Drake Talks About the Meaning of "Black Cow" by Steely Dan

[@robertdozier9481]

I wish that there was a club, for us, fans, to discuss how much we love Steely Dan...

[@jamesptanner]

I've been watching covers of this song and "Low Darts" has, surprisingly a really compelling cover.

[@WheresMyFlyingCar]

I'M the one! A savior complex... yeah, I think you're right. Honestly I never thought as deeply about this as you apparently have, and if I ever had threatened to do so, it'd have been over as soon as the (perfect) electric piano solo started, wiping every other thought from my mind. Other observations about this song: the background vox are so great, for example turning what might be a casual observation (the melodic "you were very high") into judgment: "YOU WERE HIGH." Also, the minor chord "and get out of here" at the end of the first chorus becomes a major chord the last time through, signaling some sort of resolution. But probably, joke's on him. Such a great song. Thanks for the video!

[@wrestledeep]

This is a great interpretation. I will add that the genders or identity and point of views of the protagonist might be more ambiguous than you think. Steely Dan has been known to take some really unique perspectives as far as their characters. Notice how there is no use of pronouns indicating gender. I have always considered that this might be from the perspective of a female bartender or waitress having a soft spot for a young street hooligan getting involved with a nasty (drug) scene. I also think that this might be a prologue (on the low) from Fagen to Becker who was developing a really bad habit that comes to full fruition by the time the Gaucho Album was being created. If you listen to the song, "Gaucho" it has the same type of complaintive narrative (longing for a lover or close friend/ambiguous gender) to stop falling for something "bad" and come back to the protagonist (something "good").

[@elizabethhasse6088]

Walter Becker lived on Green Street.

[@acerkrt]

This songs about a female he met in Rudy's bar in Hells kitchen NYC. It's a dive bar that's one of the first bars in NYC. Black cow is an actual dark draft beer they sell at Rudy's. They have Rudy's blonde cow and Rudy's black cow on draft and it's still till this day 5 bucks a pitcher. This is a true story about Steely Dan who used to goto Rudy's because it's in the same block as the studio they were making an album. In at the time. He met a female in Rudy's but she was a player and was seeing other people on the side .

[@adamkringel7578]

How do you know the narrator is man? There is no indication of that, just andronormativism. I think it's more interesting to think of it coming from the woman's point of view. "I'm the one, who must make everything right, talk it out til daylight."

[@socialtortoise852]

cow tools