Incomprehensible Lyrics
Posted by: Haddock on 03 July 2003
All of the talk of Steely Dan here in the music room recently has got me revisiting some old tunes.
Does anybody know what the backing singers sing repeatedly in the background of Show Biz Kids?
A quick web trawl for the lyrics does not reveal an answer.
Nick
Does anybody know what the backing singers sing repeatedly in the background of Show Biz Kids?
A quick web trawl for the lyrics does not reveal an answer.
Nick
Posted on: 03 July 2003 by Simon Matthews
Try searching under a site called 'fever dreams'. It is solely dedicated to attempting to unravel Dan lyrics. This stuff below is seriously anal but sheds some light. I always think the Dan cleverly leave some room for interpretation which is where a lot of the allure lies.
From Fever Dreams:
"Show Biz Kids"
Brian Sweet says, "Strangely enough, critics and fans alike... had great difficulty figuring out the incessant vocal vamp beneath the song. One ridiculous music press suggestion was 'We're gonna love sweeties.' In fact, the girls were singing 'You go to Lost Wages,' a Fagen/Becker pun on Las Vegas." (RITY, p. 60)
People hear "Lost Wages," "Las Wages," "Lots Wages," "Out-rageous," and all this close listening has spun me out into a loopy fever dream:
Everybody put on your headphones, and listen closely to the backup singers--they're not singing "los" or "las" but "lots." Now a linguist would tell you that when you move from an "ah" to an "ess" your tongue elevates to your hard palate, almost inserting a "t"--say "mas matzoh" five times fast & you'll see what I mean--but I think this "lots" is premeditated. Each voice, all through the song--I defy you NOT to hear it!
So if they're saying "Lots Wages," I have 2 interpretations:
One, "Lots Wages," short for lots of money, which is what Vegas is built on, and the thrill of winning and losing it. A pretty good pun.
Two, my favorite: "Lot's Wages." Roy.Scam is the only other person who will admit to hearing this aural hallucination too. Now forgive me for getting Biblical, but you all remember Lot's wife from Genesis (the book, not the band), the one who turned into a pillar of salt. Well, Lot's story is actually very interesting: he tagged along with Abraham, his uncle, but his guys and Abraham's didn't get along, and Lot moved on up the Valley to just outside the town of Sodom. Next thing you know, God has decided to investigate Sodom for possible destruction because of the dissolute habits of its citizens, and sends two angels undercover to check it out. Well, Lot is sitting in the gate, drinking in all the gambling, traffic in human flesh, etc., when he sees the angels coming and recognizes them. He sees the writing on the wall, and hastens to invite them into his house. (By this time, he and his family have moved plumb into Sodom.) But then the lustful Sodomite men surround his house, shouting, "Send out those good-looking guys so that we may know them in a Biblical sense as a group!" Brave Lot replies, "No way! These men are my guests and have sanctuary here--but you can have my two daughters, and do whatever you want with THEM." The Sodomites apparently are not bi, and start to force their way in. The angels intervene and tell Lot they've seen enough--he'd better pack up his family & stuff and split before they make with the fire and brimstone. Lot lingers lovingly, apparently having got quite used to the ways of Sodom, and almost doesn't make it out. In fact, his wife, with her ill-advised last glance, doesn't. (The story ends with Lot & his two daughters living out their days cowering in a cave above the nearest town, afraid "the disaster" will catch up with them. His daughters, desperate for offspring, take turns getting him drunk and getting pregnant from him. Then we hear no more of Lot.)
