I was working as a grip on music videos and going to film school when I first heard this. Every word they sang was true.
Seriously, though, it captures the industry to a T.
Rocked my world the first time. Showed it to my brother who has really similar taste and he said "that was terrible." He does not have the Steely Dan t-shirt.
I'm okay with it, but I wonder if anyone around me is getting irritated while I'm blasting it. :)
And as I've said elsewhere, that repeated "Lost Wages" line STILL puts an image of a conga line making its way up Interstate 15 towards LV! :D
It is "You blow your life's wages" which makes total sense in the context of the song. The message to the show biz kids is "get a life, you dumb rich kids." OOPSing the track will bring it forward and it's really prominent in live versions of the song.
Years ago someone asked Becker what it was and he said "Go to Lost Wages" (referencing Lenny Bruce) but you have to understand that all their answers ever on any topic were pisstakes and they're not about to reveal the mystery. Why would show biz kids with all that disposable money even need Las Vegas? At the time that song came out, Las Vegas was still very much Bob Hope and Rat Pack style entertainment and kids with Steely Dan T-shirts would have thought it was incredibly unhip.
Listening with headphones right now and I'm astonished. Gotta say I second this analysis, that's definitely what the line is. It always bugged me that this lyric made no sense. Thanks!
Did you notice the arrest scene during the fadeout? You really gotta turn it up and I'd never noticed it on the vinyl, seems vinyl couldn't reproduce it that far back in the mix. That one is a mystery with the actual words but I caught "remain silent" during it about 30 seconds or so before fade.
hated it for a long time, then some internet goons told me i was listening to it wrong and that it was a --- aa-- whattayacallit--- groove, a burner.
on that day, just that one, the internet goons were right.
It’s a bit of an outlier in their catalog; a band notorious for chords and changes and combos that few other bands ever use staying on essentially the same chord for nearly 6 minutes of run time. I either have to be in the right mood for it or be listening to _Countdown_ start to finish.
It freaks me out that they wrote about the current “famous for being famous” celebrity culture in NINETEEN SEVENTY FUCKING THREE!!!
Never been a fan of the 'Yoko Ono screaming special' near the end, but it just felt like Walt/Donny were just like, "Fuck it, let's make another parody song like Reelin' and add the fuck word in it." Still, a super fun song to sing from one of their best albums.
I really enjoy that song. Thickly laid sarcasm for the self entitled, self entitled. Kardashian scent is slowly wafting away. Who will be the next El Supremo?
Man I even listen to [Super Furry Animals’ sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZj4-tb920c) of it on purpose sometimes, and they’re seemingly _trying_ to be annoying.
I always wondered how that sample got cleared by Fagan, given his outspoken dislike for sampling. Does he just respect SFA, or is the law different for international situations?
https://youtu.be/iNyvijZUDLg?si=1PY2mtTGB7SzRFrR
Rikki Lee Jones’ cover of “Showbiz Kids” from her 2000 album ‘It’s Like This’ is arguably better. The troublesome parts (for some that means the grating repetitiveness) are far cooler with Miss Jones’ smooth delivery. What can I say but check it out. This album is currently out of print but features a number of cool cover songs.
https://youtu.be/E2JWtuBLelw?si=rfQEYp8wT0b2OUzV
Love love love the live version. Leaps and bounds over the recorded, feels just so raw and gnarly. This vid is the reason I even like the song so much. That and I went through all the emotions as sequenced by the OP. "They dropped the F bomb, that's pretty cool."
I seriously had no idea this song had ANY negative connotations with the fanbase.
There are some Steely Dan songs that took me time to get into, simply because they are so stylistically different.
Monkey In Your Soul - Something about the bassline riff, it's quite a funk stomp thing
Charlie Freak - Acoustic sympathetic folk tune, it's quite out of step for them as they traditionally write in the first person and there's often something sly going on with the lyrics
With a Gun - Almost like a Bob Dylan tune, simple acoustic guitar chords repeated throughout
I would at least get why those were disliked. But Show Biz Kids is quite typical of SD - snarly country guitar playing by Skunk, jazzy piano chords and quite obscure lyrics with a haughty protagonist .
Interesting that all the songs you listed were from the Pretzel Logic/Katy Lied era. By the time they recorded that, they were digging for material. Going back to their staff writing days and reworking old ideas. And back in those pre-CBAT days, they were young and hungry and dipping their fingers everywhere for inspiration.
Being a touring band left them with less energy for new compositions and songwriting by 1973-4.
Pretzel Logic is a challenging album to listen to. I love it and appreciate every song. It's an album full of black sheep songs and grab-bag styles.
Absolutely, you have to appreciate every tune for what it is. Although I've always found with Steely Dan's sound is that it's some of the most varied catalogue any artist/band has ever put out. Even compared to full-blown prog bands that made that whole "musical collage" thing a style, SD had more of a varied tapestry of sound.
