Pretzel Logic (song)
Encyclopedia
"Pretzel Logic" is a single released by Steely Dan
from their album Pretzel Logic
, originally released in 1974 by ABC Records
. In the lyrics, the speaker describes wanting to visit the Southern United States
with a minstrel show
, wanting to meet Napoleon Bonaparte because Napoleon is lonely, and being the victim of fashion by being questioned about his shoes, to which he answers that he saw them in motion pictures and television
and that "the times are changing".
In Brian Sweet's 1994 Steely Dan Biography Reelin' in the Years, Donald Fagen
states that the lyrics are actually about time travel
. Sweet also hypothesizes that the first verse was inspired by the band's distaste for touring, particularly the tours of the American South that their record label had sent them upon the previous year.
This is one of the first Steely Dan songs to feature bassist Walter Becker
as a lead guitarist. He would do so periodically on every Dan release since.
In 1987, it was covered by Hiram Bullock
on his album Give It What You Got.
A live version by INXS
was performed during the Moontan Double J Concert At Manly Vale Hotel, October 1980 show. A recording is available presumably as a bootleg
.
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
from their album Pretzel Logic
Pretzel Logic
Pretzel Logic is the third studio album by the American jazz-rock band Steely Dan, originally released in 1974. The album's opening song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", became the band's biggest hit, reaching #4 on the charts soon after the release of the album. The album itself went gold, and...
, originally released in 1974 by ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
. In the lyrics, the speaker describes wanting to visit the Southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
, wanting to meet Napoleon Bonaparte because Napoleon is lonely, and being the victim of fashion by being questioned about his shoes, to which he answers that he saw them in motion pictures and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and that "the times are changing".
In Brian Sweet's 1994 Steely Dan Biography Reelin' in the Years, Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan ....
states that the lyrics are actually about time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. Sweet also hypothesizes that the first verse was inspired by the band's distaste for touring, particularly the tours of the American South that their record label had sent them upon the previous year.
This is one of the first Steely Dan songs to feature bassist Walter Becker
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
as a lead guitarist. He would do so periodically on every Dan release since.
In 1987, it was covered by Hiram Bullock
Hiram Bullock
Hiram Law Bullock was an American jazz funk and jazz fusion guitarist.He was born in Osaka, Japan to African American parents serving in the U.S. Military. At the age of two he returned to Baltimore, Maryland with his parents, and quickly showed a prodigious musical talent...
on his album Give It What You Got.
A live version by INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
was performed during the Moontan Double J Concert At Manly Vale Hotel, October 1980 show. A recording is available presumably as a bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
.