STEELY DAN "HAITIAN DIVORCE" (reaction)
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- čas přidán 15. 04. 2021
- Check out Sight After Dark reacting to "Haitian Divorce" by Steely Dan!
We're reacting to the entire "The Royal Scam" album, so be sure to check out those other videos if you haven't!
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When "Papa Doc" Duvalier ruled Haiti, he advertised the fact that tourists could get a quick, no frills easy divorce. So Babs goes crazy and makes her getaway to Haiti. She gets dressed to the nines, drinks Zombies at the hotel bar, and takes a taxi to the Grotto, where she hooks up for a one night stand with that Charlie with the lotion and the kinky hair. They dance, fade to black, and our Dean Parks solo narrates their steamy love scene. Babs gets pregnant, returns for a tearful reunion with Clean Willie in the USA, but her kinky haired, semi-mojo baby looks nothing like him. Perfect Steely Dan satire of "the human condition".
What a story this song tells!
@@SightAfterDark Yeah, it's funny, noir and satirical, but it's so relatable to raw human nature. "No tears and no hearts breaking, no remorse", and in Green Earrings "Sorry...angel...I get hungry...like a child". So many songs about the inner sociopath that lurks within all of us.
"To the good hotel..bon marche...as far as she could tell". A little French creole added for flavor here - "Bon marche" simply translates to "cheap" in English - very clever. Then again, all of Steely Dan's lyrics are clever.
"Now we dolly back, now we fade to black" is one of my favorite lines in all of Steely Dan and it's such a throw away. But it's straight out of a movie and it conveys so much with so little. At the end of a movie the camera rolls (dollies) backwards away from the scene then the screen fades to black. If you're a lover of movies you get the gist of the words immediately. It's a wonderful little gem of a lyric from a songwriter who has a wealth of lyrical genius sprinkled throughout the Steely Dan "songbook"
Thanks for the info!
Funny, I came to this exact realization earlier this week (took me only 40 years, LOL!), and now I read it here on the Tube.
I’m a 36 year old millennial goth woman who worships Britney Spears. I want this song played at my wedding and my funeral. My parents introduced me to their steeley Dan vinyls at like 8 years old and I’ve been obsessed ever since. “Royal Scam” is probably my all one #1 record even before Britney, Skinny Puppy, Vivaldi, or Depeche Mode.
Steely Dan is like a course in modern sociology.
Truth!
They’re lyrics are so… literal. Even if it’s a made up story it’s very believable,
@@aleisterlilywhite1109 Their lyrics are like miniature movies often, when I listen SD songs I see it all happen before my eyes! 😍
Not a wah-wah song. Dean Parks' guitar solo was sent through a talk box after the fact with Walter Becker doing the necessary mouth work. Best. Leo.
I came to write this and you beat me to it.
@@andrewtrotter9023 Timing is everything...except when it's nothing. When I heard how it was done, I couldn't wait to try it out myself. I used a wah-wah pedal, but the principle is the same. Best. Leo.
That’s awesome! Thanks Leo!
Rip Walter Becker
After the fact? No don’t say that ,X0
Although i love a range of all genres, i've always loved reggae, so it's not surprising that this track actually introduced me to the genius of Steely Dan
Fantastic, typically grungy storytelling by Becker and Fagen. Unique solo by Dean Parks by way of a talk box. More brilliance by the boys.
Brilliance all around!
Classy funky jazzy tune so good!
I think this is one of the most fun SD songs. Got that reggae beat and talk box. Plus it's just different than anything else from them.
It’s a fun one!
One of my favorites tunes by The Dan!👍🏻❤️☮️🎤🎼
Gotta love this one!
@@SightAfterDark Love And divorce American and Haitian style in the ‘70’s!😃👍🏻❤️☮️
Seriously one of my favorites
Two things: s
The wife has another man's baby, to her husband's shock. "Who's this kinky so-and-so?" And that of course would be her Charlie with the lotion and the kinky hair - in the chorus, in a the grotto, and in the greasy chair.
