotta soul.
Amazing that even with their intensity in production and the amount of time given, I don't believe they've ever "over produced" anything, quite a feat, considering.
They never said who the song was about, but it's assumed to be Owsley “Bear” Stanley, who was a legendary for cooking LSD back in the 60s. Stanley was imprisoned at one point but released on a technicality, and put under continuous surveillance by the authorities, hence the lyrics, 'Cause the man is wise.
You are still an outlaw in their eyes'.
@@moondawg3693 I agree they are perfectionists seen them live and they sounded the exact same as there albums, still amazed to this day
"Do It Again," "Reelin' in the Years," "My Old School," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," "Peg," "Deacon Blues," "FM (No Static at All)," ... These songs filled the radio airwaves throughout in the 70's. "Hey Nineteen" capped off the decade in 1980. Each tells a tale of its own. "Kid Charlemagne" spins a tale about the way Owsley finished The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. And what a great guitar solo too.
The BEST!! I can't go too many days without listening to some Dan.
So happy to see you reacting to Steely Dan. I still have 2 of my original albums Katy Lied and the masterpiece Aja album. Pick any song from that album.
Truly! Aja is a masterpiece from start to finish, flawless. Yet I might like Can't Buy a Thrill EVEN MORE!
"is there gas in the car? Yes there's gas in the car!"
"Is there gas in the car? Yes there's gas in the car!" Every time we got in to someone's car for a road trip. Every...time.
My fave line from that song.
Best line ever! My favorite part to sing 😃
That line refers to the fact that the guy they're singing about actually got busted due to his car running out of gas while he was on the run.
And “everyone stopped to stare at your technicolor motorhome” perfect sounds and a great line!
The one and only. Larry Carlton on guitar.
Live the guitar on their stuff.
Steely Dan , known perfectionists .. it shows in their classic music.. phenomenon 👍🏻👍🏻
You stopped the song before the best part!!! Guitar Solo Outro at the end is one of the best EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is there gas in the car? Is there gas in the caaaarrr? That's my favorite part that's funky as hell!
Steely Dan is awesome,Hey Nineteen is my favorite,can't go wrong with the band.
Totally agree, Hey Nineteen is one of those timeless songs !!!
Deacon Blues for me 👍🏾👍🏾
I could listen to just the rhythm section while driving cross country.
YES.
Every time I listen back to this song I'm fascinated by the rhythm section.
Steely Dan is my go to artist when I'm taking a long drive.
Michael McDonald in the background "it aint long"
Michael McDonald; hit singer for the Doobie Brothers, but with Steely Dan he's just there to put down backing vocals. :)
Love Michael as a backing vocalist. He is in so many great songs... Toto, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Dia a Ross, etc, etc...
"Get along Kid Charlamagne" in other words---get outta town the feds and everybody you crossed is after you. The song is about a has-been LSD dealer
I guess Michael may have had a sentimental message to convey about himself with a line like, "It ain't long!"
Sorry, but I can't even bring my mouth to say the words, "Toto, Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins" in the same breath without vomit juices shooting up the back of my throat! Toto? What a freaking lame name for a band who all wore the same kind of 80's eyewear, and the same polyester pants with the string ties and ran around in the same Chinese slippers together!! I have no sympathy for terrible plastic and polyester bands like... *spew* "Toto!" "Run Toto, run!!!!
The line isn't "it ain't long"---the line is "get along" referring to a drug dealer on the run
Kids Charlemagne is about Owsley Stanley. The first person to synthesize LSD in San Francisco mid 1960's. He became a millionaire, but as the song said, "his world would fall apart"
Yes!! India is reacting to Steely Dan!! Id say what this song is about but somebody covered it in the comments I'd suggest from them Big Black Cow or the Fez or Hatian Divorce
The Fez... sweet groove. Driving music.
No, I'm never gonna do it without the fez on
This Band is so unique. A mix of Rock and Jazz fusion. Excellent musicians and incredible lyrics make Steely Dan a very different experience. Someone once said, "You either love them, or hate them, there is no in-between." I happen to really like them.
mann steely dan is super underrrated, plz do one more soon, 'reelin in the years' pretzel logic' night by night'
My Old school and FM aren't bad either or even Bad Sneakers.
Sherwin Rueben night by night is the most underrated Dan song there is
all studio and college trained musicians =amazing!!!
Lmao 😂 my favorite part...
Is there gas in the car?
Yes there’s gas in the car 😂🤣
That line is perfection. My fave too. And listed next is, "realize, you're Italian in their eyes"
Neil H ...absolutely!!! But I believe it’s “outlaw”
"Gas in the caaaAAAA"
Neil H outlaw not Italian ya dingus
Listen to Don’t Take Me Alive from the same album.
It's kind of sad she figured out the meaning so fast. I listened to it when it came out....no clue! Loved it, though!
Now THAT, is just another OUTSTANDING song from that album. After I first bought the album in my early teenage years, that was THE ONE song that I listened to over and over again!!!
Caves is best
Steely Dan rules!!Walter Becker and Donald Fagen the best duo of all time!!
Steely Dan is perfection. Pure brilliant, beautiful soul inspired genius. My favourite group of all time. Any Major Dude Will Tell You babies xxx
One of my favorites by Stanley Dan.
History Teacher Gone Rogue Steely*
Their music is timeless, you can play it through the years, and it still holds up.
These guys were second to none with quality and prowess. They never made a bad album.
Bernard Purdie was the fucking man. That drum groove is incredible. The Greatest studio drummer of a generation. Larry Carlton's guitar solo was special as well.
You could spend several months going through the Steely Dan Library and many of us would be very happy. Their song list is extensive.
The song's partly about Owsley Stanley, a chemist who probably did more than anyone to produce and popularize LSD in the Sixties. He was also the Grateful Dead's sound engineer.
Believe it or not, he's also the inventor of the stage monitor.
Ohhh...I love me some “Stanley Dan” !!😂🤣😂
I recommend ‘Cousin Dupree’ from their album Two Against Nature, it’s one of the most under rated albums of all time IMO, but it did win Grammy’s Album of The Year, I love it. That being said, Dan’s older stuff is very good as well. My Old School, Bodhisttva (Spelling?), Dirty Work, Black Cow etc are a few of the many excellent Dan songs. I’ve seen them three times in concert, they are top notch musicians, Fagen and the late Walter Becker were amazing writers. Complete perfectionists, fired band members all the time for not being perfect, they usually used studio musicians.
Their music usually has a naughty theme and they use jazzy or intellectual terms a lot in their music. The name ‘Steely Dan’ comes from the book Naked Lunch, it’s a dildo, that’s what their name means.
Just my two cents.
Watching videos of people reacting to this song just makes me kinda wish that I could have heard "Champion" by Kanye West without first knowing where the sample came from.
The song is about a very famous drug dealer in San Francisco in the 70’s
Everyone is doing the same reaction videos so why don't you take it to the next level and look into a group called Dave Brubeck and listen to Take Five. This is what got the real solo instrumentals going and was a powerful influence to all the rock greats..... Just a thought. @
Brubeck was one of Donald's idols. He's referenced on "The New Frontier". I know you knew that, just thought I'd mention it
Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne
Lyrics:
While the music played you worked by candlelight
Those San Francisco nights
You were the best in town
Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl
You turned it on the world
That's when you turned the world around
Did you feel like Jesus
Did you realize
That you were a champion in their eyes
On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene
But yours was kitchen clean
Everyone stopped to stare at your technicolor motor home
Every A-Frame had your number on the wall
You must have had it all
You'd go to L.A. on a dare
And you'd go it alone
Could you live forever
Could you see the day
Could you feel your whole world fall apart and fade away
[Chorus:]
Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne
Get along Kid Charlemagne
Now your patrons have all left you in the red
Your low rent friends are dead
This life can be very strange
All those dayglow freaks who used to paint the face
They've joined the human race
Some things will never change
Son you were mistaken
You are obsolete
Look at all the white men on the street
[Chorus]
Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail
Those test tubes and the scale
Just get them all out of here
Is there gas in the car
Yes, there's gas in the car
I think the people down the hall
Know who you are
Careful what you carry
'Cause the man is wise
You are still an outlaw in their eyes
[Chorus]
India have you done other Steely Dan reactions? I looked but I don't find any. Are you familiar with how they got their name?
😁🤣✌
Both of Larry Carlton's guitar solos on this track = GOAT
In addition to being a session musician on literally hundreds of tracks from artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell and Michael Jackson, Larry was also part of the smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay, with Bob James, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason Jr.
Welcome to the Steely Dan Family. Enjoy your stay.
This is one of my favourite Steely Dan songs--simply classic.
Kid Charlemagne is the first track off of Steely Dan's "The Royal Scam". The song is written about Owsley Stanley, a manufacturer of high-quality LSD at the time and a sound technician for The Grateful Dead. The last verse describes an incident in which Owsley and another person were busted after their car ran out of gas.
Nice to see young people reacting to old folks music! I’ve been listening to Steely Dan since the early 1970’s so yes,I’m an old fart!
Love this album. The funk of this song is classic.
Steely Dan was a group who never played in public. They were some of, if not the first and only, studio artist of their time. You MAY find a video of them playing together but most people have never seen them. It was ALL about their music and not their physical appearance so their popularity was solely based on their musical talent.
Steely Dan [which is a reference to Beat writer William S. Burroughs--Junky, Naked Lunch, et al.-- apparently he had a dildo called Steely Dan, lol!] is one of the most exquisite, unique, complex, and brilliant bands ever. Very underrated. You should def check out songs like "Aja," "Black Friday," "Deacon Blues," "Dirty Work," "Razor Boy," and "Josie." Cheers!
Steely Dan is like Rush for people who drink martinis. It is not surprising Dan fans are giving you grief. They are very fanatical about these guys. By far, one of the most talented bands. Great musicians with amazing talent and chemistry.
"Kid Charlemagne" in this song was a guy named Owsley, I forgot his first name. Owsley did sound for the Greatful Dead early on and was also a chemist. In San Francisco during the 60's he manufactured the purest LSD made outside a laboratory setting. He produced the majority of the LSD consumed in the Greater Bay area during that time. He was eventually arrested and did time in prison and I was living in San Francisco when he got out. Rolling Stone did a big story on him. He made a new batch. Anyway, he is Kid Charlemagne in this song. We just called him Owsley.
Steely Dan and now the lone surviving member Donald Fagen never fails. We need more Steely Dan and Donald Fagen reviews. 😎
Dear, his lyrics are always subject to speculation but those melodies and harmonies not to mention production are the main attraction. He could’ve been singing about any number of interesting characters but that’s not the main point, it’s the instrumental content that really shines in that unique Steely Dan way that continued for decades!
Chain lighting, another great song from an excellent album "Katy lied". You Will LOVE it!!!
Stanley Dang-King Charlamagne-wow..just brilliant
"This is very detailed. Damn." Is like my favorite line about Steely Dan ever 😂😂😂
Larry Carlton serious jam. One of my favorite guitarists.
Saw him in Portland in Feb '20. He played his solo from this tune, it was terrific. Dude's still got it going.
and don't forget, Bear is the one who designed the Steal Your Face logo :)
AlwaysWorking2008 aka the Steely face.
I just found your channel and you super nailed this song! Subbed!
Steely Dan, one of my all time favorite Bands, they NEVER released a bad Album!
Yes! Steely Dan is one of my favorites!
Deacon Blues
Do it again
Bad sneakers
Midnite Cruiser
FM
Only a fool would say that
Dont take me alive
The fez
Turn that heartbeat over again
Daddy dont live in that new york city
Caves of Altamira
To name only a few!!
The most cynical and honest breakdown of the 60s ever recorded.
Steely Dan is the perfect balance of slightly nerdy songwriting, technical musical precision and the occasional super-nasty funk melody like this one.
Stanley Dan... Just love that guy.
I wonder if anybody caught the Kanye West sample from this song.
thank you for the review.....Love Steely Dan
Hey, I think you did a great job analyzing the clues the song throws at you. This band is one of my fav and I can't begin how much I'd love it for you to react to more of their stuff. Their first couple of albums are straight fire, I'm talking not a single one doesn't have 5 star audio quality, lyrics and new GOAT musicians while being catchy as hell.
One consistent theme of Steely Dan is their making "losers of life" into heroes.
Your hunch about "kid charlemagne" having to do with drugs is spot on. In the 60's, he supplied San Francisco's psychedelic scene with LSD and was a "champion" of the creative artistic hippie scene. He expanded his business into southern Cali & LA and the cops started to break up his drug empire. At that point, even though he was a "champion in their eyes" to all the Cali LSD-hippies, he was still living the life of an "outlaw in their eyes" of society.
I'd love to see you react to some more of their earlier stuff, first couple of albums have NOT A BAD SONG on them.
You could spend all day trying to analyse Steely Dan lyrics and still come up with several different interpretations and that's one of the elements that makes their music so revered. In the history of Rock & Roll Popular Music, the Dan remains one of the heavyweights with their unique vision and compositions.
A master piece from Steely Dan, my favorite band. I believe at that time during the 70's, LSD was ok to have and use. Owlsley Stanley III used to prepare to his friends. He was the sound engineer and many other things in the Greatful Dead Band, and also he was the one who created the logo of the band, and the band used to have printed in the Speakers, this way noone could steal the cabinets and amps, the logo became a trademark for the band.
The group is not Stanley Dan it pronounced Steel Lee Dan.
Debatable
@@huhuh9 It's not debatable. Their name is Steely Dan and is not pronounced Stanley Dan. Steely and Stanley are two entirely different names.
@@abrock6215 Its up to the interpretation of the reader
@@huhuh9 If a person can't read then yes...lol
Alex Jayne good troll 👍
Great Musicians, writing and production. Probably the best from this era.
I believe the song is about a drug dealers rise and fall in the San Francisco area. I used to listen to Steely Dan a lot back in Highschool during the early to mid 1990s. But lost touch with the group until last winter while on a family skiing trip. Turned out my brother in law was also a big Steely Dan fan. We listened to Steely Dan all night drinking. being in my early 40s I have a renewed appreciation for their music and the lyrics. This song in particular the music and lyrics are amazing.
This person was Owlsley, one of Ken Keysey's Merry Pranksters. A group of day-blow hippies who partied up and down the California coast in '66, 67. They introduced many to LSD. Owlsley was the chemist in the group who made all the acid.
You get a I like from me and a subscription just for chossing such a bad ass sophisticated song and band to reaction to. Steely Dan is the creme de la creme.
YESSSSSS MORE Steely Dan please
One of the best guitar solos of all time.
LSD dealer who had his hey day in the late 1960s Hippie era, but now finds himself in mid 1970s, and the prime 'product' that made him a legend - an extremely pure psychedelic drug - is no longer in vogue in the cocaine-fuelled inspired mid Seventies, hence the line 'you are obsolete/look at all the 'white man' on the street' ('white man' meaning 'coke dealer', 'coke user').
It's about the acid king--Bear Owsley.
Augustus Qwsley Stanley III , he was also a self-taught master recording engineer, professional ballet dancer, jeweler, raconteur, and always good company.
Miss him !
@@johnnycoyo He also co-founded Alembic basses.
Steely Dan is the bomb! Being a young child in the 70’s and not having videos, Steely Dan was not a “Video” band, I was shocked when I was old enough to buy my first Dan Album, I was shocked to find they were not a black band.
