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Steely Dan – Do It Again (Guitar Play Along – Background Music)
Best Sheet Music download from our Library.
Steely Dan – Do It Again
‘Do It Again’ is a song composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, performed by American rock band Steely Dan and taken as a single from their 1972 debut album, Can’t Buy a Thrill. The edited version differs from the original disc version, the intro was shortened, the outro was shortened, and the organ solo was omitted.
The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on November 18, 1972, peaking at number 6 on the US chart in 1973 and becoming the group’s first major hit.
On the original release, the song was credited as ‘Trad’ (traditional), although it was actually written by Becker and Fagen.
The original version of ‘Do It Again’ is in the key G minor, with Donald Fagen on lead vocals. The song uses a large amount of syncopation in the vocal melody.
The track features an electric sitar solo performed by Denny Dias. Fagen’s ‘plastic organ’ solo was performed on a Yamaha YC-30 with a pitch slider.
Personnel
Donald Fagen – Wurlitzer electric piano, Yamaha YC-30 organ, lead vocals
Denny Dias – electric sitar
Jeff Baxter – guitar
Walter Becker – electric bass
Jim Hodder – drums
Victor Feldman – percussion
Cover versions
- In 1980, Waylon Jennings released a version of the song on his album Music Man.
- In 1983, Italian group Club House released “Do It Again Medley with Billie Jean,” a mashup/medley of the track with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. The song peaked at number 79 in Australia. It was later covered by the American studio group Slingshot.
- Austrian singer Falco covered the song on his 1988 album Wiener Blut. His version was also released as a single.
- In 1997, Paul Hardcastle offered his version from the album Cover to Cover.
- In 2017, Lydia Lunch and Cypress Grove covered the song on their album Under the Covers.
Lyrics
In the mornin’ you go gunnin’ for the man who stole your water
And you fire ’til he is done in, but they catch you at the border
And the mourners are all singin’ as they drag you by your feet
But the hangman isn’t hangin’, and they put you on the street
You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin’ ’round and ’round
You go back, Jack, do it again
When you know she’s no high climber, then you find your only friend
In a room with your two-timer, and you’re sure you’re near the end
Then you love a little wild one, and she brings you only sorrow
All the time you know she’s smilin’ you’ll be on your knees tomorrow, yeah
You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin’ ’round and ’round
You go back, Jack, do it again
Now you swear and kick and beg us that you’re not a gamblin’ man
Then you find you’re back in Vegas with a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money, so you hide them when you’re able
In the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table
You go back, Jack, do it again, wheels turnin’ ’round and ’round
You go back, Jack, do it again
Steely Dan’s best songs
1. “Do It Again”
2. “Reelin’ In The Years”
3. “Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)”
4. “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”
5. “Any Major Dude Will Tell You”
Spearheaded by one of the great songwriting duos of the 20th century, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, the band and their frequent collaborators (an all-star roster of session musicians, including Michael McDonald, Skunk Baxter, Bernard Purdie and more) revolutionized how the rock music can sound like… on a compositional level and on a technical level, as well.
To this day, Aja is still considered a go-to album for verifying audio equipment fidelity, thanks to the hi-fi aspirations and world-class talents of the minds that created it.
With brilliantly complex harmony, inimitable wonderful rhythms, wonderfully humorous lyrics, and performances so good they’ll melt minds as minds melt, Steely Dan’s work is truly a treasure trove of musicianship.
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