My Top 2000 Songs #1170: Rikki Don't Lose That Number

As with Steely Dan itself, I have very mixed feelings about "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Growing up in the 70s, Steely Dan were one of the bands I disliked most, both Donald Fagen's vocals and the band's obsessively-perfect slick jazz vibes totally putting me off. And the song still triggers some reflexive annoyance, the sound of the music I studiously avoided in quest of cooler, edgier sounds.

Still, something about the track from 1974's Pretzel Logic--the Steely Dan LP that's grown on me most over the years--is just absolutely magical. That two-note bass lick is just incredible, instantly sending me back to childhood; and the chorus melody is so deeply insinuated in my skull that I couldn't shake it off if I tried. And I've given up trying.

Live 2018: