LET'S RE PLAY - Steely Dan - Third World Man | Joni's favorite SD Song!!! (COUPLE ANALYSIS)

[@JamesCormier]

Larry Carlton solo is phenomenal ! More trivia for Nick! During a guitar clinic in 2011, Larry Carlton said of "Third World Man": "When Billboard magazine came out ... about Gaucho, it's writing about the news 'Steely Dan released ... bla bla bla ... and great guitar solo by Larry Carlton', and I said, 'but I didn't play on Gaucho!, they'd cut it in New York, I didn't play on it!'. So I found out later: they had finished mixing in New York, and one of the second engineers erased one of their master tracks. So "Third World Man" was in the can from The Royal Scam and they had to reach back into the old tapes and find something to finish the album, and that's how I ended up on Gaucho playing "Third World Man".

[@NicknLex]

Omg my head just blew with this trivia. Thank you so much!! I'll pin your comment so everyone can read this. Thank you again

[@michelemichele3375]

Thanks, James! Just shows the brilliance of Larry Carlton and the SD “ear” involved - the engineering/mixing skills. Love it!

[@briangray00]

They rewrote the lyrics and title - It was originally 'Were You Blind That Day?' - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHyTZpR5dtiDrJo - It's testament to how good The Royal Scam is that it didn't make the album.

[@jml-rj5re]

I believe Larry's memory is a little off. Steely Dan never recorded with Steve Gadd before the Aja sessions. But whatever, they had to dust off the reel to reel!

[@michelemichele3375]

@@briangray00 That was my thought: Chalk up another vote for the Royal Scam! But honestly, I love them all. 😜

[@jonh901271]

Larry Carlton's tone in the lower register during the outro gives me goose bumps whenever I hear it.

[@sweetdavey]

The most beautiful guitar solo ever, quite simply!

[@dharmaofdog7676]

Just saw Steely Dan other night in concert. The Band was mind blowing - Jon Harrington (guitar) was a stand out, super sexy bass line intro's and a few Drum Solo's that made you want to cry (I sorta did!). The entire night was bittersweet as they played the songs of my youth, so memories and people were all right there next to me ....

[@michelemichele3375]

You had me at Steely Dan … then you add Joni! I don’t ever care if you’ve heard a track before … I enjoy watching you both react! No excuse needed to play music you’ve heard. First time listens are cool, but look at the added info you bring to the table going back to replay. #nicknlex request - more Steely Dan before you hear them live. ShowBiz Kids, Your Gold Teeth II, Dr Wu, Bad Sneakers, just to name a few. Thanks!!! ✨🤪

[@franklassek3132]

I recall that when you "finished" with Gaucho, that you would listen to the rest of the album. I commented that you would really enjoy Third World Man, and much to my surprise, look at what I find today. Thank you for giving this song it's due.

[@michelemichele3375]

Those vocals too! Donald at his best. And, of course, the solo and bass. Love those drum choices too. While Walter was laid up from an accident and his own demons, Donald was spiraling into his perfectionist spiral 🌀- thankfully the album got done. Thanks for this replay. Had to come back to revisit after a hard day. Oh, and the tasty bits at the end - delicioso!! ✨😜

[@kennethmardis2132]

Such a great band. Never gets old

[@garyives8676]

I love Joni! I didn't know that was her favorite SD song. Thanks for letting me know. Third World Man is very brilliant! I love it!

[@danielthompson6880]

I've read Gaucho is about Donald referring to Walter when Walter was really hooked on heroin. The "special friend" is Walter's drug dealer who Donald doesn't want to be around. If you read the lyrics with this in mind it makes sense. Another Great Reaction. Looking forward to watch you finish The Nightfly and Katy Lied.

[@arthurwesterman8763]

With Steely Dan it is always hard to maintain that one song is the best as they have so many masterpieces. But this one has always been one of my favorites. Such a beautiful melody and chord progression, and Larry Carlton’s solo and fills invariably give me goosebumps. Thanks for your Steely Dan reactions, always a pleasure to watch. And I might add that your sound quality is excellent.

[@mishkac4959]

Fagen's miraculously tight layered harmonies (no backing singers, no autoune) are gorgeous on this tune - and leads to his vocal techniques used on The Nightfly. I think you'd adore Maxine on that album: easily Fagen's most heartfeltt song.

[@John_Chu]

You would really enjoy Aimee Nolte's analysis of "Maxine" on her youtube channel. She's a wonderful communicator about technical stuff but she's also good at showing us what makes this song a work of genius. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXrNdYx6btR5qMk.

[@jcraigshelton]

Fagen and Becker knew this song was held dearly by SD Nation. When they began to tour in the early nineties, it was part of their setlist and is even included on their Alive in America album. Personally, I think it is one of the best examples of Fagan’s vocal repertoire. He is at the top of his game in 1980.

[@danielmccann8325]

Your Steely Dan reviews are the best. I check your site every day for them.

[@michelemichele3375]

We need a weekly Steely Dan DAY of the Week … until concert time. Just to get you prepared. Lol. NOT for our pleasure 😉 haha, totally thinking of you two wonderful humans. Peace ✌🏻

[@marcb7571]

Glad your back to Dan… love to hear your take on Everything Must Go and Donald’s Morph the Cat✌️

[@kennethschreyer2527]

What's Truly Amazing is that Walter Becker had been Hit By a Car when This Album Was Being Written and Recorded. One of the Most Amazing Collaborations Ever Since it Was Literally Being Phoned in ........What a Back and Forth !!! 🤠🎸🎼🎵🎶🐴❤

[@triscat]

A little trivial aside. Joni once said, in the late 90's, that the only good song she's heard in years in popular music was New Radical's "You Get What You Give". That's a pretty good one, too. We all have our musical taste buds.

[@doughovland]

Love your reactions, enjoyment and background information from Joni ✨ That solo IS insanely good, and the song and harmonies are insanely brilliant as well ✨ I’m really enjoying working my way through your Steely Dan related videos before I jump into your other ones! ✌🏼❤🎶

[@NicknLex]

Enjoy Doug!! 😃

[@DexterD63]

Hiya, another song from this record I like is #nicknlexrequest My Rival. I like the Film Noir lyrical imagery, the extra percussion, the stereo separation of the guitars, Steve Khan’s economical note choices during the solo, the backing vocals, Donald on organ and synth, the lyrics and how he pronounces them. All dat.

[@doloresbarrientos2781]

I love it so much. Ilove steely so much. I love all there songs. They are all my favorite. Thank you guys.

[@Spazzmatazzz]

Loved this reaction! I also loved your "late in life comment". These are the songs of my younger years (I was 25 when this was released lol) and there's nothing I like better than the "late in life" people like yourselves to love it as much as we did back then! Keep up the wonderful work!

[@stevemontross9388]

It wouldn't surprise me if Carlton wept during this solo. Someone in the studio probably did.

[@realbser1956]

I don’t know, it’s like asking a mother to choose which of her two children she loves more. Some days one child misbehaves and the other is the good one, another day just the opposite. It’s great that we have all this wonderful music to listen to and love.

[@squidkid2]

This does have a real Joni vibe. I wonder how people like Joni Mitchell and others might have been influenced by groups like Steely Dan and how they might have been influenced by her work in return. This music was so ahead of his time. All I know is that if Joni likes your song, then that's high praise.

[@robertjewell9727]

I'll send this to Joni's FB page and see if she responds. I know she'd love you two.

[@NicknLex]

Omg that would be amazing! Thank you! 😘

[@robertjewell9727]

@@NicknLex , you're welcome. I actually messaged her the video because one can't it seems just post on her page. And that's probably even better to message than post on FB although more people would see it. I am hoping Joni may comment here to add any insights. I know she met up with Rick Beato after she watched his WHAT MAKES THIS SONG GREAT? AMELUA video.

[@NicknLex]

@@robertjewell9727 Yes! We loved watching them at dinner together! 💕 Thank you again!

