My 100 Favorite Charted Pop Songs: Deacon Blues

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Please pity poor NJ Chic. We all knew her luck would run out sooner or later. Yes, today’s song on my list of 100 favorite charted songs comes from her second-favorite band. (That’s sarcasm, she hates these guys.) This one ranks high on many fans’ lists of favorites by this band. It’s easily my favorite song by them, and here it is. Deacon Blues - Steely Dan What else could you possibly want out of these guys? Great sax solo. Typical cryptic, “what the heck are they singing about” lyrics. Well, if you want to know (and I know you don’t but I’m gonna tell you anyway ), co-writer/lead singer Donald Fagen thought that “losers” should have a great name, just like “the winners in the world.” That’s not uncommon: for decades the Cubs were the “lovable losers,” they’ve argued about Dolphins QB Dan Marino being “the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl,” and they tagged golfing legend Phil Mickelson with the moniker “best player to never win a major” (until he won one, that is ). Anyway, Fagen and his late partner in crime/songwriter, Walter Becker, borrowed L.A. Rams legend Deacon Jones’ name for the tag line/title. (No one could call Jones a “loser,” though, as there’s an NFL award named after him!) On the other hand, the titular character is a jazz musician… For an exclusively American form of music, jazz isn’t very well loved or respected here. I understand the basics of it (you have an instrumental “theme” or a “chorus,” then the “verses” are improvised), but I don’t “get” it. I guess the best analogy would be a jam band, where they never play a song the same way twice. But I’m trying to “get” it. This masterful song certainly helped. Deacon Blues Written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen Recorded by Steely Dan From Aja, 1977 Peak chart position: #19 Today’s country song: “Cigarettes and Coffee Blues” I cried when I wrote this song: