The prequel.
The suits at major label ABC/Dunhill Records, who signed Steely Dan in 1972 to a contract allowing the group near-complete artistic control, should have known better. After all, the L.A.-by-way-of-NYC band, led by songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, derived their name from a dildo in William Burroughs’ counter-culture tome Naked Lunch. Apparently no one noticed.
Or if they did, they didn’t care. Because those execs were surely patting themselves on the back after Dan’s debut album, Can’t Buy a Thrill, yielded two rather left field hits in the breezy “Do It Again,” followed by “Reelin’ in the Years.” Even the relatively sleazy cover photo collage of a woman’s lips, a retro muscle man and a line of French prostitutes, disliked by the duo, didn’t faze the record business folks. Money has a way of doing that. The irony wasn’t lost on Becker and Fagen.
The second coming.
That upbeat corporate mood quickly dissipated when the outfit’s second album, Countdown to Ecstasy, was released in July 1973. Energized by their sudden success, Becker and Fagen submitted “Show Biz Kids” as the set’s initial single. Perhaps that was the company’s first indication they had a problem with what they anticipated would be a sure-thing follow-up from a band willing to play ball within the established system.
[RELATED: 3 Steely Dan Songs That Every Rock Music Fan Needs To Know]
Nothing could be further from that.
While the easy flowing melodies to most of Steely Dan’s debut and the rocking guitar solo in “Reelin…” were oblique enough to ignore some darker subjects alluded to lyrically, like draft dodgers and disparaging ex-lovers, there was no such subtlety to “Show Biz Kids.” The song skewers L.A. entertainment bigwigs, affirming in no uncertain terms how disgusted Becker and Fagen were with them by singing, Show business kids making movies of themselves / you know they don’t give a fuck about anybody else. Even now that would be frowned upon; back in 1973 it was unheard of.
But with the help of artistic control, the song was dutifully sent to radio in an edited version (shortened from 5:26 to 4:00) with the offensive word bleeped out. Fagen writes in the notes to the album’s 1998 reissue that being forced to remove the offending line while leaving the setup intact was “a joke without a punch line.” It was their audio middle finger to the phoniness and plasticity of what they saw around them in L.A., entrenched in a glitzy industry they were now very much a part of, and which they clearly loathed.
Further lyrics stabbing what they saw as phony, plastic people, such as They got the booze they need / All that money can buy followed by They got the shapely bods / They got the Steely Dan T-shirt,sung by Fagen in his typically wry voice, dripped with sarcasm. It’s worth noting that at the time, there weren’t any Steely Dan T-shirts.
Fagen’s writing, summarizing the song, reads “The Dan moves to L.A. and is forced to give an oral report.”
Creating the music.
“Show Biz Kids” was an early example of using a tape loop to create a repetitive instrumental groove and a background vocal bed. While that’s easily accomplished today with a push of a few Pro Tools buttons at home, in 1973 it was a complex and laborious process. The 30-second bass, piano, drums, and vocal segment recurred throughout the tune, and overdubs were laid atop it.
The distinctive, slinky yet cutting slide guitar was played by Rick Derringer, who recorded his part at Caribou Ranch Studio. On it, he skillfully mimics a lick from “Reelin’ in the Years.” However, when “Show Biz Kids” was played live on The Midnight Special television show, Dan’s guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter replicated the sound so remarkably well that it’s unclear why they didn’t just let him record it initially.
What was the response?
Not surprisingly, “Show Biz Kids” wasn’t a hit. Although squeaking up to No. 61, it didn’t generate much AM radio airplay. A second 45, the only slightly less biting “My Old School,” fared marginally worse at No. 63. At that point, the record label didn’t bother pushing any other potential hits.
“Show Biz Kids”’ legacy.
Steely Dan tunes are difficult to cover since the originals are so flawless. Even within that universe, “Show Biz Kids” is such a dark, sardonic statement that only a few major acts were tempted to try. Ricki Lee Jones stripped it down to an acoustic jazz approach with a rubbery stand-up bass, congas, and a tinkling triangle that worked stunningly well, in large part because her near-whispering voice captured the song’s clever nuances.
Alt-rock outfit Super Furry Animals’ 1996 track, “The Man Don’t Give a Fuck,” used a short sample of Fagen singing the offending line, something he initially didn’t authorize, but later relented and gave his blessing to.
Steely Dan’s own appreciation of their acrimonious song remained obvious decades after its recording. Show Biz Kids became the title of a 2000 double-disc early career overview, ensuring the tune remained a highlight in its storied catalog.
The post The Story Behind the Steely Dan Song, “Show Biz Kids,” Written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker appeared first on American Songwriter.