[@scottanderson8420]

There is an outtake of this from the Aja sessions you can find online Carlton’s solo was recorded at that time. They reworked the lyrics for Gaucho and it’s much better than what didn’t make the Aja cut. Who cares if you have heard it before…. It’s steely Dan so every listen is awesome. I agree that it would have been great to hear more from Mark Knofler. Keep on reeling with the Steely Wheely. All your reactions are great!

[@pamelawatson2366]

The harmonies, the lyricism, the musicianship is so perfect that I can believe Joni loves this. Great reaction.

[@JC19676]

The song was recorded years before it was released. It was originally called Were You Blind That Day. It was recorded during the time of The Royal Scam sessions. Larry Carlton's amazing solo was cut years before. Walter and Donald cut most of the Gaucho album in New York the original was cut in LA. The original version: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5eufGmbZaeDd7c One of the reasons such an old song ended up on the album is that an engineer erased some of the music from the sessions. Most notably the song The Second Arrangement. Producer Gary Katz called it his favorite song during The Gaucho sessions. They tried to record it again but it never had the same magic. The theme deals with a paranoia similar to Don't Take Me Alive. Donald's voice really captures this suburban paranoia quite well. His suburban New Jersey upbringing definitely has something to do with it I love Gaucho more than AJA but I can't agree with Joni. AJA was still recorded when they were based on the west coast. They had a tendency to write songs about New York. Gaucho has songs that are based in LA. In addition,AJA was just right for it's time in terms of its sound and song choices. Gaucho was recorded over a longer time and Walter dealt with a lot of tragedy with his girlfriend killing herself,being hit by a car and his drug abuse. Hey Nineteen(which was very stripped down in terms of the arrangement) and Glamour Profession had a very 1980 vibe. Steve Gadd's drums were samples for Glamour Profession. Wendel the Drum Computer played that part.

[@Ailsworth]

Wow Joni is right. I have always considered Gaucho the finest thing ever done in a recording studio, and the only things coming close to it is "The Wall."

[@mikeloomis687]

I literally could play this song 100 times and not get tired of it. Says volumes about all the other songs SD that are "better"! OMG where do you put them on the SD scale of songs? It's a nice quandary to put yourself which makes you just play their music constantly. Good luck with that! After 50 years my favorite tracks are interchangeable. I also will be seeing the Dan and Snarky Puppy next month at the Hollywood Bowl.

[@jmclen7]

When I first heard this song, I was a kid and hair metal dominated the rock guitar paradigm. I heard this solo and the guitar sounded like magic to me. Life-altering discovery. I was a drummer but I just couldn’t figure out how such a complex, nuanced guitar sound could be possible. It was years later when I realized he plugged his es-335 directly into a tweed deluxe and turned the volume up to 3 or 4 and that’s it. Back then guitar rigs were so complicated yet so one-dimensional sounding. Always love Larry Carlton.

[@biskygiver]

I love the main solo, but the outro solo is where the guitar shines as my mind tends to wander more, but in a good way.

[@briangray00]

Me too.

[@danl.909]

Yay! Steely Dan time again!

[@cliffordlowerre1381]

Like Joni it's so down to earth, clean and natural.

[@ohfour-seven6228]

I believe I saw that Third World Man was recorded for Aja but wasn't included in the final album. When recording Gaucho, one song was erased entirely and couldn't be retrieved. They added Third World Man to Gaucho to fill out the album. It's always been a favorite of mine. I'm hoping you'll get around to reacting to songs from Fagen's Kamakiriad. As usual, all the songs are tremendous but Trans-Island Skyway, Springtime and Florida Room are must hears. Florida Room is absolutely incredible! Great reaction y'all!

[@kentd7380]

The Second Arrangement was the accidentally erased, versions of it exist on KZbin. As you know, the original "Third World Man" was "Were You Blind That Day", versions of it also exist on KZbin.

