An Analysis of the Musical Complexity Found in the Steely Dan Song ‘Deacon Blues’

In his first foray into music analysis, the Nerdwriter delves deep into the beautifully complex classic Steely Dan song “Deacon Blues” in order to show the incredibly rich layers that make up its entirety.

…”Deacon Blues”, I think contains a hidden earnestness. In the lead into the first chorus the narrator says he’s ready to cross that fine line the line between his existence and the one he wants to have. The song suggests that he’s tried before and failed, but the music plays these lines like he’s taking a running head start, barreling towards a chorus that explodes into the fantasy fully realized. I think you can look at Deacon blues kind of literature. Story seems to be the central component here with each element music filling out the nuances in the main characters fantasy to the point where it’s unclear on the last verse whether the narrator has actually done it was just been caught up in the dream.