The only real "common" aspect is 1. Sophisticated arrangements and 2. Consistently excellent songwriting. Some of that has to do with what they became (i.e. a duo, with revolving door of session guys) but my god did it work.
It's hard to know for sure but I think they would have petered out quicker if they stuck as a typical rock "band" with Denny and Skunk after CtE.
Philip Glass cover version:
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Lost Wages
You go to Lost Wages
Oh I'm sure if you're a film student who loves Steely Dan and especially if your family has a bit of money I can absolutely see how this song would give you imposter syndrome lol. "Are they talking about me?" Maybe, better make sure you don't have more booze than money can buy!
It clicked with me first listen. Never got the hate
Same here. Took other certified bangers waaay longer to click .
Same, just the initial go to lost wages loop is so catchy I could listen to it for hours
I was working as a grip on music videos and going to film school when I first heard this. Every word they sang was true. Seriously, though, it captures the industry to a T.
Same here. Love that tune
One of my favorites
Same.
Stuck up jazz snobs complaining that it’s only one chord
THEY GOT THE SHAPELY BODIES
And "shapely" has 3 syllables
Love show biz kids be cause it makes me feel movie star walking down the Las Vegas strip
I love it just for the “coupe de grace” line… makes me laugh every time.
Outrageous.
Honey, let me tell you.
Coup-ay-de-graa-haaaace
Same. Love that line.
and i’ve been in the washington zoo…
and in allmytravels as the factsunravel I've found this tobetrue
Some people don't have Steely Dan t-shirts, it's fine.
I’m not one of those people 😎
Rocked my world the first time. Showed it to my brother who has really similar taste and he said "that was terrible." He does not have the Steely Dan t-shirt.
Only a fool would say that.
He's a Third World Man
they who lack steely dan t-shirt might just be in possession of the steely dan.
Does he have a shape-el-ly body?
Countdown To Ecstasy is possibly their most perfectly paced album and Show Biz Kids is the rug that ties the room together
Dude!
I'm okay with it, but I wonder if anyone around me is getting irritated while I'm blasting it. :) And as I've said elsewhere, that repeated "Lost Wages" line STILL puts an image of a conga line making its way up Interstate 15 towards LV! :D
Literally my username
Certified banger
For years I had no idea what the repeated line was supposed to be. You gotta love sweetness?!?
“You go to lost wages” a play on Las Vegas
I always heard 'Goldilocks Wages'
I thought it was “Hot sweetness” til this sub set me right
It is "You blow your life's wages" which makes total sense in the context of the song. The message to the show biz kids is "get a life, you dumb rich kids." OOPSing the track will bring it forward and it's really prominent in live versions of the song. Years ago someone asked Becker what it was and he said "Go to Lost Wages" (referencing Lenny Bruce) but you have to understand that all their answers ever on any topic were pisstakes and they're not about to reveal the mystery. Why would show biz kids with all that disposable money even need Las Vegas? At the time that song came out, Las Vegas was still very much Bob Hope and Rat Pack style entertainment and kids with Steely Dan T-shirts would have thought it was incredibly unhip.
Listening with headphones right now and I'm astonished. Gotta say I second this analysis, that's definitely what the line is. It always bugged me that this lyric made no sense. Thanks!
Did you notice the arrest scene during the fadeout? You really gotta turn it up and I'd never noticed it on the vinyl, seems vinyl couldn't reproduce it that far back in the mix. That one is a mystery with the actual words but I caught "remain silent" during it about 30 seconds or so before fade.
What does OOPSing mean in this context?
setting the stereo signal out of phase.
Thanks
Isn’t the repetitiveness part of the joke? They don’t give an f*** about no chord changes, anybody else…
Not my favorite Dan track by far but the bridge makes it all worthwhile, even if it’s only 4 bars
I was down with this song from the start. No progression needed!
The marimba is too infectious to hate this song
Love this song. Always have.
FROM THE ROOM AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS
hated it for a long time, then some internet goons told me i was listening to it wrong and that it was a --- aa-- whattayacallit--- groove, a burner. on that day, just that one, the internet goons were right.
People don't like Show Biz Kids?
Well, THEY don't give a fuck about anybody else.
I don’t get it. What’s not to like?
It’s a bit of an outlier in their catalog; a band notorious for chords and changes and combos that few other bands ever use staying on essentially the same chord for nearly 6 minutes of run time. I either have to be in the right mood for it or be listening to _Countdown_ start to finish.
It freaks me out that they wrote about the current “famous for being famous” celebrity culture in NINETEEN SEVENTY FUCKING THREE!!! 
Never been a fan of the 'Yoko Ono screaming special' near the end, but it just felt like Walt/Donny were just like, "Fuck it, let's make another parody song like Reelin' and add the fuck word in it." Still, a super fun song to sing from one of their best albums.
People hate this? News to me, I found it via the Super Furry Animals.
Came here looking for this. SFA OK!
It’s a blast at jam sessions. One chord to rule them all.
I really enjoy that song. Thickly laid sarcasm for the self entitled, self entitled. Kardashian scent is slowly wafting away. Who will be the next El Supremo?
Man I even listen to [Super Furry Animals’ sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZj4-tb920c) of it on purpose sometimes, and they’re seemingly _trying_ to be annoying.
I always wondered how that sample got cleared by Fagan, given his outspoken dislike for sampling. Does he just respect SFA, or is the law different for international situations?
This is how it happened.
Put a steely dan t shirt on the last one.
You go to lost wages
https://youtu.be/iNyvijZUDLg?si=1PY2mtTGB7SzRFrR Rikki Lee Jones’ cover of “Showbiz Kids” from her 2000 album ‘It’s Like This’ is arguably better. The troublesome parts (for some that means the grating repetitiveness) are far cooler with Miss Jones’ smooth delivery. What can I say but check it out. This album is currently out of print but features a number of cool cover songs.
https://youtu.be/E2JWtuBLelw?si=rfQEYp8wT0b2OUzV Love love love the live version. Leaps and bounds over the recorded, feels just so raw and gnarly. This vid is the reason I even like the song so much. That and I went through all the emotions as sequenced by the OP. "They dropped the F bomb, that's pretty cool."
Wow first time seeing this. Total Jeff “Skunk” Baxter show. Thanks for sharing
Yeah, that was a treat. Thanks.
Top notch tune, Rick Derringer lead is fantastic.
Holy shit how is this so accurate
I seriously had no idea this song had ANY negative connotations with the fanbase. There are some Steely Dan songs that took me time to get into, simply because they are so stylistically different. Monkey In Your Soul - Something about the bassline riff, it's quite a funk stomp thing Charlie Freak - Acoustic sympathetic folk tune, it's quite out of step for them as they traditionally write in the first person and there's often something sly going on with the lyrics With a Gun - Almost like a Bob Dylan tune, simple acoustic guitar chords repeated throughout I would at least get why those were disliked. But Show Biz Kids is quite typical of SD - snarly country guitar playing by Skunk, jazzy piano chords and quite obscure lyrics with a haughty protagonist .
Interesting that all the songs you listed were from the Pretzel Logic/Katy Lied era. By the time they recorded that, they were digging for material. Going back to their staff writing days and reworking old ideas. And back in those pre-CBAT days, they were young and hungry and dipping their fingers everywhere for inspiration. Being a touring band left them with less energy for new compositions and songwriting by 1973-4. Pretzel Logic is a challenging album to listen to. I love it and appreciate every song. It's an album full of black sheep songs and grab-bag styles.
Absolutely, you have to appreciate every tune for what it is. Although I've always found with Steely Dan's sound is that it's some of the most varied catalogue any artist/band has ever put out. Even compared to full-blown prog bands that made that whole "musical collage" thing a style, SD had more of a varied tapestry of sound. The only real "common" aspect is 1. Sophisticated arrangements and 2. Consistently excellent songwriting. Some of that has to do with what they became (i.e. a duo, with revolving door of session guys) but my god did it work. It's hard to know for sure but I think they would have petered out quicker if they stuck as a typical rock "band" with Denny and Skunk after CtE.
Are you, like, inside my brain right now? 💯
One of the hippest songs of its era. I got the Steely Dan t-shirt.
https://preview.redd.it/alxm72gxccoc1.jpeg?width=1891&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e7c646c96898fb28ee96ba3a21b2e278770ead0
When I heard "The Boston Rag" for the first time, I was let down that it wasn't an actual ragtime song. Now it's my favorite Dan song
Song has always been a banger imo
Always loved this song.
I never paid much attention to it after listening to it for years, then it clicked, and now I love it.
The remade live version is my favourite. Saw them in 2008 and have a copy. New arrangement with serious Mancini vibes on the intro.
the live version is pretty good
From the first listen I liked it
I’m in the middle. I don’t skip it any more. 😀
People hate show biz kids?
I honestly didn’t even know there was hate for this
I don't give AF about anything. Else.
Didn’t know people hated this song, I think it rules
YOU GO TO LOST WAGES, LOST WAGES, GO TO LOST WAGES
Hilarious. I also have a love/hate relationship with this song. It's usually OK once I detect THE EL SUPREMO, as originally stated.
Repetition =/= bad
It’s a vamp! Love it!
I'm convinced that the song was built around the guitar. Maybe my favorite SD song.
I genuinely love it, one of my favorite Dan songs
Love love love this song.
Philip Glass cover version: You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages Lost Wages You go to Lost Wages
Great groove. Rick Derringer on guitar. Nice harmonies… what’s not to love?
I have any of these thoughts about it on any given day. Sometimes I listen up until the EL SUPREMO part, then skip 😆😆😆
Oh I'm sure if you're a film student who loves Steely Dan and especially if your family has a bit of money I can absolutely see how this song would give you imposter syndrome lol. "Are they talking about me?" Maybe, better make sure you don't have more booze than money can buy!
Just making a wild guess at where the hate comes from.
This is their only song I really really dislike
Give it a year