Steely Dan - Everything You Did Lyrics

You gonna tell me everything you did baby....

I forget how subversive this song is.

I never get tired of listening to them & this track is another genuine standout 🤯

He has something about 'easy chairs' from this album. Sort of like a square Joe home owner/family man type who comes home from his square 9-5 office job and reclines at home in his easy chair and watch the 6 O'clock news with Walter Cronkite.

So this song is my favorite Steely Dan Song. Carlton’s solo, while short, is so packed with feeling - attitude. So much so, that I was convinced that it’s a voice. Then I thought about how the lyrics are just one side of a dark, confrontational conversation. This caused me to realize that the lead guitar played by Carlton throughout the song is actually the wife’s side of the conversation. If I ever had the chance to speak to Donald Fagan, I’d ask him about this, although I’m sure it’s been too long for it to matter to him.

If you're here because of the Hotel California lyrics.

impeccable musicianship along with what might be funniest lyrics ever. One hell of an ear-worm all day indeed!

Brilliant song !

This is a short story in music, brilliant.

That guitar break is wonderful. And the beautiful organ in the background. Sounds like a Hammond.
This song is so poignant.

This almost reminds me of Randy Newman.

There are a lot of similarities between Randy Newman and SD... both wrote many ironic, satiricle songs from the POV of fictional characters...

who 's better than the Dan ? maybe as good , different but none better . while so many great classic are pretty much shelved this remains without time ...

Great song!

Role playing song...wants to know EVERYTHING

brilliant voyeur stuff...sex with someone else. Now tell me everything...........you did, baby. Pervs, all of us.

cheating bitch..lol

Royal scam their best

Doesn't get much better . Awesome Music by STEELY DAN 🙂❤👍👍👌

mmmm que cosa mas ricaaaa..pura adicción para los sentidos

Totally Awesome !

Orgasmic guitar solo by no other than Larry Carlton. 3/2... Happy Birthday Larry!

I always have a detected a little Doors in this song. Creepy LA rock.

Nathan Wilkie it's certainly lopes around like a more pop oriented doors song. I see your point but I feel it's almost like a Beatles kind of thing. It seems more playful then Steely Dan is known for

well this song brought back memories...not good ones though

I love white bands who can play black music

That's right Buck Wheat. Beddah watch out.

"Heatwave" was primarily a Black band, but the leader was White...Rod Temperton (he produced Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall" album.

My fav band

what a band !-Timeless !

After this song came out, Don Henley and Glen Fry thanked SD for the Eagles reference by writing the line: " ... They stab it with their steely knives ..." in Hotel California.

@Tabby Smithfield You thought correctly.

@Tabby Smithfield That's the one thing that got me were the release dates being so close. Made me think well, its possible!

bwlymoas I'm glad you're feeling better. I too play by ear but I did take violin lessons and learned long ago the basics to reading music. I play anything from the Beatles to rage against the machine. Steely dan is a bit beyond my scope as far as guitar goes, most of it anyway. I can play dirty work and a little lead on do it again but I find myself focusing more on the piano or key work. Fagan amazes me! I'm trying to teach myself keyboards but it's slow going. I can play low spark of high heeled boy somewhat and madman across the water. What I'm so very slowly working towards is "all for Leyna" by billy Joel. What I love the most though is when I find something new though that I absolutely love. Obscure steely dan that I never remembered hearing of old on the radio fell into that category for me a few years ago. A cousin gave me an iPod with like 96 dan songs on it and I fell in love with it.

bwlymoas the release dates is where I started then hotel California lyric meanings then I wiki'd steely dan the royal scam everything you did and found the interview comment by Henley in "quotations" the royal scam was released in may 76 and I think it said the eagles was December. It did say steely dan referenced a lot of pop culture which is definitely true so.... there it is. Now I know. And I'm glad to have figured it out even if I approached it wrong, I love learning stuff like that.

@Tabby Smithfield Felder interview tells how that was returning the favor for the Eagles line in "Everything You Did"

Musical and lyrical genius, like no other, glad I had a chance to see them live.

Love love love steely Dan. I kick myself. They were in st Augustine a few years ago and I missed it.... damn

The great Larry Carlton on the Guitar on this one. Larry went on to fame with the Crusaders and a long long solo career and studio musician. Considered one of the greatest Guitar players ever.

Larry had already done many sessions and been playing with the Crusaders before this.

@stretch54 True, he played on a couple Crusaders albums right BEFORE 1976.

I can never ever get enough of STEELY DAN ! - even their very first tunes still sound fresh. - RIP Walter Becker.

I can still listen to this entire album and enjoy it like it was my first time listening. RIP Walter Becker

"turn up the Eagles the neighbors are listening"...one of the best lines in rock music, lol!

it sounds kinda like it was meant to sound like backwards masking too lol

I have a t-shirt printed with that lyric & an image of a v 70s stereo set.
It KICKS ARSE, t-shirtly-speaking.

wow...learn something new everyday. The Eagles Hotel California returned the favor with "..stabbed it with their Steely Knives...

It is a great line...and The Eagles came back with "they stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast"

@Joni Taddeo You and the others here are correct about the Steely Dan / Eagles call and response. Here is Glenn Frey (may he rest in peace) discussing this tidbit with Bob Costas in an interview: https://youtu.be/VVMj4e_1SSg?t=198

These guys were a fucking class act. Period. The Royal Scam is such a brilliant album. My God, music just doesn't get any better than this.

