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March 03, 2006
Josh's Songbook #2: Steely Dan - My Old School
The first judgment I make on any song is the answer to a simple question: could I have written this song? Although not always true, in most cases, considering my musicianship, songs I think I probably could have written myself are generally lame. (This means you, Jack Johnson.)
Of course, just because a song has funky chord changes or an interesting arrangement doesn't necessarily make it a great song, but originality and musicality are certainly requirements.
Which brings me to Steely Dan. I cannot think of a single song by Steely Dan that I could have written. In fact, when I look at the wacked jazz chords they used, I find that I generally can't even play their stuff. Some people probably consider their music a little too 'brainy', but in fact, the best Steely Dan songs (and there are a lot of truly great ones) are incredibly accessible despite their complicated nature.
One such song is My Old School (go here and scroll down to find a video clip of Steely Dan playing it on American Bandstand), from the 1973 album Countdown To Ecstasy. Featuring just plain killer guitar solos, an incredible (and incredibly complex) horn arrangement, and some completely inscrutable harmonies, it somehow manages to put it all together into one of the most sing-along-able songs around.
Lyrically, I could never figure it out, really. It seems like some sort of autobiographical story about a past relationship, but what I like is that the tone (both lyrically and musically) is extremely upbeat but with an edge. Something bad seems to have happened, but there's definite victory in the chorus of "I'm never going back to my old school."
Musically, this song is one of the greatest all-time sing-along songs, because of all the different parts coming together. Listen one time and you might sing along with Donald Fagen on vocals, but the next time you find yourself singing the horn part, and with a few more listens, you might even get the blazing Jeff Baxter guitar solo down. All with a driving beat that never stops, even propelled during instrumental breaks by, yes, the cowbell. The harmonies are so complex (I have yet to sing the right note on "school", but I try every time) but they are seamless. On the last two verses, Donald Fagen duets with himself to amazing effect.
As I said, I never tried too hard to figure out what the lyrics meant, but I still consider these lyrics some of the best in pop music. That's because, musically, they are such a perfect fit. There is not a syllable out of place, and there are so many multi-syllable words and phrases that sound great and are fun to sing. For example, the opening to the last verse, when the harmony hits the high notes on "California crumbles into the sea". And, most perfectly, the lead-in to the chorus with "Oh, no, William & Mary won't do" and then, even better, "Oh, no, Guadalajara won't do".
Steely Dan was really a unique band in pop music history. Some of their songs were great for the harmonies (Reelin' in the Years), some for the guitar solos (Do It Again), some for the tight studio musicianship (Bodhisattva). And when they put it all together like on My Old School (or Black Friday, Kid Charlemagne, Show Biz Kids, etc.), it doesn't get any better.
Posted by JoshHornik at March 3, 2006 12:37 PM
Comments
JH -
long time reader, first time commenter...
I have to agree... SD had it going on on so many different levels... too bad I missed whatever incarnation played a few gigs some time back... a sit down with Walter Becker would be very interesting... expertly penned, btw...
Posted by: Randall Crane at March 17, 2006 11:04 PM