The five most controversial Steely Dan songs
Several factors contribute to why Steely Dan remain one of the few groups from their era to resonate with subsequent generations. While their polished yacht rock sound creates a uniquely laid-back yet sophisticated atmosphere is unmatched by any other act, their enduring appeal also lies in the remarkable consistency achieved by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Beyond these qualities, additional elements of their artistry continue to captivate new audiences.
A crucial aspect of Steely Dan’s story is their misanthropic outlook, paired with a sharp, biting sense of humour that set them apart in their era and still resonates today. After meeting at university, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen discovered a mutual disdain for the prevailing hippie culture and sought to create something more substantive than the lightweight psychedelic music dominating the scene. Influenced by jazz and avant-garde rock acts like The Fugs and Frank Zappa, they gradually fused their approaches, crafting music that thrived on an intriguing juxtaposition of polished sophistication and satirical edge.
While Steely Dan’s music was distinctive and accomplished—perfectly capturing the cocaine and weed-laced essence of 1970s Los Angeles, where their albums came to life—their lyrics provided a stark, fascinating counterpoint. This juxtaposition formed the core of Steely Dan’s appeal. Like the avant-garde acts that inspired them, Becker and Fagen were adept at crafting sardonic snapshots of life, often delving into humanity’s darker corners to do so. Throughout their careers, they explored themes of life, love, death, and everything in between, distilling these topics into twisted, incisive vignettes that set their work apart.
Together, the pair conceived a host of bizarre and often hateable characters who were the centre of surreal and blackly comic tales. Although most of the time, they would be pulled off without a hitch and augmented the weird world of the group whose name was taken from a steam-powered dildo in William S Burroughs’s Naked Lunch, sometimes they missed the mark and attracted controversy. This could be due to the sinister parameters of the topics they explored, the offensive words they employed, or other reasons.
Find the five most controversial Steely Dan songs below.
The most controversial Steely Dan songs:
‘Cousin Dupree’
When Steely Dan returned in 2000 with Two Against Nature, their first studio album in 20 years—the first since Gaucho—fans were rightly excited. The unthinkable had happened, and Walter Becker and Donald Fagen had gotten back in the studio together. Despite being away for two decades, the record was a tremendous success, with the pair refreshing their misanthropic lyrics and jazz-pop for the new century.
While the duo continued to push themselves musically, they also picked up their sarcastic experimentation with lyrics, which led to the controversial ‘Cousin Dupree’. Starkly juxtaposing the breezy funk of the sonics, the lyrics see Fagen singing about an incestuous relationship between cousins. Adding to the controversy, it was barely subtle either, containing lines like that in the opening verse: “When I see my little cousin Janine walk in / Well, all I could say was, ‘Ouch'”.
While Steely Dan’s story is underpinned by sharp black comedy, the chorus is explicitly on the nose: “Honey, how you’ve grown / Like a rose / Well we used to play / When we were three / How about a kiss for your cousin Dupree”.
Despite the intended humour, it implies grooming, which is horrendous.
‘My Rival’
‘My Rival’ from Gaucho has always had a distinct groove, with a new wave, almost Talking Heads feel thanks to the attitude-laden vocals, ice-cool bassline, and choppy guitars. It also has a more ominous atmosphere than most of the band’s other songs. It could even be considered a stylistic precursor to the brilliant oddity of Geordie Greep’s solo work.
Like the music, the lyrics are pretty dark, which caused some confusion for fans. Bizarrely, the song tells the story of a man complaining about his son, who has a scar across his face and wears a hearing aid, who he sees as his love rival due to receiving most of his wife’s attention. Weird.
‘Throw Back the Little Ones’
Steely Dan has always been masters at sardonic lyrics, taking after avant-garde heroes such as The Fugs and Frank Zappa, who opened the door for them. This has seen them write many excellent lyrics that have confirmed their status, including the likes of ‘Reelin’ in the Years’ and ‘Black Friday’, which show their broad thematic scope.
However, as we know, there has been the odd moment where what was clearly meant as a joke has not come off, a reality only made more alarming over time. Take ‘Throw Back the Little Ones’ from 1975’s Katy Lied, for example. The opening line is, “Lost in the Barrio I walk like an Injun”, which is followed by couplets such as “I dance in place / And paint my face”, before Fagen sings a surreal track, where the meaning is uncertain, and a serial killer is inferred.
One thing is for sure, though, the opening line and racial stereotyping of native Americans have aged terribly. Even back then, it wasn’t funny.
‘Everyone’s Gone to the Movies’
This is the darkest song Steely Dan ever wrote, and the lyrics and story it tells are sickening, comedic or not. It seems that on Katy Lied; the pair started toying with much more disturbing, realistic subjects to add a different dimension to their refined yacht rock.
This number tells the story of a paedophile who shows 8mm porn films to young boys. While mention of the theme alone is enough to make us feel sick, lyrics such as “Everyone’s gone to the movies / Now we’re alone at last” and “Soon you will be eighteen / I think you know what I mean / Don’t tell your mama / Your daddy or mama” are absolutely harrowing.
‘Hey Nineteen’
From one unsettling tale to another. The final exhibit comes from Gaucho. Containing a seductive groove, the music set the scene for a song about an older man trying it on with an innocent 19-year-old, prying her with Jose Cuervo Gold and cocaine. It paints a disgustingly realistic picture of just how ghastly men can be and how back in 1967, which the song discusses, many of the worst acted with impunity.
In this dreadful vignette, the creepy older man knows he has nothing in common with the young target, which is brought into focus when he realises that she’s so young that she doesn’t remember Aretha Franklin, the ‘Queen of Soul’. It sends shivers down the spine.
