In Praise Of: Steely Dan

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I first heard this a couple weeks ago on WFUV - the New York AAA station. Apparently if you're sunny enough, you can sing about statutory rape on the radio, but that's part of the song's brilliance. The beautiful-morning-just-out-for-a-stroll groove of the song not only masks the perversion, but denies it, because the speaker himself is in denial. But the odd chord changes in the chorus let out a hint of of creepiness as you can almost hear the speaker getting carried away in sexual excitement.

God, the selection of detail in this song! I can almost see this middle-aged affluent ex-boho creep - graying but well-styled hair, cashmere sweater, sensitive watery eyes. All from "Let's grab some takeout from Dean and Deluca," and "Who makes me feel like painting again," and the part about Sinatra. Janie is easy to picture too - maybe 14, thin, too much makeup, "the wonderwaif of Grammercy Park,"

And the last verse gets downright disturbing - you can picture Janie already in the Blazer looking a little anxious as the speaker tells her his plan for the weekend.

It must have been my lucky Thursday
Your dad went on that spree
Before the crew could put out the fires
You hopped a bus for NYC
Down in Tampa the future looked desperate and dark
Now you're the wonderwaif of Gramercy Park

(CHORUS:)
Who makes the morning fabulous
Who says today's a fun day
Why do I feel like sailing again
Honey it's you - Janie Runaway

Let's grab some takeout from Dean and Deluca
A hearty gulping wine
You be the showgirl and I'll be Sinatra
Way back in '59
Sweetness in heels - look at you - in long black gloves
Come to old blue eyes tell me - who do you love

(CHORUS:)
Who makes the traffic interesting
Rescues a dreary Sunday
Who makes me feel like painting again
Honey it's you - Janie Runaway

Let's plan a weekend alone together
Drive out to Binky's place
The sugar shack in Pennsylvania
Or would that be a federal case?
We'll take the Big Red - the Blazer - it's nice inside
And guess who's coming along for the ride

(CHORUS:)
Who has a friend named Melanie
Who's not afraid to try new things
Who gets to spend her birthday in Spain
Possibly you - Janie Runaway

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 10 November 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

The dressup is great too - it really emphasizes the speaker's indulgence in fantasy; but he does slip into reality for just one moment: "or would that be a federal case?"

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 10 November 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

Oh god, I wish I hadn't read this, I love that song. And i've been trying to cut back on my paedo-jazz.

― matt d (matt d), Thursday, 10 November 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

Oh Steely Dan. Easy to hate, but a delicious sin. I love them. And nothing else is quite like them.

― Criff (Criff), Thursday, 10 November 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

i'd never thought of wfuv as "new york's aaa station," maybe cuz it's been around so long it's like its own genre. not that it's so radically different, but i consider the bulk of what they play "wfuv music." this meaningless semantics argument has been brought to you by jbr. as you were.

― Mrs. Genius McGuruchakra (and her secret knowledge) (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 November 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

This makes me think that WFUV is v. similar to WXRT in Chicago. Probably defined as AAA, but been around for 30+ years, and I describe bands (like, say, the BoDeans) as "XRT-ish."

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 10 November 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

"Who's not afraid to try new things?" is one of the all-time classic Dan lines

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Thursday, 10 November 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

Who getstospend - their BIRTHday in Spain - possibly YOUUUUU

― Brakhage (brakhage), Thursday, 10 November 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

you can totally imagine fagen pinching the girl's cheek as he says that.

― Mrs. Genius McGuruchakra (and her secret knowledge) (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 November 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

changing it to "possibly you" wrt to the spain trip is classic cruel fagan, too....the inferred "if you behave"....

hurting totally on the money on the whole "ex boho creep"...I kinda think about Tim Robbins the ponytail dude from High Fidelity, sorta...that type...

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 10 November 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

Haha, Thomas and underground home otm. You expect the hypothetical next verse to be about taking pictures and putting them on the net.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 10 November 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

I'm gonna have to download this. I only heard Two Against Nature once or twice and decided I wasn't all that into it.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 10 November 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

that album is choppy (as opposed to the subsequent everything must go, which is purrrrrrrfect). but "janie runaway," "almost gothic," and the title track are great!

― Mrs. Genius McGuruchakra (and her secret knowledge) (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 November 2005 22:10 (twenty years ago)

oh, "west of hollywood" too!

― Mrs. Genius McGuruchakra (and her secret knowledge) (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 10 November 2005 22:10 (twenty years ago)

West of Hollywood is teh biz, esp the long intro

― Baaderonixx ménage ses forces dans l'attente du Grand Soir (baaderonixx), Friday, 11 November 2005 09:24 (twenty years ago)

The solo over the crazy chord changes at the end of West of Hollywood is truly awesome.

― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, 11 November 2005 12:32 (twenty years ago)

you can't always assume that Fagen writes the lyrics… in fact, Becker is really the wit of the band…

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:12 (twenty years ago)

it's my understanding that Becker really only does some tweaking, adding his sensibility - his own lyrical work on "Eleven Tracks of Wack" wasn't exactly a revelation

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Friday, 11 November 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

JAM!: I love the line in "Janie Runaway" where the older guy says to the young girl: "Who gets to spend her birthday in Spain/POSSIBLY you - Janie Runaway".

Becker: Yeah, well, there's a little blackmail there. Not blackmail, just a really attractive ...

Fagen: ... travel opportunity. There's not much nobility happening in "Janie Runaway", I guess.

Becker: It all depends on how you look at it (laughs).

Fagen: An opportunity for young people?

Becker: Yes. I'd like to think that a suave man of the world offering to help a young, recently arrived visitor to this fair city ...

Fagen: .. kind of a May-December kind of thing.

Becker: Well, not necessarily. I always kind of imagined this guy as being somewhere in his thirties or something. You know, you go to some restaurant downtown and there's a bunch of guys at the next table and what's left of their pinstriped suits after a hard day's arbitrage, and somewhere towards the middle of the meal, you want to fling your mustard at them, after overhearing them.

Fagen: Yeah, exactly.

Becker: I always imagined him as one of those kinds.

- http://www.granatino.com/sdresource/010229%20jam.htm

― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, 11 November 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

Weird, I more hear 40s or 50s. The whole "Who makes me feel like painting again" thing sounds like an older guy.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 11 November 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

Authors are not always right about about their own work.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 11 November 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

I love reading interviews with these guys:

AikoAiko76 (PRODIGY Member): Hey Nineteen, where did that song originate from

Donald Fagen (Speaker): Hey Nineteen is a song about the problem a 30-something guy has picking up near-jailbait.

Walter Becker (Speaker): Donald and I are no longer concerned with the problems of 30-something individuals... unfortunately. Jailbait, however, is a subject of enduring interest.

Donald Fagen (Speaker): If only in our minds.

- http://www.granatino.com/sdresource/prodigy.htm

peter asks: Donald, I remember reading in an interview 10 or 12 years ago that you said you wanted to be a "dirty old man" when you grew up? Still aspiring?

Steely Dan: DF - I am proud to say I have achieved my goal.

- http://www.granatino.com/sdresource/cis.htm

― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, 11 November 2005 17:57 (twenty years ago)

The whole bit at the beginning of the song about her father being some sort of rioter/looter is an odd but inspired touch, isn't it?

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 11 November 2005 21:48 (twenty years ago)

I also like "A hearty gulping wine" -- as ready-to-be-plucked as she may be, it's still a good idea to get her drunk, so buy something she'll drink.

― nickn (nickn), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:09 (twenty years ago)

'Who makes the traffic interesting' gives rise to certain speculation

― Brakhage (brakhage), Saturday, 12 November 2005 01:47 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

According to the Reelin in the Tears bio, the "Who makes me feel like painting again" line is a nod to Fagen's "favorite song", Talking Heads' 'Artists Only'..

― Baaderonixx, born again in Xixax (baaderonixx), Thursday, 9 February 2006 11:35 (twenty years ago)

I'm gonna have to go on a Dan spending spree tonight, aren't I?

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:26 (twenty years ago)

fraid so.

― having fun with stockholm cindy on stage (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:33 (twenty years ago)

I'm bummed that I can't seem to find Everything Must Go in the bargain bins anymore. It's back to premium price for some reason

― Baaderonixx, born again in Xixax (baaderonixx), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

do you need a YSI?

― having fun with stockholm cindy on stage (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Who makes the traffic interesting' gives rise to certain speculation

-- Brakhage (cognitivebia...), November 11th, 2005.

Ho snap! I just got it!

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 9 February 2006 17:02 (twenty years ago)

Thanks that's nice, but I'm a bit anal about my Dan so I'll keep scouting the bins...

― Baaderonixx, born again in Xixax (baaderonixx), Thursday, 9 February 2006 20:18 (twenty years ago)

Best Steely Dan Album?

Katy Lied

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Thursday, 9 February 2006 20:51 (twenty years ago)

Is Donald's new song "H Gang" any good?

― enjoy bell wood, Thursday, 9 February 2006 21:07 (twenty years ago)

it is pretty good.

― having fun with stockholm cindy on stage (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 9 February 2006 21:27 (twenty years ago)

i gotta get a copy of reelin in the years. i wonder if the library would have it?

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Thursday, 9 February 2006 21:45 (twenty years ago)

do we have a ysi of H Gang, per chance?

― Baaderonixx, born again in Xixax (baaderonixx), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:18 (twenty years ago)

i can't find it on limewire

― team jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:20 (twenty years ago)

i don't have an mp3 of it but you can stream it here:
http://glitchbrowser.com/page_handler.php?http://www.mp3.com/albums/20090517/summary.html

― having fun with stockholm cindy on stage (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:20 (twenty years ago)

the only place you can d/l it is from itunes and it's in that stupid encrypted m4p format.

― having fun with stockholm cindy on stage (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:22 (twenty years ago)

who is that on guitar, if anyone knows? hugh mccracken?

― having fun with stockholm cindy on stage (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:24 (twenty years ago)

man, there's this extra thickness, bottom-end oomph that this track has that's been missing in all the post-nightfly dan related projects. sounds great

― team jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:32 (twenty years ago)

Funny, it sounds so ... 90's. His voice is a bit thin. Nothing too special on 1st listen, but it's giving me a good feeling about the album.

― Baaderonixx, born again in Xixax (baaderonixx), Thursday, 9 February 2006 22:38 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

possibly you

― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Thursday, 13 November 2008 16:46 (seventeen years ago)

i just caught "the limey" on cable and i realized peter fonda in that movie is the classic steely dan archetype

― 'RAPPERS I WOULD NEVER DREAM OF PUNCHING IN THE FACE?' (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 13 November 2008 16:51 (seventeen years ago)

nine months pass...

'Who makes the traffic interesting' gives rise to certain ~~speculation~~ BONARZ
― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, November 11, 2005 8:47 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

sorry

― the kid is crying because did sharks died? (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 26 August 2009 04:24 (sixteen years ago)

watchin' this on the youtubez

― jaymc, Wednesday, 26 August 2009 04:43 (sixteen years ago)

fifteen years pass...

I’ve reclaimed this song by singing it to my dog in the morning with him as the re-titular subject.

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 12 February 2025 14:39 (one year ago)

A leash may help if it's a recurring problem

― Vinnie, Wednesday, 12 February 2025 14:43 (one year ago)

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In Praise Of: Steely Dan - Janie Runaway