[@ohfour-seven6228]

Thanks, I'll check it out!@@kentd7380

[@chrislegner4816]

Makes perfect sense. The style of this track evokes Joni's mid-70's era output. Very enjoyable video and commentary.

[@richardbarton6146]

Larry Carlton in sync with the trumpets is phenomenal.. what a genius.

[@frugalseverin2282]

I enjoy hearing a song out of context from the album, it makes it fresh and it gets 100% attention. Again I recommend listening to Rickie Lee Jones' album "Flying Cowboys" which was produced by WALTER BECKER. It's excellent.

[@brucegregory9585]

Steely Dan...simply the best...ever. I've had the pleasure of seeing them 5 times. I saw them in 1973 when they opened up for Elton John. I have a great suggestion for you. You should do a 'Steely Dan 'Triple Florida Reaction'...'FLORIDA ROOM', DR WU, and WALK BETWEEN THE RAINDROPS'. Each of those songs are about Florida. Great tunes...right up your alley. YOU WILL LOVE THEM.

[@ohfour-seven6228]

Glad to see you give Florida Room some love, what a great song! My brother always says Dr. Wu is the ultimate classic Steely Dan song. Thanks for mentioning them!

[@brucegregory9585]

@@ohfour-seven6228 Yeah...you are so right...what a lovely song. Between the 'Silky Sweet Sax' of Cornelius Bumpus and the unbelievable tag-team of Walter Becker's bass with Christopher Parker's solid drums it is mesmerizing. Your brother certainly has a point with 'Dr Wu'...it is about as 'top drawer' as a song can get...but, hey...it's Steely Dan...some of us expect no less from them.

[@ohfour-seven6228]

@@brucegregory9585 Amen to that!

[@danielmccann8325]

Stilll waiting on Walk between the raindrops. Such a great song.

[@petertrotman7708]

The song is about a man/ex-soldier who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. It beautifully conjures an image of serenity with tension from Larry's solo. Glad you finally got here.

[@paulweber686]

There can't be a favorite Steely Dan or Beatles song, because there are more than one.

[@NicknLex]

So her opinion doesn't matter ?

[@toddmichelfelder3417]

I am sure that you will love seeing Steely Dan live! The last time I saw them, Steve Winwood opened for them. That was an incredible show!! You need to react to some Traffic, “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” or “Mr Fantasy”. Fantastic music from a very young Steve Winwood.

[@raulnovoa6098]

The steely clan. Are clean. And don't fuckaround. Perfection. Musianship. At its finest. 💯

[@00TheRealTC]

Thanks for doing this. If this is Joni's favourite SD song, you need to listen to her song called "The Beat of Black Wings" off her 'Chalkmark in a Rainstorm' album.

[@glenndespres5317]

I too can’t believe …. I have never heard this! So this is such a gift! I can hear shades of Asia … but it’s just soooo damn good. I can see why Joni loves it. Great stuff here as usual. Your dog is too cute.

[@1957PLATO]

If it’s good enough for Joni, it’s definitely good enough for me.

[@JackSchitte]

The power of the Dan is strong within both of you. The fascination with Becker and Fagen has not dimmed within me since my first listen to "Do It Again" in 1974. Not a day goes by without me hearing something new in one of their songs with every play. I can now rest easy knowing their legacy is being guarded and progressed by two listeners as discerning and astute as you both. I agree with Joni. Gaucho is my favorite album but that has changed a myriad of times depending on what I played that last. Get ready ... this dilemna has plagued Dan listeners for years. Just wait till you dive deeper on Fagen's solo work.

[@paullacroix527]

Love Third World Man. The last song on the last album of their 72-80 heyday. Great guitar by Carlton.

[@joelliebler5690]

Third World Man is one of Steely Dan’s finest works!

[@colin4796]

When it comes to Steely Dan your smiles say it all.

[@MUSICADELCENTRO]

In "Everything You Did" too, Larry is outstanting

[@stevenhooker2600]

Saw them in Raleigh , North Carolina 2 years ago on my birthday. Great Music

[@Alewifes_Husband]

I can hear why Joni might call this her favorite Dan song. The perfect meld of guitar and keyboards into one sound, in the main sequence; the smoky bass sound; the slightly chorused overall sound of the chords -- it's a motif that Joni and her producers used to great effect on Joni's biggest records, 5 or 6 years prior to this one. I hadn't heard this song before -- i am less familiar with Gaucho than all that came before.

[@static6OOO]

I’ve heard that not too many people like this song which is a shame because I really enjoy this song. Happy Easter if you celebrate!

[@katyland1015]

Such a beautiful, mournful, and emotional song. This is one of those songs where Donald Fagen really exposed his soul. And the guitar work (Larry Carlton) is SO good, it is difficult to describe it. It falls into Guitar God status. Plus the recording and production are just amazing! For me, the SD trifecta is Aja, Gaucho, and Third World Man. The Royal Scam comes in fourth, by a nose. Again...thank you SO much for this one!! Love you guys!!!

[@shank60657]

Katy Lied is one of my favorite Steely Dan albums. I used to listen to it all the time back in college. Try out Chain Lightning, Your Gold Shoes II… heck, they’re all good!

[@bobbyulili]

so good, after all these years

[@andyphillips9693]

Third World Man has always been my favourite track by far on the Gaucho album. Somehow it seems to escape a lot ot people's attention, so I'm glad to see it being highlighted like this.

[@mmiller11]

It's always been my impression (from the lyrics) that this song is an ode to a child whose creative, imaginary world is to be revered and observed before he loses his playfulness.

[@stevenesfield]

Great your back on the Dan getting withdrawals guys 😂. Are you doing night by night and Showbiz kids.

[@richj5953]

SNOW THA PRODUCT "REALLY COUNTS" SHE is amazing !! Your going to love her....

[@jimbobgreasemonkey]

Wow..!! How do you guys do this.?? Each time you "react" to a SD song, I will later watch/Listen to another "reaction" of the same song. Somehow, you guys are able to transmit the SOUND so much better than others do. It seems like I am Listening to the Record in front of me. Thanks..!!!

[@nunnarij]

Joni Mitchell an exceptional artist with insights into great music.

[@The_Great_Darino]

Oh no…nooooo no no no no. Not gonna do it this time, no sirree. Found your channel around midnight, last night. Next thing I knew, the sun was coming up. 😬 Ok. Maybe just this one review, then that’s it🙄 Note: TWM is my favorite song off ‘Gaucho’. An album I bought when it first came out. Yeah, yeah..,I was in high school.

[@NicknLex]

That is so sweet! Thank you for sharing your time with us ♥️. Hope you had a great time and it’s great to have you! :) - Lex

[@johnlylemusic]

I’m pretty sure that the main Larry Carlton solo is double tracked in order to give the notes more girth and fullness, which means he had to play it exactly the same way twice, but I believe the two double stop bends at the end were achieved by harmonizing the two solos.

[@garymcghee2249]

Just awesome even by the Dan's stellar standards. Best track on Gaucho (just) and in my top 5 Dan tracks. x

[@violetflame23]

That was Larry Carlton on the guitar solo . . . he also did Kid Charlemagne and Don't Take Me Alive.

[@lageronimo8012]

Nothing compares to Jorge Watanabe sitting in on 3rd world man (live) Blows Larry's excellent dishout away. Not joking.

[@normansykes8872]

This song was originally recorded in 1976 for the Royal Scam album but didn’t make the cut. The only reason it appeared on Gaucho was because a second engineer erased a track which some believe was the song Second Arrangement. When that happened they had to pull Third World Man out of the vault to fill out the album. Just think they could have easily put that song on AJA but personally I don’t think it would have flowed with that album. Just my opinion. Great video!

[@frankitoca]

I was going to say I was there on May 20th, but I saw them on the 25th, in the Bay Area. Larry Carlton's is the greatest guitar solo in the whole Steely Dan recorded oeuvre, imho! He's the link between them and Joni, having contributed his impeccable playing on her albums, spotlight on "Help Me."