Best part of the song comes immediately after: Babs and Charlie dance, and then, as if directing a movie, our narrator sings "Now we dolly back, now we fade to black -".
Which makes the guitar solo the love scene. And in a high concept stroke of genius, the guitar was played through a talkbox effect. Which is a very intimate, sensuous, penatrative instrument. . .
Thanks for the details Doug!
When he says @ who’s this kinky so n so , that should tell u the ending loo
Very near the top of my all time fav list. About how in the 70's the easiest place to end a marriage was in Haiti. The vibes, literally - vibraphone, islands rhythms(chuck-a on the "and") and delicious part writing paint a palpable, detailed scene. Hard to believe the guitar "talk box" effect was applied AFTER the track was laid down, by Becker. In the guitar outro- I love the shift from a bar of major tonality to the darker minor mode for the slow fade out. If there were 5 more minutes of the dark gumbo guitar outro I wouldn't mind a bit. A bit of a departure from a 'band' that epitomized being a departure from from the norm. Love your analysis.
Yes, Dean Parks solo, Becker engineering
In addition to the vibes, there is a subtle island-style horn section blowing throughout with a notable Duke Ellington feel. Steely Dan is all about the details.
Fantastic analysis yourself Ken! Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@SightAfterDark Ever find yourself saying "Wait! More! Keep going!" during the inevitable fadeouts? Last 3 tunes in particular - Fez, Green Earrings, Haitian Divorce. They could just keep jamming and I'd be completely satisfied.
there is no 'heart' for me to put on your comment!
When this song was written Haiti was indeed a place you could go to for a quickie divorce. Additionally, only one party had to be present and you could marry a new person the same week. It was pushed into law by the dictator Papa Doc Duvalier to promote tourism. Babs ran off to Haiti to unilaterally divorce that bastard Sweet Willy. She hits the town to celebrate her new freedom and gets swept off her feet dancing with a local guy. She and Willy reconcile when she gets back to the US and nine months later a baby arrives. It's immediately clear that it's not Sweet Willie's child
Dean Parks on guitar through the talkbox
Heard this song 2 years ago and been hooked ever since..love the arrangement and the story.
Thanks for watching!
@@SightAfterDark I saw them at Jones Beach. They come back.. go.. That's the place to see them. It's so chill to see them there.
A cinematic tune from a cinematic band. In the bridge they even say, “Now we dolly back, now we fade to black.” Poor newborn. Babs had to give the kid a quickie divorce after discovering he came from the “wrong” father to the embarrassment of all. The title track the “Royal Scam,” may be their most cinematic ever. Like an epic mini-movie.
Epic indeed!
Right??? I love how they can use lyrics to make it visual. I’m a movie person so I really appreciate their lyrics. It’s like listening to an audiobook.
you will never review a greater album track than this,in a world where nothing is perfect...this IS.
Love the last minute and a half.
You guys should check out Walter Becker's Circus Money from 2008; its an entire album of Steely Dan Reggae
That sounds awesome. Thanks Tim!
Yeah, this song is Steely Dan's often sad story with an upbeat that makes it even sadder because it talks about the happy past meeting the sad present of a relationship in a way that in Dan terms is weirdly compassionate and danceable because many of us nay have probably been through it so let's celebrate how hard we tried but didn't make it. Pretty exquisite in my opinion for a frickin' pop song.
Extremely exquisite!
Kudos to whoever did the lyrics and images - loved the Roy Lichtenstein influence.
Shoutout to Steely Ben!
And the rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper! :) I love watching you guys.. young musicians, trying to decipher, decode, unravel, and enjoy this music.. as we all did, back in the day.... I can't wait to see you progress further into the discography of the Dan, as well as the Solo efforts of Donald and Walter... which I'd suggest you try to do in chronological order, for reference.... the deeper it gets, the deeper it gets!! lol Kudos to you, my friends, Keep up the good work!!
