Do It Again (Steely Dan song)

"Do It Again"
Single by Steely Dan
from the album Can't Buy a Thrill
B-side	"Fire in the Hole"
Released	November 1972
Format	7" 45 RPM
Recorded	August 1972 at the Village Recorder, Santa Monica
Genre	Soft rock[1] funk rock[2]
Length	4:14 (7" version) 5:56 (Album version)
Label	ABC (US) EMI (Europe)
Writer(s)	Walter Becker Donald Fagen
Producer(s)	Gary Katz
Steely Dan singles chronology
"Dallas" (1972) "Do It Again" (1972) "Reelin' in the Years" (1973)

"Do It Again" is a tune composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, performed by American jazz-rock group Steely Dan, which was released as a single from their 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill. The single version differed from the album version, shortening the intro and outro and omitting the organ solo.

Released in 1972, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 18, 1972, and reached number 6 on the US charts in 1973, making it Steely Dan's second highest charting single.^[3]

On the 1972 release, the song was credited as "Trad" (for traditional), although it was actually written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.^[4]

It was also included in the 2008 video game Guitar Hero World Tour.

Lyrics

The lyrics are sung to a man who is addicted to nightlife. His addictions include sex and gambling. The narrator describes the realities of the man's addictions and the consequences of his actions, but emphasizes that he goes "back, Jack, do it again", implying that it is an addiction.

Structure

The original version of "Do It Again" is in the key of G minor, with Donald Fagen on lead vocals. The song uses a large amount of syncopation in the vocal melody, not particularly common in rock music of the time.

The tune features an electric sitar solo by Denny Dias. The "plastic organ" solo by Donald Fagen was performed on a Yamaha YC-30 with a sliding pitch-bending control.^[5]

Credits

• Donald Fagen – electric piano, organ and vocals
• Denny Dias – electric sitar
• Jeff Baxter – guitar
• Walter Becker – bass guitar
• Jim Hodder – drums
• Victor Feldman – percussion

Cover versions

• The R&B songwriter and soul singer Charles Mann, covered the song on his first album Say You Love Me Too in 1973.
• The Brazilian jazz-funk instrumentalist Eumir Deodato recorded an extensive jazz-funk orchestration on the 1973 concert recording Live at Felt Forum: The 2001 Concert. He has covered the song on numerous occasions in the studio and live. A Deodato hit collection released in 2007 bears the title Do it Again.
• Waylon Jennings recorded a cover of this song in 1980 on his album Music Man. Played at a faster pace, Waylon's version of the song is shorter than the original. This version also features his distinctive guitar solo in the middle of the song.
• In 1983, Italian dance act Club House released "Do It Again Medley with Billie Jean," a mashup/medley of the track with Michael Jackson's (then recent) hit, "Billie Jean." This charted well across Europe. In the United States, while the Club House version performed best in pop markets, a cover version by Slingshot performed better in R&B and dance markets. Another version of the same medley was made in that year by Brooklyn Express, a disco group from New York.
• Austrian pop star Falco covered the song on his 1988 album Wiener Blut.
• Art of Noise sampled the song for their version of Prince's "Kiss" with Tom Jones in 1988.
• The disco-funk orchestra Rhythm Heritage covered the song, coupling it with War's "Cisco Kid."
• A short-lived rock band, The Organization, composed of all former Death Angel members, less Mark Osegueda, covered this song on their 1995 album Savor the Flavor.
• In 1997, Paul Hardcastle offered his version from the album Cover to Cover.^[6]
• Latin urban group Kumbia Kings released a Spanish-language rendition of the song, entitled "Ella sabe" ("She Knows") on their 2004 album Fuego.
• The electro-Latin 2007 release Bossa Nova Is Not a Crime by The Juju Orchestra features a cover with Carolyn Leonhart and Robert Smith on vocals.
• Alternative rock band Smash Mouth covered the song in 2000 for the Jim Carrey film Me, Myself & Irene. The song is played during the end credits of the film.
• American musician Tori Amos covered the song in 1998 during the recording sessions for her fourth album, From the Choirgirl Hotel. The song can be found on the UK edition of the single "Spark."
• The Jamaican band The Jolly Boys recorded a mento style cover of "Do It Again" on their 2010 album Great Expectations.
• Swedish singer/songwriters Sara Isaksson and Rebecka Törnqvist, on their album Fire in the Hole - Sara Isaksson and Rebecka Törnqvist Sing Steely Dan (2006, Moule Records).
• 1970s funk group Deep Heat released a cover of the song backed with the track "She's a Junkie (Who's the Blame)" on the Cu Wu record label.^[7]
• John Wetton covered the song on his live album New York Minute, released 2015, recorded 2013

Sampled by

• Reggae fusion band Sublime in their cover of Peter Tosh's "Steppin' Razor" on their album Robbin' the Hood.
• Cumbia group A.B. Quintanilla y los Kumbia Kings in the song "Ella Sabe" on their album Fuego.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1973) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 60 Canada (CHUM)[9] 7 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 6 Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 33 Italy (FIMI)[12] 29 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] 15 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[3] 6 US Cash Box[15] 7 US Record World[16] 8 Chart (1975) Peak position UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 39

Year-end charts Chart (1973) Position US Billboard Hot 100[18] 73

References

1. Mason, Stewart. "Do It Again – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
2. Hoffmann, Frank, ed. (2005). "Steely Dan". Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93835-X.
3. "Steely Dan – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
4. "DO IT AGAIN". ACE Title Search. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
5. "Discography, or Who Played What On....?". Combo Organ. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
6. Yanow, Scott. "Paul Hardcastle – Cover to Cover". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
7. "Deep Heat – Do It Again / She's a Junkie (Who's the Blame)". Discogs. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. CHART NUMBER 842 – Saturday, March 03, 1973 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 29, 2007). CHUM. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5297." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Steely Dan – Steely Dan". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
12. "Indice per Interprete: S" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Steely Dan - Do It Again search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Steely Dan – Do It Again" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
15. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 17, 1973 at the Wayback Machine (archived October 2, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
16. RECORD WORLD 1973 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 6, 2008). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
17. "Archive Chart: 1975-09-06" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
18. "Top 100 Hits for 1973". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved September 5, 2014.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics