User:ClayTroup/sandbox/Black Cow

"Black Cow"
Song by Steely Dan
from the album Aja
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1977 (1977-09-23)
Recorded1977
StudioThe Village Recorder, Los Angeles
Genre
Length5:07
LabelABC
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gary Katz
Official audio
"Black Cow" on YouTube

"Black Cow" is a song by Steely Dan from their 1977 album Aja.

Music and lyrics

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Steely Dan vocalist Donald Fagen, who co-wrote the song with his bandmate Walter Becker,[1] said the song's lyrics concern a strained relationship that comes to a head at a "luncehonette in Anywhere, USA ... probably in Brooklyn".[2] The "black cow" of the song's title and chorus ("drink your big black cow and get out of here")[1] refers to a type of root beer float.[3] In an episode of the documentary series Classic Albums, Fagen says he and Becker were "confused" about the precise definition of the drink, Becker adding that "there seem to be regional variations on the formula".[4]

History

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In the late 1990s, there was a brief undertaking to make a surround-sound mix of Aja, but the project was abandoned after a failure to locate the multitrack masters for "Black Cow" and the album's title track. In the liner notes of the album's 1999 reissue, Becker and Fagen provide a phone number to contact with information regarding the whereabouts of the "Black Cow" and "Aja" tapes for which they offer a $600 reward.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Steely Dan - Aja (1977, Gatefold; Santa Maria Pressing, Vinyl)". Discogs. August 18, 1977. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  2. ^ Sweet, Brian (2000). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus Press. p. 119. ISBN 0711982791.
  3. ^ "Letters, Dec. 14, 1931". Time. December 14, 1931 – via content.time.com.
  4. ^ Lewens, Alan (2000). "Aja". Classic Albums. Season 2. Episode 5. 32 minutes in.
  5. ^ Broberg, Tomas. "Aja notes". Tribute To Steely Dan - Steely Dan Interzone. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
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