Reggae w/ 'Chord Changes'. Lyrics are loosely based on Scam's recording engineer Elliott Scheiner's personal experience. by late '76, as the Dan was recording Scam, Scheiner had separated form his then wife, and was told by his lawyer that for tax purposes, he had to finalize his divorce by the end of the year. That was not possible in the US, but was advised that he could get a valid divorce in Haiti, where quickie divorces could be arranged in less than a week. Schneider asked for a week off from the recording, flew down and got his divorce papers and flew back. When he returned Becker and Fagen where intrigued and asked for details. So 'Haitian Divorce' is a fictionalised version. The protagonist is a woman, who goes to Haiti to get her divorce, has an affair w/ a local hotel gigolo. she gets her divorce papers, flies back to the states but ends up reunited w/ her former husband. But as it turns out she is also pregnant and sooner than later all involved realised the baby's father is her once island lover.

@thornbird6768

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍🏻 I never knew this .

The "Papa" in the song is Papa Doc Duvalier, the dictator of Haiti.

@jondhuse1549

3 жыл бұрын

And his son, "Baby Doc" succeeded him as the next authoritarian president of Haiti.

@christinerobinson548

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, that makes more sense.

@ericanderson8886

3 жыл бұрын

@@jondhuse1549 papa doc and baby doc, them years lol

I have all their albums, and I am happy that you're listening. And yes, videos are predisposed to storytelling on a visual plane, which might muddy the lyrics. Countdown To Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied are also wonderful albums. Plus you know that Donald considered himself a studio musician and did not like performing on stage.

Talk Box was also used by Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way and Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way. I read somewhere that Talk Boxes go back to 1939.

That jam at the end could go on forever. This song never gets old for me. Thanks!

From a couple albums you haven’t done yet: 1975 album “Katy Lied” songs “Black Friday” and “Doctor Wu”, and 2000 album “Two Against Nature” song “West of Hollywood”.

@timwirasnik5878

3 жыл бұрын

Katy Lied is such an over looked Album! Pure Gold it is!

@lukekiefer5964

2 жыл бұрын

Gaslighting Abbie from Two Against Nature as well

The guitar effect is a " talk box " which modifies guitar tones via the human voice. Peter Frampton was one of the 1st to use it. Check out " Do You Feel Like We Do " on the album Frampton Live

Love this song and this story. Royal Scam is my favorite album.

The talkbox attachment on the guitar is a speaker core with a tube attached to it so the sound goes up the tube. The guitar player's output is piped through that speaker. The guitar player puts the tube in his mouth with his mouth next to a microphone. The "wah-wah" effect is made by the guitar player moving his mouth as if he was talking except he's not making sound.

A dolly is an apparatus with wheels or crane that moves the camera (in this case back from the scene...implying a change in Time or perspective)

That's a talk box you are hearing.

@andyinoregon

3 жыл бұрын

Yep. Singer/guitarists Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh had big hit songs in the mid-'70s using the talk box. "The Royal Scam" album was released in 1976.

This tune is so catchy. ..... By the title, when I first played it, I thought I wouldn't like it but it's one of my favorite Steely Dan tunes now.

R.I.P. TO WALTER BECKER! :(

Awesome, thank you! I think you’d really like Steely Dan’s Sign In Stranger as well.

My Old School is a great "sing-along" ...

@waynecox3958

3 жыл бұрын

Stephen Rich you are so right.

Daniel needs some Frampton. "Do You Feel Like We Do" from Frampton Comes Alive album.

@Dooklawz

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, yes he certainly does!

Do Your Gold Teeth next. Keyboard and guitar solos are both amazing.

@neonpark1874

3 жыл бұрын

And then follow that up with Your Gold Teeth II to see the evolution on their next album.

Can never go wrong with Steely Dan love them love you

Great track! Not my favorite, but still love this and this album!!

Steely Dan never made a bad song. I had every album they put out 😎

This is classic Steeley Dan and my favourite , I’m glad you are listening to this great music 👍🏻

Daniel First time for me hearing this too. Starts out and continues with guitar playing Raggae style. 4:23 and 4:50 - That's either a Wah Wah pedal stuck in a certain tone-position, or it's a Flanger foot pedal/audio engineer effect or it might be a combination of the two. Steely Dan is an interesting change of pace!

A camera dolly is a wheeled cart used to create smooth horizontal camera moves. Best. Leo.