We’re glad you’ve enjoyed! We’ve become huge SD fans through our reactions, and we will definitely do the solo stuff once we finish all their albums :)
I'm sure somebody already said this but there was a song called Mexican divorce in the sixties And I think this is a take off on that song amongst other things right haha... Man it's so hard to write lyrics where you can come back to it again and again and see new things but steely Dan are the masters of that...
They are indeed!
Love it! Thank you. This is what I grew up to! Fight the good fight!
Quickie divorces were available in Haiti in the 1970s - in less than a week perhaps. In this story, she goes down there to get one, has an affair w/ hotel staff member, get back to the US, reunites w/ her former hubby, abut pretty soon realizes she's pregnant and the father is....Charlie w/ the lotion from Haiti.
And Clean Willie scratches his head wondering where that beautiful swarthy skin and kinky hair came from.
Checks out
"The Dan" , are often very vague about what their songs mean. But they love to expose irony. My own opinion is that yes they had quickie divorces, but "Baby Doc", ruler "Papa Doc's" son, got "Divorced" by the people and had to flee the country. Rather than becoming heir to the Rule. Being quickly divorced in a land of quickie divorces. There's your irony!
That is exactly what the song is about, which is why it has always been the most problematic Dan song for me, lyrically. It definitely straddles a line.
@@mc76 What's 'problematic' about those lyrics? Straddles what 'line'?
Yo! This song should be renamed "The Ballad of Amber & Jonny" 😂😂😂
What a classic. Enjoy this, young people.
American marriage: Haitian Divorce ; Fling :Reunion; Mixed race child ; funky reggae + talk box. best selling Steely Dan single in the UK, and even I can't believe it.
Apropos of nothing I think Steely Dan invented white reggae. Not quite first; Eric Claption may have a claim to the first dreadful cover, but I think The Police cashed in.
Haha the police definitely cashed in. It’s hard to hear this song as a pop hit to be honest. It’s so much deeper than that!
@@SightAfterDark Yes, something oddly disturbing and menacing in every SD tune, no matter how seemingly poppy and upbeat.
Thanks again for listening to the "Royal Scam" album. It will be one you take out often the rest of your life and not be disappointed in any song. BTW, it may not be a "Reggae" song but they did play it on the radio Sunday nights on the "Reggae Revolution" show. Thanks!
Thanks for watching Mike!
My fav tune of all time.
hypnotic cinematic
You can say that again!
This is one of their great songs..most don't dig this...reggae /comedy tragedy tears the lot and a philosophic message...i dont know what it is...dont let your dick think for you,maybe.....i think you could get instant divorce in Haiti..so wise papa...said no tears get it over with...but a baby grew.
funny story, this song is about my dad. it was actually about going to haiti to get a quick divorce, because it was the fastest way to annul a marriage in the 70s if you lived in the US
That is funny. Thanks for sharing Mathew!
One of my favorites from Steely Dan great reaction from you guys. I want to draw your attention to the Steely Dan song Here at the western world because I don’t want you to miss it in your reactions reason being that it is not part of any Steely Dan studio album but was a brand new song on a best of compilation in 1982 and here is the link to the CZcams video of Here At The Western World czcams.com/video/brlS32sdz5k/video.html 🙏🏽✌🏽❤️
Will definitely have to check it out once we finish all their albums! Thanks so much!
I already told you my daughter, Josie's, reaction to "Green Earrings." "Haitian Divorce," was her favorite song. She called it the whah whah song.:
MORE WHAH WHAH SONG!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Lollllll sounds about right 😂
Reference: François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Haitian President/Dictator 1957 - 1971.
Makes sense
good talking analysis of the song
Thanks♥️!
But enough about the music, just what ARE the specifics of Divorce Law in Haiti? But seriously great review guys! Next full album review should be their final joint effort “everything must go.“ And then how about Fagen‘s first solo masterpiece “the nightly“?
Thanks Ron! Our plan is to finish all SD albums chronologically, and then move on to the solo stuff :)
@@SightAfterDark OMG you guys now you’re doing God’s work for sure, the music gods that is!
This was a minor hit in the UK back in ‘76, especially since ska and reggae were huge there.
Make sense!
Were you there?? I’d love to be around for this songs release.
I kinda thought the guitar was going thru a mutron 3 (a vintage device going back to the early 70s .) I've played thru one in a battle of the bands when I was a kid .
Sounds cool!
Hi Sight After Dark
Hello Skinny Door In The Living Room Lights Man!
They argue. She leaves. Goes to Haiti. Meets ‘kinky so-and-so. Sleeps with him. Later goes home to forgiving husband. 9 months later she has ‘kinky’ baby.
☺️
She,s very stoic, while listening to this reggae, infused with Talk Box song??
I can’t believe you did not get it
Back in the 70s that was a quick divorce
The meaning of a Hation divorce is pretty wild. You could divorce your husband or wife without their consent. So people would take trips there just for that reason haha.
Wild!
I bought this on 45rpm when I was around 15 I guess. I took it home and my dad said "ok, what old crap did you buy"? I stuck it on, full volume mark you, on our "stereogram" and played it, smirking self righteously. He was decorating our front room and turned on the ladder and said "Good choice, well done". I felt so cool. He looked at me like, I have done well with this child; she needs no further teaching....hahahhaha.
haha congrats Dawn, looks like you passed the test!
@@SightAfterDark He is my step dad (wonderful man, fabulous dad) who brought his record collection with him when he married my mum (I was 13). In one fell swoop I went from one Donald Osmond to being a full on rock chick. First: he played us Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac's Greatest hits, wow is the only word. Have worshipped PG as a blues God since (and got to see him, IKR? Amazing). Second; Fire & Water by Free; third the first I think 5 albums of Uriah Heep; fourth the first 4 L Zep albums and so on. Need I go on? I always worshipped the Fabs, of course, and dad is a hardcore Lennon fan so that was all good. I used to come home from school and mum would say oh you must listen to this: Oh Well Parts 1/2! Incredible! Thin Lizzy (on that she went and bought herself) Whisky in the Jar. I had THE best musical education possible in the 70s. My mum and dads song (47 years married now, I believe) is Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, CSNY. Mum now in her very early 80s and that is still their song. Wow. I couldn't go wrong after that. Sorry for long reply; been on extreme shielding for year and half, I don't get out much! Cheers peace out.
@@SightAfterDark p.s am subbing you also cos I liked you when I watched, twice now. So hi, I pop up a lot, hope that's cool. Peace, love and music. East Coast of England ("The Sunrise Coast"!).
Wish we could’ve been around in the 70s to experience all this music!
Thank you so much! Feel free to pop up as much as you like :) greetings from Brooklyn!
So they go to Haiti for the quickie divorce, she goes out, gets drunk and sleeps with a local black guy, gets pregnant. The couple get back together in NY, she has the baby, but guess what; the baby is clearly not his.
☺️
Back when Reggae was the Bomb...How about some Bob Marley and The Wailers
Haha not sure if there’s much Bob Marley we haven’t heard 😂 he’s the best!
That is great! Plenty of Aswad, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, Peter Tosh etc...
Reggae song, something different from their previous albums.
Indeed
Wondering if you caught the meaning/story line....great, great sound but awkward outcome to the story....
Lol yup
This could have been done by Bob Marley and Wailers…. Even the chorus sounds like the IThrees…
Right!
A huge hit single in the UK... seems a bit dated now. Mainly the guitar effect I guess.
Huh????????
Crazy that this was a hit. It’s seems too deep for that!
she look bored af lol
Looks can be deceiving friend
how dare people try to make money from reacting to music, you should be ashamed just like all react video people
Thanks so much for watching and spending your time with us! 😘