Any Major Dude Will Tell You

Last updated
"Any Major Dude Will Tell You"
Single by Steely Dan
from the album Pretzel Logic
A-side "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"
ReleasedApril 25, 1974
Recorded1973
Genre Soft rock
Length3:05
Label ABC
Songwriter(s) Walter Becker, Donald Fagen
Producer(s) Gary Katz
Official audio
"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" on YouTube

"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" is a song written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker that was first released by Steely Dan on their 1974 album Pretzel Logic . It was also released as the B-side of the first single from that album "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". It was later released on several of the band's compilation albums.

Contents

Lyrics and music

Steely Dan FAQ author Anthony Robustelli describes "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" as one of Steely Dan's smoothest songs and an exemplar of the 1970s California sound." [1] The lyrics attempt to comfort the singer's friend who is going through a difficult time. [2] [3] The editors of Goldmine describe the refrain as beginning "with encouraging lyrics from one friend to another in a time of need, 'Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend, any minor world that breaks apart falls together again.'" [4] Steely Dan biographer Brian Sweet describes this theme as one of "madness and insecurity." [5] John Totten explains that the friend the singer is addressing has gone mad and is in distress for some undisclosed reason. [6] AllMusic critic Stewart Mason feels that the song works particularly well because the "wise-ass" attitude taken by the singer "put sorrow in perspective without minimizing it." [3]

One of the lines in the song refers to a "squonk's tears." [5] [6] The musicians did not know what a squonk was, and during the recording would ask each other in order to try to find out without revealing their ignorance to Fagen and Becker. [5] It turned out that a squonk is a mythical creature that when hunted could cry itself into a pool of tears when cornered. [5] [6] [7] Totten believes that the singer is comparing himself to the squonk, and by doing so he humbles himself, giving the comforting message credibility and allowing him to express optimism that things will improve in the future with lines like "Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again". [6]

The instrumentation includes Fagen's keyboards as well as multiple acoustic guitar parts. [3] Fagen sings the lead vocal. [6] Denny Dias has a guitar solo that was written by Becker and Jeff Baxter. [5] Part of Dias' repeating guitar line required vibrato, but since Dias does not use vibrato in his playing he handed the guitar to Baxter to play the last five notes where vibrato was needed. [1] [5] Mason describes the music as "simple and utterly lovely." [3]

Reception

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" as "gorgeous." [8] Stewart Mason described it as one of the group's "most underrated and appealing songs." [3] The Brownsville Herald contributor Bobby Alvarez described it as "a good number" and particularly praised the vocals. [9] Rolling Stone magazine critic Bid Scoppa described it as being at worst a "fine oddball pop [song]...which would make a terrific single." [10] Something Else! critic Victor Aaron also felt that the song would have made a hit single, and noted that it did receive some radio airplay when it was released as the B-side of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." [2] The song was included on several Steely Dan compilation albums, including Greatest Hits in 1978, Citizen Steely Dan in 1993 and Showbiz Kids: The Steely Dan Story, 1972–1980 in 2000. [11] [12] [13]

American alternative rock band Wilco covered the song for the 2000 movie Me, Myself & Irene . [5] [14] Santa Cruz Sentinel reporter Dave Ferman describes their cover as being loving and faithful. [14] Tom Robinson inserted a verse from "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" into his cover of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" on his 1984 album Hope and Glory. [15]

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steely Dan</span> American rock band

Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Initially the band had a stable lineup but in 1974 Becker and Fagen retired from live performances to become a studio-only band, opting to record with a revolving cast of session musicians. Rolling Stone has called them "the perfect musical antiheroes for the seventies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squonk</span> Mythical creature from American folklore

The squonk is a mythical creature that is reputed to live in the hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania in the United States.

<i>Pretzel Logic</i> 1974 studio album by Steely Dan

Pretzel Logic is the third studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records on February 20, 1974. It was recorded at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California, with producer Gary Katz. The album was Steely Dan's last to be made and released while the group was still an active touring band, as well as the final album to feature the band's full quintet-lineup of Becker, Fagen, Denny Dias, Jim Hodder, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, though it also features significant contributions from many prominent Los Angeles-based studio musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Becker</span> American musician, songwriter, and record producer

Walter Carl Becker was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.

<i>Countdown to Ecstasy</i> 1973 studio album by Steely Dan

Countdown to Ecstasy is the second studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in July 1973. It was recorded at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California, except for Rick Derringer's slide guitar part for "Show Biz Kids", which was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado. After the departure of vocalist David Palmer from Steely Dan, the group recorded the album with Donald Fagen singing lead on every track.

<i>Katy Lied</i> 1975 studio album by Steely Dan

Katy Lied is the fourth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in March 1975; reissues have been released by MCA Records since ABC Records was acquired by MCA in 1979. It was the first album the group made after they stopped touring, as well as their first to feature backing vocals by Michael McDonald.

<i>The Royal Scam</i> 1976 studio album by Steely Dan

The Royal Scam is the fifth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in 1976; reissues have been released by MCA Records since ABC Records was acquired by MCA in 1979. It was produced by Gary Katz. In the United States, the album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and it has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Dennis Dias is an American guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Steely Dan.

<i>The Best of Steely Dan: Then and Now</i> 1993 greatest hits album by Steely Dan

The Best of Steely Dan: Then and Now is a compilation album by Steely Dan, released in 1993. The album cover is a photograph of Carhenge in Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretzel Logic (song)</span> 1974 single by Steely Dan

"Pretzel Logic" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, released as a single by Steely Dan from their album Pretzel Logic, originally in 1974 by ABC Records. It reached number 57 in the Billboard charts.

"My Old School" is a single drawn from Steely Dan's 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy. It reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rikki Don't Lose That Number</span> 1974 single by Steely Dan

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a single released in 1974 by rock/jazz rock group Steely Dan and the opening track of their third album Pretzel Logic. It was the most successful single of the group's career, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1974.

<i>The Very Best of Steely Dan: Do It Again</i> 1987 greatest hits album by Steely Dan

The Very Best of Steely Dan: Do It Again is a compilation album by Steely Dan, released in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FM (No Static at All)</span> 1978 single by Steely Dan

"FM (No Static at All)" is a song by American jazz-rock band Steely Dan, the title theme for the 1978 film FM. It made the US Top 40 that year when released as a single, a success relative to the film. Musically, it is a complex jazz-rock composition driven by its bass, guitar and piano parts, typical of the band's sound from this period; its lyrics look askance at the album-oriented rock format of many FM radio stations at that time, in contrast to the film's celebration of that medium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)</span> 1982 single by Donald Fagen

"I.G.Y. " is a song written and performed by American songwriter, singer and musician Donald Fagen. It was the first track on his platinum-certified debut solo album The Nightfly, and was released in September 1982 as its first single. It charted within the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock, R&B Singles and Adult Contemporary charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie (Steely Dan song)</span> 1978 single

"Josie" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and first released by Steely Dan on their 1977 album Aja. It was also released as the third single from the album and performed modestly well, reaching #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #44 on the Easy Listening chart that year. It has appeared on several Steely Dan live and compilation albums.

"Aja" is a jazz rock song, with elements of jazz fusion and progressive rock, by the American rock band Steely Dan from the album of the same name, their sixth studio album, released in 1977. Composers Becker and Fagen play guitar and synthesizer, respectively, on the song, with various studio musicians playing the other parts; Fagen sings lead vocals. Production duties were handled by Gary Katz; the album was released through ABC Records. Musically, it is a tonally sophisticated and structurally complex work that was praised on its release as the most ambitious track the duo had ever attempted. The song's lyrics center around the interior monologue of a man who runs to the title character to escape the stresses of his life "up on the hill." Fagen claimed that it was inspired by a relative of someone he knew, who had married a Korean woman named Aja. He has described the song as being about the "tranquility that can come of a quiet relationship with a beautiful woman."

"Dirty Work" is a song written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan, which appeared on the band's 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time Out of Mind (Steely Dan song)</span> 1981 single by Steely Dan

"Time Out of Mind" is a song by the American rock group Steely Dan that was first released on their 1980 album Gaucho. It was also released as the album's second single in 1981, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for 11 weeks. It was Steely Dan's final hit before disbanding in the summer of that year.

References

  1. 1 2 Robustelli, Anthony (2017). Steely Dan FAQ: All That's Left to Know About This Elusive Band. Backbeat Books. pp. 99–100. ISBN   978-1495025129.
  2. 1 2 Aaron, S. Victor (August 7, 2011). "Steely Dan Sunday, "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" (1974)". Something Else!. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Mason, Stewart. "Any Major Dude Will Tell You". AllMusic . Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  4. ↑ "Fabulous Flip Sides In Memoriam – Steely Dan's Walter Becker". Goldmine. September 4, 2017. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sweet, Brian (2016). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus. pp. 99–103, 298. ISBN   978-1468313147.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Totten, John (October 24, 2011). "The Comfort Food of Pretzel Logic: Regulating Emotion With Steely Dan". The Other Journal. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  7. ↑ Mann, Brent (2005). Blinded by the Lyrics: Behind the Lines of Rock and Roll's Most Baffling Songs. Citadel. pp. 66=67. ISBN   9780806526959.
  8. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Pretzel Logic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  9. ↑ Alvarez, Bobby (April 2, 1974). "Today's Youth Must Replace Routine with Initiative". The Brownsville Herald . p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Scoppa, Bud (May 23, 1974). "Pretzel Logic". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  11. ↑ Elias, Jason. "Greatest Hits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  12. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Citizen Steely Dan". AllMusic . Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  13. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Showbiz Kids: The Steely Dan Story, 1972–1980". AllMusic . Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  14. 1 2 Ferman, Dave (June 23, 2000). "Now Playing: Hot Summer Soundtracks". Santa Cruz Sentinel . p. 20. Retrieved 2017-05-18– via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Rene, Sheila (November 23, 1984). "Rock Report". Santa Cruz Sentinel . p. 11. Retrieved 2017-05-18– via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Robustelli, Anthony (2017). Steely Dan FAQ : all that's left to know about this elusive band. WI. p. 99. ISBN   9781495025129. OCLC   1018394177.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.