My favorite DAN song, this is.

Guitar on wah wah peddle? I love the " Bon Marchez " reference.....good and cheap :)

@lynnrogers9236

3 жыл бұрын

also the guitar voice box ( tube, really) like Peter Frampton on Do You Feel Like We Do.

@1bigrowdy

3 жыл бұрын

To make it even better the guitar was recorded firsttbe Fagan went back and did the voicebox off of the guitar track himself.

This is Ambrosia for the ear … I’m a shiny happy person listening to this 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

PRETZEL LOGIC AND CAN'T BUY A THRILL, CMONNNNN!!! LMAO :) DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS ALLLLLLLLLL THIS GREAT AWESOME CLASSIC ROCK DANIEL? YOU HAVE LOTTTTTSSSS TO DO! :)

I read somewhere that Fagen & Becker knew someone who went to Haiti to get a divorce & that was the inspiration of the song.

Aja is a monumental work of art.

WAH-WAH is the guitar sound.

just the best..EVER,it gets right to your soul.

Love Steely Dan ✌🏼

The "Katy Lied" album is their most melodic and piano driven album and just gorgeous from start to finish.

The guitar sound is produced with a tube in your mouth the note being distended by the shape of your mouth . Best example is Peter Frampton “ ooh baby I love your ways”. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Steely ben is AWESOME and usually right on the money!

Back in the day my flatmate was a huge S/Dan and Rolling Stones fan so got to hear their music alot, excellent bands although at the time i became over saturated with them, in fact it wasn't until i introduced him to west coast american music such as Little Feat, Bob Seger, Linda Ronstadt, Eagles, Jackson Browne etc that the flat became more rounded music wise. As you said Steely Dan are an acquired taste with people either for or against. Myself, well i appreciate them more as i have aged.

*waves to Daniel* I did spend yesterday thinking about your 'folk' folder and our Dylan conversation. In the early 60s it was all about Rock and Roll but there was a lot of folk charting. And so so very many covers were done of Dylan's songs. I can even recall myself saying that I often enjoyed Dylan covers moreso than the original. Some examples..Peter, Paul and Mary doing 'The Times they are a Changing,' the Byrds doing 'Mr Tambourine Man,' Leon Russell doing 'A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall.' Hendrix doing 'All along the Watchtower.' Clapton did a few including 'I shot the Sherriff,' also done by Bob Marley. I think there are a lot of Dylan songs accessible by other artists. If I was going to pick a couple of Dylan songs for you to pull out and listen to I would pick 'Desolation Row' and 'Hurricane.' I don't know of anyone else pulling them off. 'Desolation Row' Wiki describes as Folk/Rock. It came just at the time Dylan was plugging in and by doing so losing a lot of his folky audience. Whereas 'Desolation Row' is Dylanesque poetry, 'Hurricane' is a great story song. Wiki describes it as Folk/rock/Protest song. Anyway, run this past your other people and see what they think. As I said I am not the biggest Dylan fan but his music is important root music.

@Hartlor_Tayley

3 жыл бұрын

Dylan often said that some of the cover versions of his songs were the definitive versions. My favs are “When I Paint My Masterpiece” by the Band, “Tangled up in Blue” and “A Simple Twist of Fate” by Jerry Garcia Band and of course “Watchtower” by Hendrix. Dylan adopted the styles of these cover versions for his concerts. Dylan performing Mr Tamborine Man at Newport 1963 is a must see.

Dolly back means to move backwards from the scene on a Dolly (a camera support on wheels that runs on a track) it helps to prevent shaky video which is achieved today with robotic programmable arms. Voice box is a unit that uses a Flair horn pressure unit or driver with a long plastic tube that the guitarist would put into their mouth and mouth words as the amplified sound from their Marshal amp at 11. The limited frequency response (inherent in a horn driver) created that thin crackly sound. They were known as teeth rattlers. Best example is a video of Haitian Divorce live cover by The Steely Damned. Here's the link if you haven't watched it already kzread.info/dash/bejne/dmSfsMlmoK_deZc.html&ab_channel=HankEaston

Forget the lyrical meaning for a moment; what incredible instrumentation! Always loved this song’s groove. That talkbox sound is so distinctive

I've heard it said that music is joy in a bottle. Well...the Steely is smoky whiskey poured out into a tumbler, to just about the point of excess, all while in front of a fire on a cold winters night. Strictly for adults. And oh, so very good..... John~ American Net'Zen

Guitar sound is a talk box also used by Joe Walsh on Rocky Mountain Way and Peter Frampton on Show Me The Way....it’s a plastic tube that is attached next to the vocal mic and to a unit that allows the players voice to affect the guitar sound.