Now what could evoke a richer image of Vegas, that latter-day Sodom, than to call it "Lot's Wages"? Especially with LA/ Gomorrah right down the road? I tell you, these Dan guys are brilliant. Even if they didn't mean it that way.
bunny lood (11/19/98): El Supremo to me is sort of an infinity...If you think you've reached the top of the stairs, you missed it. So el supremo is potential. Always pushing our thoughts out there... on stage... I think that Show Biz Kids are those who choose to risk it and pull the shade off the light...or maybe don't allow for a shade at all...Lot's...Lost...not too different, methinks. Lot lost lots, but escaped with himself and the rest of his family. His wife thought she'd reached the top, and dared glance back...she wasn't pushing on, she was sucked in. But he had already seen the rape of the world, the "abomination before God", had no need to look back.. Show Biz Kids throw the dice, bet on the number.. risk their gold...don't look back. see, I really think these guys' music is one long piece. eack album an opus.... If you listen to each album...back to back, they all flow.
Brett Barney (12/8/98): Donny's not very happy with Chevy--or anyone for that matter.
Daniel J. Kelly (Digest, 2/23/99): From the very first time I heard this song I heard CLEARLY, "She owed her life's wages."
diggy (5/4/99): Show Biz Kids is as obvious as it seems. It is the contrast between the overly rich and the very poor. Dan picks on the show biz movie "stars" who are "making movies of themselves". But they could have also slammed on professional athletes, powerful politicians, or themselves (wealthy musicians) who "got the Steely Dan T-shirt." Poor people stay home at night sleeping and cover bright lights with shades. Rich often want to be in the spotlight. These "stars come out at night", go to broadway openings, go to award shows for themselves,
walk on red carpets, smile for the cameras, and perform their acts. And later, after the "show", they smoke their "El Supremo" (a very high grade of dope) in a quiet room away from the public. I believe the "Washington Zoo" is a reference to the insanity of that town. Crooked politicians infest that city -- making their huge incomes and riding in black limos. Meanwhile, Washington DC also has one of the highest povertyrate in America. Here, the rich and poor are face to face daily.
By the way, I think it is "lots wages" but not a reference to Lot of the bible. It is lot as in "our lot in life". Meaning - or place or job in society.
Sparki (3/18/00): I detect the El Supremo from the room at the top of the stairs -- recording agent or music-biz honcho in his lofty office
And I make it out to be -- Poor people sleeping with NO shade on the light -- in contrast to the wealthy and famous partying all the time, there are
disadvantaged folk sleeping under bare light bulbs in tenement apartments
And "they've got the shapely bodies" cuz they can afford to go to gyms and health spas.
And it is Lost Wages, a pun on Las Vegas -- the musicians play Vegas
As a teen, i thought it was "You know you're not Swedish" or "You know that that's the way it is."
Dogmatic Dave (GB, 7/7/00): As for what the background singers are saying, I think it rotates from Lost Wages to Outrageous (they sync up with Donald in the end; "and for the coup de grace, they're outrageous). But I always thought the song was about making porn movies in the Hollywood Hills. The shapely bodies, the Steely Dan (a dildo, remember) T-shirts. As for the poor people, if you read the lyrics, they're sleeping 'neath the shade of the light, not without a shade, not a bare light bulb. My original record has a lyric sheet. Also under the musical vamp at the end, it sounds like the police are making a bust.
SoulMonkey (1/8/02): In an effort to further fuel the Lost/Las/Lots Wages/Vegas lyric quandary, even Donald's pronunciations are suspect. Listen when the background singers sync up with him on the line, "and for the coup de grace, they're outrageous." Only Donald is clearly (at least to my ear) singing "odds-rageous" not "outrageous."
Clean Willy (4/16/03): On the line "show business kids making movies of themselves you know they don't give a fuck about anybody else":
This album came out in 1973, which was the height of the American Auteur movement and L.A. (where the Dan were living) was the apex of that movement. Part of that filmmaking philosophy is "world view" or depicting the world through the eyes of a director.
