“Josie” by Steely Dan

The Steely Dan gang was quite young, i.e. in their late twenties, when this song (“Josie”) came out. And they use the occasion to celebrate the subject, that being the titular Josie. It has been suggested, by one notable analysis, that the reason this lady is being celebrated is because all of the homeys in the ‘hood are attracted to her. But if such is the case, the wording itself never directly takes it there.

Instead as depicted, Josie is akin to life of the party, or perhaps we can say more macrocosmically the life of the ‘hood. So as revealed in the first verse, the vocalist is very much looking forward to “Josie com(ing) home to stay”.

Well actually not him alone, but by the looks of things everybody, boy and girl alike, are going to “throw down the jam” in recognition of her homecoming. It’s as if her presence makes them all feel freer to do their things. 

And as revealed in the chorus, this would be not only because Josie is “the pride of the neighborhood” but is also someone who’s personally blessed with a gift to get the party jumping.

The second verse, though being a lot more metaphorical, flows along a similar vein, i.e. the vocalist anticipating the arrival of Josie primarily due to the shindig that’s going down as a result. It is also implied earlier in the passage that Josie is, most simply put, akin to a gangbanger. 

Or in any event, she is portrayed as a person who “will never say no” to a fight. And that’s another reason why Donald and co. love her and is also a further testament to her lively spirit.

The Conclusion

Conclusively, let’s say that this is quite an interesting song. Perhaps some listeners can take the easy way out and simply conclude that the vocalist is smitten with Josie, and all lyrics considered, maybe he is. But it isn’t such that Donald goes about expressing an actual intent to hook up with her. Instead, just being in her presence, as one of her allies or associates, is edifying in and of itself. 

And no, it is not specified what he means by Josie being the pride of the ‘hood. But all lyrics considered that would basically entail, despite being a female if you will, her being a celebrated leader amongst her peers.

Release of “Josie”

This track is third and final single from “Aja”, Steely Dan’s most-successful album in their homeland of the United States. Aja is their only album to have reached as high as number 3 on Billboard 200. It also holds the distinction of being the only album of theirs to have thus far been certified double-platinum by the RIAA.  

“Josie” did okay on its own, in that it broke the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 20 of the main pop chart in Canada. Yet despite its humble chart showing, this piece is akin to a classic amongst fans of the band and as such has been featured on a few of their compilations. For example, you’d find it on major projects such as “Greatest Hits” (2012) and “The Vest Best of Steely Dan” (2009).

Credits

This song was written by the two main musicians behind the Steely Dan brand, who are Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker (1950-2017). It was produced by one of their regular collaborators in Gary Katz.

Besides Fagen and Becker, a few other artists have officially graced the lineup of Steely Dan throughout the years, though all for the most part during the early 1970s (i.e. when the band was first formed) and only sparsely. 

In the case of this track, Walter Becker did render the guitar solo. But as for the other musicians involved – bassist Chuck Rainey, guitarists Dean Parks and Larry Carlton, drummer Jim Keltner and the late Victor Feldman (1934-1987) on piano – none of them were actually Steely Dan members.

Serving as backup vocalist on this track, alongside Donald Fagen, is Timothy B. Schmit, who some readers will recognize as being a member of the Eagles, an even greater rock band from the 1970s. He reportedly participated on this song, which ABC Records dropped on 23 September 1977, prior to joining the Eagles that very year.