Do It Again (Steely Dan song)
"Do It Again" is a 1972 song composed and performed by American rock group Steely Dan, who released it as a single from their debut album Can't Buy a Thrill. The single version differed from the album version, shortening the intro and outro and omitting the organ solo.
"Do It Again" | ||||
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Single by Steely Dan | ||||
from the album Can't Buy a Thrill | ||||
B-side | "Fire in the Hole" | |||
Released | November 1972 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length |
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Gary Katz | |||
Steely Dan singles chronology | ||||
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Released in 1972, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 18, 1972, and reached number 6 on the US charts in 1973, making it Steely Dan's second highest-charting single.[4]
Song
"Do It Again" features an electric sitar solo by Denny Dias. The "plastic organ" solo by Donald Fagen was performed on a Yamaha YC-30 with a sliding pitch-bending control.[5] The song is written in the key of G minor and has a tempo of 125 beats per minute. It follows a chord progression of Cm-Dm-E♭-Dm7-Gm-Cm-Dm-E♭-Dm.
David Palmer fronted the band during their live show, and sang "Do It Again" when the group played The Midnight Special in February 1973. Donald Fagen sang the vocal on the album version.[6]
Cash Box described it as a "fine commercial effort with plenty of potential as a hit record", going on to say that it "is highlighted by some fine vocal harmony and superb arrangement."[7] Record World called it a "gentle rocker" that "has a bit of the Latin rock sound" and "solid production by Gary Katz."[8]
Personnel
Steely Dan
- Donald Fagen – lead vocals, electric piano, plastic (YC-30) organ
- Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar
- Denny Dias – guitar, electric sitar
- Walter Becker – electric bass
- Jim Hodder – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Victor Feldman – percussion
Production
- Gary Katz – producer
- Roger Nichols – engineer
- Tim Weston – assistant engineer
- Doug Sax – mastering engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | Silver | 200,000![]() |
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Cover versions
- In 1973 Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato released a version of this song on his album Deodato 2.
- 1979: Terry Callier, Turn You to Love.
- In 1980 Waylon Jennings released a version of the song on his album Music Man.[21]
- In 1981 Israeli singer Gary Eckstein גרי אקשטיין released an Hebrew version of the song on his album Lo Leshidur (Off The Air).
- 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".[22] The song peaked at number 79 in Australia.[23] It was later covered by the American studio group Slingshot.[22]
- Austrian singer Falco covered the song on his 1988 album Wiener Blut.[24] His version was also released as a single.[25]
- In 1997 Paul Hardcastle offered his version from the album Cover to Cover.[26]
- Smash Mouth covered the song for use in the 2000 movie Me, Myself & Irene.
- In 2017 Lydia Lunch and Cypress Grove covered the song on their album Under the Covers.[27]
- In 2023 the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band covered the song with a Latin jazz version on the CD Vox Humana featuring the vocals of Janis Siegel, Jennifer Jade Ledesna, and Antoinette Montague
References
- Mason, Stewart. "Do It Again – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- Hoffmann, Frank, ed. (2005). "Steely Dan". Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93835-X.
- Sampaio, Gerard (2005). "Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 257.
- "Steely Dan – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- "Discography, or Who Played What On....?". Combo Organ. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- Greene, Andy (7 March 2013). "Flashback: Steely Dan Live in 1973". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- "Singles Reviews > Newcomer Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. November 4, 1972. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. November 4, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5297." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- "Steely Dan – Do It Again" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1973" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- "Steely Dan – Do It Again" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 228.
- "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 17, 1973". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012.
- "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. February 24, 1972. p. 27. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- "Top 100 Singles of '73". RPM. Vol. 20, no. 20. December 29, 1973. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- "Top 100 Hits for 1973". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- "British single certifications – Steely Dan – Do It Again". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Waylon Jennings – Music Man". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- Halstead, Craig; Cadman, Chris (2003). Michael Jackson the Solo Years. Authors On Line Ltd. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-7552-0091-7.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 278. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Green, Jim; Robbins, Ira. "Falco". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- "Falco – Do It Again". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- Yanow, Scott. "Paul Hardcastle – Cover to Cover". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- Van Isacker, Bernard (April 27, 2017). "Lydia Lunch & Cypress Grove cover The Doors, Tom Petty and lots more on 'Under the covers' cover album – available on vinyl too". Side-Line. Retrieved June 24, 2017.