+ Dan Reynolds...It's a challenge to pick a favorite Dan album. However, The Royal Scam lists amongst the greatest I've ever heard in all facets/genre's!

tonite i drink beer and listen to steely dan. laborday eve2017 rip walter becker

"Turn up the Eagles the neighbors are listening.

turn off the eagles the jailbirds are listening

RIP Walter

RIP, Walter Becker

The best guitar solos I ever heard are all in Steely Dan's songs

Soulful, smooth, jazz blues oh yea and rocks the fuckin house! Signed Kid Charlemagne. The test tubes and the scale!

Larry Carlton did the Guitar solos on this song as well as: Kid Charlemagne, Don't Take Me Alive, and the title track, the Royal Scam. Basically half the album. Larry has probably 20 solo albums and also played a couple albums with The Crusaders.

Kid Charlemagne gt solo takes some beating

I'm a long time semi -pro club guitarist. If any of the new metal guitarists say they understand the nuances and subtleties in the guitar solo in this song they are frigging liars. I nearly get a guitar boner every time I listen to this.

Daniel Wright new metal players probably never even heard of these guys, they're power chord junkies and don't phrase notes so much as vomit them up lmao!!! Older ones may though, I bet the TOOL guys and maybe a few others have heard the dan.

Love these guys !!

Stunning guitar solo. The tone, the phrasing, just great.

the great Larry Carlton. See above

Turn up Steely Dan.....I'm listening !

This song reminds me of a first season SNL sketch where John Belushi and Jane Curtin are in bed "confessing" to affairs in lurid detail, and it's all just to turn each other on. That's what I think this song is. And a great Larry Carlton solo!

Agreed!

Wrong fella's. It's about domestic violence. Turn up the Eagles is to hide the fact that he is beating her like a dog.

Larry Carlton is "THE BOMB!"

@bob tucker My Rival is the same pretense. Steely Dan & Lon Chaney had ONE Thing in common.
UNREQUITED LOVE!

That drunken melt down guitar solo (this song) is like none other. love that sound and style of this band. Mixes well instrumentally and lyrically.

Eric De Leon

Excellent description. They had a number really amazing guitar solos in their great songs.

Each one was distinct but had that signature Steely Dan sound.

That's a good take - SD were so tight they could even be flawlessly sloppy. It's like watching Fred Astaire play a drunk who can't dance, just for kicks...

I luv it 😘 too, btw r u a roller skater.. Lol 😂😀😀

classic.............

turn up the eagles, the neighbors are listening...great lyric

Oh yeah!!! One of my all time favorites, if not my very favorite! The Eagles made a reference to Steely Dan in Hotel California. They stab it with their Steely knives but you just can't kill the beast.

Don Henley says that lyric was the inspiration for their line "They stab it with their Steely knives but you just can't kill the beast." as a volley back at Becker and Fagen. fun trivia

I have to smile everytime I hear that

Steely Dan ROCKS! I don't care what anybody says, they are the greatest rock band of the 70s!

Turn up the eagles the neighbors r listening.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just cant kill the beast.

@Bernard Liu Ha. Steely's dregs are still hip today.'Rock' can't hold a candle to Steely Dan.

Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd

@t mac lol

Now yet another reason to love Shrek so much, he has an amazing taste in music!!

Like one of those realistic short story novels of a dysfunctional love triangle, jealousy, crimes of passion.

Instrumentally brilliant: it expresses the tension, sadness, hurt, anger, and jealousy.

One word " CLASS "

Yes, they had that classic ability and desire to write songs that you could enjoy singing with and had depth and told stories about real characters.

I ❤ this song.

Me, too. ;)

At 1:39, Donald Fagen sings, "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening"..,,Fifteen years later, Glenn Frey cited that lyric as inspiration for the Eagles on Hotel California--in an interview with Bob Costas. Glenn said the Eagles were big fans of how gutsy Steely Dan was in their lyrics, and wrote "Stabbed you with their Steely knives" as a homage to Steely Dan in "Hotel California"...

now that`s a fun fact

Oooo that's darn cool 💖

Saw Steely Dan in '94 in Phoenix; they played 3 solid hours and were still playing strong when we had to leave! Talk about getting your money's worth! Awesome concert.RIP Walter Becker.

Such a jam.

The guy is violent and ambivalent-a strange and potentially dangerous combination.

Ronald Charles Epstein

Accurate psych profile of the character in the song.

I like to take most SD lyrics like this not literally, but as someone's inner dialogue, or perhaps re-living a memory.

The song is about a cuckold. Despite all his cucky angst, he wants to hear all about her dalliance(s).

I think the tone of Fagan's singing may belie the implied violence of the situation. Compare that to Carlton's whining and pleading lead guitar throughout the song, which is probably the woman's voice.

Sexual games...its all a put on.

Funny, when i bought this album in 1976 my favorite song was The Royal Scam, now after all these years its Everything You Did. I love the lyrics!

Steely Dan is the best American band, Eagles second, The Doors third.

Name a better writing duo.

You cracked the code!

Beach Boys instead of Eagles.

Neeeerds!

Too many analytical comments on "Dan" songs ~ Take it for what it is Great melody, lyrics reflecting everyday lifesytyles ~ No more , no less ~ Enuff shit goin on without having to analyse . If you like it then it's "Job Done "

Eric Mccormack - no...it’s a reference to a Yacht Rock video.