[@rainemiller4015]

No way I was just going to request you guys do this track!! I became aware of it because of Joni as well and it’s one of my favourite Dan songs, Larry Carlton’s solo….

[@antrivers46]

Don’t know if it’s been mentioned but obviously you can hear that Larry Carlton’s solo is double tracked. It’s astonishing. The song is astonishing, The Dan are astonishing.

[@ljw5768]

I love this song but I have to admit I was distracted from it as I was wondering if the dog took a dump in the doorway. It really looked like it for a while. 😂😂😂

[@bonovol]

Me and Joni in agreement. Good company.

[@mauriciodelarosa2449]

Hey Nick you really have to warn Lex when you are going to do your slap! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@alanparsonsfan]

Ah, the richness of this. Completely agree that Gaucho and AJA are sister albums. Can you imagine if the four best songs from each had been together one album? Unbelievable. For me, the best 3 SD pieces are AJA, Home At Last, and...this. Masterpieces, all 3. Third World Man the most haunting thing the Dan ever did, both musically and lyrically. Now knowing that Joni likes this one best, I am realizing that it's atmospheric like her own masterpiece, Hejira. The vocal harmonies on the choruses here might be their best as well.

[@markburnham7512]

I heard Larry Carlton tell the story that "Third World Man" was recorded during the Aja sessions, and was called "Were You Blind That Day" originally.

[@NicknLex]

I heard it was recorded during royal scam. But I read that in the comments too

[@markburnham7512]

@@NicknLex Yes, lots of lore surrounding The Dan. I tend to believe Larry's version.

[@christopheryochum3602]

You're on top of it, Nick. You know, you and other reactors do a lot of "other" Steely Dan stuff, but I heard a lot of it already when I was a kid and thought it was OK nice stuff. I bought the "Do It Again" on a 45RPM single. But when Aja came out, I thought it was trancendent, relative to the other albums. So, how are you on top of it? Well, you always wonder when a follow-up comes out, if it will be diminished. Have they used up their best stuff on the previous album? Well, when Gaucho came out, it was every bit as superior as Aja. I have both on MFSL Original Master Recordings. Hey, know what? MFSL (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) agrees with you because they remastered both. See Nick? You a smart cookie!!! :)

[@albertsmith9315]

Read the Mitchell comments a couple of days ago. So cool that her words led you to do this video. I pondered her thoughts on Aja versus Gaucho and the "birth order"... who knows?

[@Lightmane]

It's really interesting to know that this is Joni's favorite. Aja is mine, so Joni and I will just have to fight about it when she comes on your show : )

[@NicknLex]

May the music Gods be listening my friend!

[@Lightmane]

@@NicknLex YES. Here's hoping 🙂

[@heidie2081]

After hearing the beginning of this song, I was thrown into remembering and hearing some similarities to Donald Fagen's piece he did for the movie Heavy Metal called "True Companion", a great piece that I have yet to see any one on youtube mention or react to. It is on the Heavy Metal movie soundtrack as well as the Steely Dan Gold Expanded Edition album. Primarily an instrumental. Hope you check it out, I think you would enjoy it.

[@kathyratino962]

Heavy Metal! That's a blast from the past! LOVED it, and especially Lunatic Fringe at the time. (I still think that song is brilliant, and it would be a great reaction video for these two.) I'll have to check back into True Companion.

[@heidie2081]

@@kathyratino962 Definitely a blast from the past! If you like Steely Dan, check out the song. Very laid back but really nice guitar work in it.

[@heidie2081]

@@kathyratino962 Oh, just in case someone is interested in who played guitar on True Companion, it's Steve Khan, he also did rythym guitar work on SD's Peg.

[@cglover6415]

I tried learning this solo too. All I could do afterward was sing "SOON... you'll throw down your GUITAR..."

[@stevemd6488]

Same. Always prided myself on being able to learn most anything. This one is different, could never get close. Jon Herrington has said this is his favorite solo to play with the band.

[@mauriciodelarosa2449]

Joni of course has excellent taste I love this song the last track of the Gaucho album. 🙏🏽✌🏽🌎🌍🌏♥️

[@davidheiser2225]

I agree with Joni - I've always preferred Gaucho to Aja. Aja, in fact, has always been my least favorite of their first 7 albums. I like the mention of "sister" albums. Quite a few artists have released consecutive albums that seem like two halves of a pair. For example, Songs From the Wood and Heavy Horses by Jethro Tull, Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams by the Steve Miller Band, Bridge of Sighs and For Earth Below by Robin Trower. Aja and Gaucho are indeed sister albums.

[@markbeymer-tz8yz]

Have you heard the guitar at the end of My Old School? Amazing!!!

[@markblom8039]

Enjoy the concert. I'll be seeing them on the 21st, first post covid concert.

[@georgetaxi8179]

I think the song Gaucho is about an agent who is upset his client brings his flamboyant foreign gay lover with him at the meeting. Knowing that this can get out to the public it could hurt their business. Dark and humorous!

[@lancerx1759]

Reeling in some Steely Dan is always a great catch

[@mikenichols3965]

This song is unique in it's melancholy tone for Steely Dan. Such an awesome album closer. And for the longest time we all thought this was the final SD tune. Gaucho has a special place for me; bought it the day it came out,. knew it was an instant classic, and that period in music was very lively. Another outstanding reaction ❤

[@robstearns7080]

12:50 Katy Lied is EXCELLENT Doctor Wu is the best song on that album

[@norsketilbakeblikk3717]

Throw back the little ones is.

[@jazzyboy7784]

Love you guys...keep doing what your doing...

[@claytonflinchum3962]

It portray,s american Vietnam veterans, suffering through ptsd after the war. Checkout Joni,s video Shadows and Light, featuring Jaco and Pat Matheny!

[@MrDodgedollar]

Definitely about this.. and I am so sorry to learn but.. what a goosebump song

[@richardrobinson4020]

Great choice

[@richardbarton6146]

a song about a veteran who spent time in the middle east and has PTSD... he's become a third world man! his bunker is filled with sand!! the fireworks freaked him out, brought back memories..

[@mgbasinski]

TWM is definitely one of the greatest SD songs (and that guitar solo really might be my favorite). DO listen to the song "Two Against Nature" - very fun tune, crazy lyrics, this is another one where you want to try to understand WHAT IS THE STORY HERE?

[@olivercarlehed]

Love your videos. Please do Larks Tongues in Aspic with King Crimson :) thx

[@francisbee69]

Love this song, love the Dan. My favourite Gaucho song. Try listening to ‘New Horizons’ and ‘When You’re A Free Man’ from the Moody Blues’ Seventh Sojourn 1972.

[@mvcork]

Sometimes it's better to make one's own interpretation of a song's lyrics? Ghana Rondo 😊 ❤

[@jackengard5718]

I can't recall which musician it was, but he said what made the Dan difficult was they already knew the sound they were looking for and hence the endless auditions to find the particular person's sound that matched what was in their head. As for what's the best album or artist, John Batiste who just took home five Grammy awards said it's all subjective and he always believed there's no best actor, movie, musician, album and the like. But with that in mind, you can say that such and such is my personal favorite because it speaks to me. As for Steely Dan lyrics, Frank Zappa called them "downer (barbiturates (reds), oxycontin, quaalude) surrealism" (Salvador Dali prime example). Frank's astutely funny remark was a way of saying don't spend too much time looking for sense in Walter's wording. What's most important is did the words sound right and even better, were they possibly obliquely suggestive. Nick and Lex, thanks for sharing this track since it's always a good time to play Steely Dan!

[@debrabrabenec3731]

I loved Jon Batiste's acceptance speech. I played it for my husband and he teared up.

[@occasm]

Steve Gadd only supplied the sample and a few fills for the Wendel drum machine on Glamour. Wendel groundbreaking at the time and received a Grammy.