Ever love a song for years then realize you have no idea what they’re singing about?

Some songs can bring us to tears.  Some make us want to fight, get romantic, or maybe tell a story.  A lot of lyrics these days are like a dox.  He cheated on me!  She’s a gold digger!  Personal, universal, gender power, inner struggles, outer struggles… lots of angles.

Then there’s Donald Fagen.  He’s in his own sandbox at the far corner of the playground.  Nobody can really tell what he’s building over there, but with black rimmed glasses taped on one side, button up shirt with pencil in pocket,  topping his creation off with a 1/2 pint of milk and pyramid made of cheese slices from the cafeteria… tada!  pure gold!

“I.G.Y.” stands for International Geophysical Year, and is the first track from his 1982 LP “The Nightfly”.

A four chord Fender Rhodes beginning with swirling electric piano notes and 2& plucks, like a cheap sci-fi alien aircraft cruising in from another planet to an immediately infectious jazzy/reggae influenced groove… enter the horn section to a down modulation and first verse.  One thing is clear with Steely Dan and Fagen alike, they sound like no one else, ever.

Even McCartney, likely the greatest songwriter of our time shows influence.  We can hear a mixture of 50’s rock & roll & British skiffle music with even more musical references to the 20’s.  I’m not a theologian of Beatle bibles, but would bet young Paul had exposure to much 20’s era music growing up.

With Fagen you just can’t tell.  We know he loves Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles… and it’s evident his jazz influences are greater than his pop… but what pop did he listen to?  There’s no Beatles, no Stones here.  No Hendrix or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.  There’s R&B, but how rare for a jazz/R&B lover to have this much pop success when it appears he didn’t really listen to or even care for the genre?

His drum and percussion tracks are always perfectly recorded, perfectly in the pocket, even isolated.  Ringo’s like that.  Check out a solo Beatle track sometime and you can feel the song even before all the bells and whistles.  This is the foundation of a hit song, and Fagen/Becker know when they have it.

Probably why Steely Dan would cast sessions with all different players to get a panoramic soundscape of the best direction to go.  Genius if you’ve got the budget.  Few do.

‘You’ve got to admit it, at this point in time it’s clear‘.  So much predictive programming on the subject made people think we must already have the technology.  Certainly in 30 years time (the 80’s) we’ll be real life Jetsons.

‘On that train all graphite and glitter – Undersea by rail’.  -Such cool imagery, and scores a kind of futuristic ‘Virgin Railway’.  We’ve had the concept for high speed rails that could move us under oceans for years.  They’ve yet to appear, but still fun to think about.  And what an image, “all graphite and glitter.. undersea by rail”.

‘Ninety minutes from New York to Paris, well by ’76 we’ll be A-ok’ -He’s truly marching to the beat of his own drum.  I’m so happy to read lyrics that don’t need to explain themself.  This is a totally random inspiration you can read about in an interview or make your own interpretation… anything goes.

Why does it work?  Because the chorus.

“What a beautiful world this will be   What a glorious time to be free”

That’s universality.  That’s driving a convertible to summer beach.  Flying to Costa Rica or parasailing over Hawaiian shores.  Skiing down powder slopes in the California sun. Fine Columbian (Hey Nineteen) at the Hollywood Bowl with your friends before the lights go down.  The crowd cheers, and Fagen’s chorus is what everyone hears no matter the band, no matter the song.  This groove with these words are everyone’s best time.  It’s part of his genius.  It doesn’t matter what he’s talking about in the verse because yeah, what a beautiful world it will be.  Let’s make it now!

I love records that are spectacular in all directions where writing, performance, recording, production and vocals all come together in one cohesive package.  Innovation and inspiration… all the pieces make us feel something special.  It’s a gift when it works.

Before even studying a record, I know it’s great because there’s this feeling of envy in my gut.  I can’t not play it, no matter whether I love the artist or not.  It makes me want to get to work.  Great records have always done this to me.  On the contrary, lifestyle records or trendy, hipster fads do just the opposite.  I listen, nod my head, and know I won’t be putting it on in the car.  Rarely have I been wrong.

Elvis made me pick up a broom and imitate him.  The Beatles made me want music as a life.  Santana’s “Samba Pa Ti” inspired me to play lead guitar.  CCR made me want a band.  “Pump It Up” and “Working Week” by Elvis Costello made me want to be a songwriter.

Nowadays it’s songs/records with creative chord changes, lyrics that inspire, smart production, sounds from an innately talented mixer, a smooth, instinctive vocal and maybe most of all grooves with a solid bass line and beat… everything.

First entry, and in no particular order but just what’s in my head at this time may be a surprise- Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On”.

“Three little birds sat on my window – And they told me I don’t need to worry”.

It’s a carefree lyric, but clever in it’s use of images to create the feeling of someone breaking through the walls and challenge in life.  The birds (innocence) swing by to console and remind her how to find herself, and the next line is beautiful:

“Summer came like cinnamon, so sweet
Little girls double-dutch on the concrete”

A rich vision here, conjoining the senses of sight and smell.  When a female sings ‘little girls double-dutch on the concrete’, it’s a strong inner-city image.  A reflection of innocence she now longs for.  She’s reflecting back to a time there were few problems in her world.  The scent of cinnamon is reminiscent of something mom (your best friend as a kid) would be baking in the kitchen.

Pre-chorus conflict:

“Maybe sometimes we got it wrong but it’s alright
The more things seem to change
The more they stay the same   Don’t you hesitate”

Somewhere she messed up.  Haven’t we all.  She thought she graduated from one hard place, only to find she’s in another.  Pain is pain.  So you moved on, got stronger but the hurt feels the same.  Forgiving ones self is usually the first step to fixing.  Don’t even think about it, just go.

The chorus:

“Girl, put your records on
Tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans
I hope you get your dreams
Just go ahead, let your hair down
You’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow”

Little in life gives you the immediate impact of taking away a hurtful, regretful moment like putting an old record on to make you happy.  “Sapphire and faded jeans” – I love that… Sapphire is a blue image akin to blue jeans, but sparkling like youth.  ‘Faded jeans’ are something we’ve all owned and felt a deep attachment.  When the day comes we have to toss them it’s like losing a chapter of our life.  A tangible metaphor for great times, hard times, people we found, people we lost, all of it.  If our blue jeans could talk…

Such a great lyric, and displays experience from the songwriter.  I don’t know which of the three writers were most responsible for this… maybe they all played a part… but so good.

The track begins with a 3 bar intro of a single gut string note, then two, then three… transitioning horn swell into the downbeat- ‘Three little birds’ verse begins.  An affirmative walking groove of 90 bpm is a perfect companion for shedding self-doubt and finding your strength.  The verse is comprised of the same chord progression as the chorus, with an 8 bar B-section & breakdown for a fitting palette reset to start dipping to the beat of the chorus.

This kind of neo-soul is implied but not as obvious as a Jill Scott or Angie Stone since it’s on a classical guitar and not a stereo panned Rhodes piano.  The ascending chord progression plays over a descending bass line, which lends symmetry to the lyrical ups & downs.  All these elements work together to make us feel like dealing with our problems.  Inspired!  Producers Steve Chrisanthou and Jimmy Hogarth did a flawless job.

Corrine’s vocal is silky, yet not manipulative.  She conveys the perfect sentiment of the words she sings.  The use of background vocals are abundant but not that noticeable unless you focus.  It’s more a subliminal group in her head like ‘we got you!’

This record was hugely successful in both the US and UK, and has been covered, synced and soundtracked many times.  Where there’s inspiration, success follows.  Spectacular!

Cheers-

Jude

People love to leave their best impression.  IG, FB, TikTok & X are filled with good fortune.  Good folks on lavish vacations, new cars, remodeled homes, infinity pools, pricey ‘fits’ for every day of the year, perfect bodies, or even just “# blessed I found the love of my life.”  If social media were a gauge for human success, we’d want for nothing.

I try not to use it as a ‘show & tell’ for adults, but sometimes my lack of revealing personal issues lead some to believe I don’t have any.

And that impression couldn’t be farther from reality.  The truth is, the last 6 years have been the most challenging of my life.  I don’t talk about it publicly other than broad-strokes… because it’s ugly.  It has to do with people.  Trust.  Betrayal.  I chalk it up to paying a karma from long ago, and some beliefs that may need an adjustment.

Back in the 80’s there was an SNL skit with Al Franken playing a character named Stuart Smalley… an insecure, effeminate man in pastel blue and purple sweaters looking sheepishly in the mirror, reciting things like ‘I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it people like me!’

It was pretty funny actually, but as I got older I realized it was also a little sad, because it ridiculed and laughed at something most people desperately need… and now more than ever.  Positive reenforcement.  Positive beliefs.  Positive affirmations.

Before I had a hit song on the radio, I was in a state.  My first record had gone straight to the ‘has-bin’ and my deal with Warners was in jeopardy.  I struggled to make rent.

Funny side note… one day Michael Bay, the director was still in college and you know… a rich kid from Brentwood, all that.  Anyway he visited my apartment because our girlfriends were friends, and as he stepped inside he looked all around, up and down along the walls and ceiling in amazement.  I wasn’t sure what he was going to say but finally he opened up his mouth and laughed ‘you live here??’.  Ha!  Funny I was kind of proud of that apartment until that day!

Anyway, a dear friend and sort of guru handed me a copy of the Louise Hay book ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ and said ‘Jude I think you need this’.  I did.

One message from the book was that whatever is wrong with you is due to your very own belief system.  True or false I liked it.  It left me in control, not anyone else.  It also came with a tape of daily meditation/affirmations.  I did it every day.  Until I felt a shift.  And you know, it worked.  Not only then, but every time I’ve had to reinvent or realign myself.

The next record ‘A View From 3rd St.’ wasn’t exactly Dark Side Of The Moon on the richter scale, but it did a few significant things to change the quality of life.  I created my own signature sound… plus ‘Baby, It’s Tonight’ was a huge radio song and earned a good deal of money from airplay.  It also allowed me to keep my record deal.

Coming from a fairly healthy amount of dysfunction… little play on words there… I like what Tony Robbins says about self calibration.  He likens it to a pilot with a navigation system.  The plane drifts and constantly goes off course.  The navigation system adjusts repeatedly and brings the aircraft back to a place where you can literally land it on a dime.

That’s most of our brains, emotions and life.  Constantly going off course and in eternal need of calibration, realignment and self-care.  It’s like our bodies and the gym.  We don’t go to a gym and work out for 6 months, then say ‘ok i’m good!’.  We have to eat right and constantly work our body parts with motion and muscle.  The same is true with ‘E’motions and mental health.

In my  Fresh Coffee YouTube page, I’ve created 10 videos with subliminal affirmations.  This is music you can put on and just go about your business, but the messages are heard through the subconscious.  There will be more in the next year with real voiceovers.  It’s fun to create, and well… I do it because I need it.  Feel free to check them out sometime, or there are many others online.  Consistency is key.

https://www.youtube.com/@freshcoffee6879

I’d open up about the pineal gland and what TV, film, music and graphene oxide, aluminum, fluoride and wi-fi are doing to us, but it would make this post conspiratorial and too long, so will have to save it for another time.  Cheers!
Jude