➡️➡️Learn more about Steely Dan's "Reelin' Through The Years" here: https://producelikeapro.com/blog/steely-dan-reelin-in-the-years/
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➡️➡️Learn how to play Reelin' In The Years with Six String Alliance here: https://youtu.be/BfU-jP_4V_I
The story of Steely Dan is one of consummate musicianship, cerebral writing and audio polish. Their first big hit – “Reelin’ in the Years” showcased these values. Fusing together their deep love of jazz’s complex harmonies and rhythms, alongside blues and rock songwriting, Steely Dan’s intellectual approach to music is a hallmark of their long career.
The band’s founding members, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, met at Bard college where Fagen was bouncing between the music and English departments; Becker was also a student, a couple years younger. An accomplished pianist, Fagen was looking for other musicians to play jazz and rock with, but struggled to find anyone who could play in the style he was looking for.
While Steely Dan has had many hits in their long career – “Reelin’ in the Years” is undoubtedly one of their greatest. It brings together Fagen and Becker’s talent for clever lyrics and cerebral composition, alongside consummate popular songwriting. They had honed their craft writing songs for other musicians, but in creating Steely Dan, they were able to expand their creative palate to embrace the complex musical influences that inspired them.
“Reelin’ in the Years” is structurally a clear pop song with catchy hooks and a memorable, singable chorus. But it’s also quite thoughtfully constructed. This is especially clear in the song’s lyrics which follow a beautiful parallel structure in each verse. Working on the classic theme of a romantic breakup – each verse starts with a description of the ex-girlfriend or the couple’s relationship and ends with the same frustrated bewilderment – “I can’t understand”
“Reelin’ in the Years” and the rest of Steely Dan’s debut album – Can’t Buy a Thrill – was recorded in August of 1972 at the iconic Village Recorder in West Los Angeles. The album features Steely Dan’s original band of Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on guitar, and pedal steel guitar, and Denny Dias on guitar and electric sitar. Becker plays electric bass guitar and sings background vocals.
Can’t Buy a Thrill was released in November of 1972. “Reelin’ in the Years” was released as the album’s second single on February 27, 1973. It just barely missed the 10 Ten, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It’s legacy has held strong – becoming a favorite of classic rock radio. The song showcases Fagen and Becker’s dry, sarcastic tongue, amid great songwriting, stellar musicianship and audio and production polish. Almost 50 years later, “Reelin’ in the Years” remains one of Steely Dan’s most popular and beloved tracks.
Written By: Caitlin Vaughn Carlos
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