You need to do either "Aja" or "Deacon Blues" by Steely Dan off of their Aja album.
don't forget black cow
King Charlemagne was a street chemist named Stanley Osley who produced high Quality LSD up in San Francisco in the mid 60s . it's chronicled in Tom Wolfe's book the electric Kool aid acid tests
So many good tunes. This band is both unique and legendary. Donald Fagan had a solo hit called IGY that is awesome as well.
One of the greatest bass lines ever recorded, in my opinion. The great Chuck Rainey.
It's about a drug creater/ dealer who found himself a hero in the 1960s, but as things changed (new drugs, the old clients leaving him for life in the suburbs) he found himself obsolete, but still a target of the US Government.
They're singing about Owsley Stanley. He was a major producer of LSD on the west coast in the 1960s. The song is about how is product was the best and how the police eventually came after him when LSD was outlawed at the federal level.
Nice to see your reaction, especially att 2.02! Havent i heard this before? Yeah, Kayne West. :-)
I" would say it was very loosely inspired by a character named Owsley. His name was actually Augustus Stanley Owsley. He was a well-known psychedelic chef of the day. Later a sound man for the Grateful Dead."~ Walter Becker
Steely Dan had some great songs in the 70s, always presented with awesome instrumentation, complex song structure and sometimes complicated lyrics. I'd recommend you also hear their songs "Hey Nineteen" or "Do It Again."
Another great one by them is Bodhisattva. Listen to the instrumentation on that, the musicians are so great, especially the lead guitar! ruclips.net/video/IRdj9eTp6X0/видео.html
All three of those are great. I've always loved "Peg" for some reason. Thought De La Soul's sample of it in their song "Eye Know" is pretty awesome too
@@MartiansSkateKrew Thanks for reminding me of "Peg." Playing that right now and it is one of their best. Once again, varied and layered instrumentation, with both chorus and verses hooking us to keep on listening all the way through. I don't know De La Soul's sample, but will find that.
@@carolh8377 let me know what you think!
Yes, I found De La Soul's "Eye Know," and that's a great sample of "Peg" throughout. Also Otis Redding's whistle from "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay," one of my favorites from the 60s.
This song is about Owsley Stanley. He made the best LSD and was the Dead's soundman for several years in the late 60's and in the 70's. Some of these posts are way off however. The "Day Glow Freaks who used to paint the face have joined the human race" are the former hippies who have gotten jobs and stopped tripping (look at the old footage of San Fran in '68...they've all got flowers painted on their faces). "You're obsolete, look at all the white men on the street" 'White Men' are the coke dealers. No one was dropping anymore by the mid 70's, but rather doing blow. Hence, Owsley was obsolete. And the running out of gas thing is apparently a true story....He got caught 'cas his car ran out of gas. Now the idea of Owsley creating something new ie "crossing a diamond with a pearl" I don't really see. I think it just refers to the good LSD he was making. The Acid derivative he created was a big failure and was responsible for nothing but bad trips, so I don't see that experiment being eulogized in song.
The whole song is a reference to an infamous acid dealer named Owlsley, and his fall from grace. “all the white men on the street” is a reference to cocaine, which became huge in the 70’s.
Steely Dan is my favorite band.This song is amazing.You should listen to more🎼
What a cool chick. She won't back down. Love the way she sits.... like drivin' a car. She doesn't know about LSD and the 60's but I was there and I could teach her.
Aja, Deacon Blues, FM, Peg, Any Major Dude, Do It Again, Josie, Hey Nineteen, Green Earrings, The Royal Scam, Reeling In The Years, Caves of Altamira, Dr. Wu, Pretzel Logic, Sign In Stranger.... to name a few!
I love the sarcastic attitude of Steely Dan. They saw through the B.S. of the LA and SF music scenes.
You should check out the channel Polyphonic's examination of the band, I think it's called "More than just a band"