From Fever Dreams:
"Show Biz Kids"
Brian Sweet says, "Strangely enough, critics and fans alike... had great difficulty figuring out the incessant vocal vamp beneath the song. One ridiculous music press suggestion was 'We're gonna love sweeties.' In fact, the girls were singing 'You go to Lost Wages,' a Fagen/Becker pun on Las Vegas." (RITY, p. 60)
People hear "Lost Wages," "Las Wages," "Lots Wages," "Out-rageous," and all this close listening has spun me out into a loopy fever dream:
Everybody put on your headphones, and listen closely to the backup singers--they're not singing "los" or "las" but "lots." Now a linguist would tell you that when you move from an "ah" to an "ess" your tongue elevates to your hard palate, almost inserting a "t"--say "mas matzoh" five times fast & you'll see what I mean--but I think this "lots" is premeditated. Each voice, all through the song--I defy you NOT to hear it!
So if they're saying "Lots Wages," I have 2 interpretations:
One, "Lots Wages," short for lots of money, which is what Vegas is built on, and the thrill of winning and losing it. A pretty good pun.
Two, my favorite: "Lot's Wages." Roy.Scam is the only other person who will admit to hearing this aural hallucination too. Now forgive me for getting Biblical, but you all remember Lot's wife from Genesis (the book, not the band), the one who turned into a pillar of salt. Well, Lot's story is actually very interesting: he tagged along with Abraham, his uncle, but his guys and Abraham's didn't get along, and Lot moved on up the Valley to just outside the town of Sodom. Next thing you know, God has decided to investigate Sodom for possible destruction because of the dissolute habits of its citizens, and sends two angels undercover to check it out. Well, Lot is sitting in the gate, drinking in all the gambling, traffic in human flesh, etc., when he sees the angels coming and recognizes them. He sees the writing on the wall, and hastens to invite them into his house. (By this time, he and his family have moved plumb into Sodom.) But then the lustful Sodomite men surround his house, shouting, "Send out those good-looking guys so that we may know them in a Biblical sense as a group!" Brave Lot replies, "No way! These men are my guests and have sanctuary here--but you can have my two daughters, and do whatever you want with THEM." The Sodomites apparently are not bi, and start to force their way in. The angels intervene and tell Lot they've seen enough--he'd better pack up his family & stuff and split before they make with the fire and brimstone. Lot lingers lovingly, apparently having got quite used to the ways of Sodom, and almost doesn't make it out. In fact, his wife, with her ill-advised last glance, doesn't. (The story ends with Lot & his two daughters living out their days cowering in a cave above the nearest town, afraid "the disaster" will catch up with them. His daughters, desperate for offspring, take turns getting him drunk and getting pregnant from him. Then we hear no more of Lot.)
Now what could evoke a richer image of Vegas, that latter-day Sodom, than to call it "Lot's Wages"? Especially with LA/ Gomorrah right down the road? I tell you, these Dan guys are brilliant. Even if they didn't mean it that way.
bunny lood (11/19/98): El Supremo to me is sort of an infinity...If you think you've reached the top of the stairs, you missed it. So el supremo is potential. Always pushing our thoughts out there... on stage... I think that Show Biz Kids are those who choose to risk it and pull the shade off the light...or maybe don't allow for a shade at all...Lot's...Lost...not too different, methinks. Lot lost lots, but escaped with himself and the rest of his family. His wife thought she'd reached the top, and dared glance back...she wasn't pushing on, she was sucked in. But he had already seen the rape of the world, the "abomination before God", had no need to look back.. Show Biz Kids throw the dice, bet on the number.. risk their gold...don't look back. see, I really think these guys' music is one long piece. eack album an opus.... If you listen to each album...back to back, they all flow.
Brett Barney (12/8/98): Donny's not very happy with Chevy--or anyone for that matter.
Daniel J. Kelly (Digest, 2/23/99): From the very first time I heard this song I heard CLEARLY, "She owed her life's wages."
diggy (5/4/99): Show Biz Kids is as obvious as it seems. It is the contrast between the overly rich and the very poor. Dan picks on the show biz movie "stars" who are "making movies of themselves". But they could have also slammed on professional athletes, powerful politicians, or themselves (wealthy musicians) who "got the Steely Dan T-shirt." Poor people stay home at night sleeping and cover bright lights with shades. Rich often want to be in the spotlight. These "stars come out at night", go to broadway openings, go to award shows for themselves,
walk on red carpets, smile for the cameras, and perform their acts. And later, after the "show", they smoke their "El Supremo" (a very high grade of dope) in a quiet room away from the public. I believe the "Washington Zoo" is a reference to the insanity of that town. Crooked politicians infest that city -- making their huge incomes and riding in black limos. Meanwhile, Washington DC also has one of the highest povertyrate in America. Here, the rich and poor are face to face daily.
By the way, I think it is "lots wages" but not a reference to Lot of the bible. It is lot as in "our lot in life". Meaning - or place or job in society.
Sparki (3/18/00): I detect the El Supremo from the room at the top of the stairs -- recording agent or music-biz honcho in his lofty office
And I make it out to be -- Poor people sleeping with NO shade on the light -- in contrast to the wealthy and famous partying all the time, there are
disadvantaged folk sleeping under bare light bulbs in tenement apartments
And "they've got the shapely bodies" cuz they can afford to go to gyms and health spas.
And it is Lost Wages, a pun on Las Vegas -- the musicians play Vegas
As a teen, i thought it was "You know you're not Swedish" or "You know that that's the way it is."
Dogmatic Dave (GB, 7/7/00): As for what the background singers are saying, I think it rotates from Lost Wages to Outrageous (they sync up with Donald in the end; "and for the coup de grace, they're outrageous). But I always thought the song was about making porn movies in the Hollywood Hills. The shapely bodies, the Steely Dan (a dildo, remember) T-shirts. As for the poor people, if you read the lyrics, they're sleeping 'neath the shade of the light, not without a shade, not a bare light bulb. My original record has a lyric sheet. Also under the musical vamp at the end, it sounds like the police are making a bust.
SoulMonkey (1/8/02): In an effort to further fuel the Lost/Las/Lots Wages/Vegas lyric quandary, even Donald's pronunciations are suspect. Listen when the background singers sync up with him on the line, "and for the coup de grace, they're outrageous." Only Donald is clearly (at least to my ear) singing "odds-rageous" not "outrageous."
Clean Willy (4/16/03): On the line "show business kids making movies of themselves you know they don't give a fuck about anybody else":
This album came out in 1973, which was the height of the American Auteur movement and L.A. (where the Dan were living) was the apex of that movement. Part of that filmmaking philosophy is "world view" or depicting the world through the eyes of a director.
Posted on: 03 July 2003 by Chris Metcalfe
It's 'Las Vegas' with a silly Hollywood accent.
My favourite uncomprehended lyic is Hendrix's mangling of 'All Along The Watchtower'. He obviously hadn't a clue what the line 'None of them along the line know what any of it is worth' was.
My favourite uncomprehended lyic is Hendrix's mangling of 'All Along The Watchtower'. He obviously hadn't a clue what the line 'None of them along the line know what any of it is worth' was.
Posted on: 03 July 2003 by Pete
In an interview you'll find at http://steelydan.com/bbc.html Walter Becker says
Pete.
quote:but OTOH not all the answers in that interview look like they're 101% serious...
Actually they are saying "Go to Las Vegas" but they are mispronouncing it in the way that Lenny Bruce used to mispronounce on purpose, saying "lost wages".
Pete.
Posted on: 03 July 2003 by j8hn
Its "Lost Wages"
I read a Dan article, probably in MM, in the 70s. 1 of them said it was just one of their quirky lyrical tricks.
The Dan quirky? - nah ged ouda here.
I read a Dan article, probably in MM, in the 70s. 1 of them said it was just one of their quirky lyrical tricks.
The Dan quirky? - nah ged ouda here.