You're hearing a "talk box" and a wah wah pedal.

One of my favorites!!

Tough subject but great tune. Several other gems on this album. Steely Ben has some great ones but definitely a few "creative " interpretations. Look for the official studio's

@HollowGolem

3 жыл бұрын

"Tough subject but great tune" describes probably almost all their music, to be fair.

This song is sung with an almost vengeful irony. The little vignettes in Fagans lyrics wow who writes pop songs about this stuff? 🥺. Great reaction. Since “time out mind” when I see you about to dive into another SD song, I think “uh oh, what’s this one really about”.

Steely Ben is not as big as Steely Dan😜 Ps, recommend Caves of Altimira...interesting lyrics.

The guy was not likely a Hatian, rather back in the day it used to be very easy to buy a divorce in Hatti. As much as I love the Dan, time to mix in some Springsteen. I would recommend Thunder Road. Born to Run is a bit abstract as is Blinded by the Light.

In "Haitian Divorce," hired hand Dean Parks played the guitar, Walter Becker processed it though a talkbox to his specifications. -- Songfacts

Just to add a Jackson Browne request - Bright Baby Blues. Brilliant song with what i think are great lyrics

Dolly back refers to the camera technique opposite to zoom(ing) in.

Dolly is a term for the movie camera on a big rolling thing

Love The Royal Scam! 2 yrs ago, went to NYC to see them perform the whole album during their residency at the Beacon theater. I don't think u've done anything from Katy Lied--another great SD album. It has rock & rock/jazz influence songs. I think the biggest hit was off of it was "Black Friday" but it's also full other terrific songs -Doctor Wu, Daddy Don't Live in NYC No More, Chain Lightening & more. Hope u give some of them a listen

I think of the talkng box" as the sound of relatives, friends and ever their spouses voices in the back ground giving advice and comments which just fade, kind of like the parents voices in old Charlie Brown cartoons. Also I think this song as part 1 of the Story of Babs and Clean Willy and "Everything You Did" as part 2.

Dolly is the wheel trolley the camera rolls on.I think Hitchcock was the first to use them.

I am 54 and never been through a divorce! Of course i have never been married either, i may be dumb, but i aint stupid!

A doily is the rolling platform the camera man sits on so that he can be moved around without shaking the camera. Doily back means move the camera back.

They called that device the Golden Throat back in the day. Joe Walsh was a big user of it...Rocky Mountain Way.

He is using a Talk Box effect!

A great track

lol such a fun song!!!

The preacher's face turned red b/c she had a bun in the oven.

@quikmart1

3 жыл бұрын

@@JohnDoe-ie4zr That's credible, but I'll go with Murphy's Law in this case.

@markblom8039

3 жыл бұрын

And the 'thing' died, they lost the baby, which was the only thing keeping them together.

@quikmart1

3 жыл бұрын

@@markblom8039 That's a good point. That might be why this song always reminds me of Didion's "A Book of Common Prayer," another piece of 70s writing about a decadent, disappointed wife.

@quikmart1

3 жыл бұрын

@@JohnDoe-ie4zr I see. :)

@quikmart1

3 жыл бұрын

@@appletree6898 OK, then.

Steely Dan is best experienced listening to studio (vs. live) versions with headphones. Videos are a directors interpretation and more of a distraction than an improvement, IMHO.

Daniel, your thoughts on The Royal Scam vs. Aja are about the same as mine but it took me almost 40 yrs. to come to this conclusion. Originally liked Aja just a little bit more but in the last few years shifted a little to The Royal Scam. Both great albums with one more jazzier and the other more rock. Pretty much a tie for me but on some days I might give a slight edge to TRS because of the guitar work. If you listen to The Caves of Altamira from TRS and Home at Last from Aja, you'll probably be even more indecisive.

The liner notes say the Dean Parks did the talk box solo but that Walter Becker was doing the alteration. Does that mean HE had the tube in HIS mouth? Can't give you the citation, but I remember reading this was actually a hit in the UK. Best. Leo.

@actorJSB

3 жыл бұрын

You're right Leo, it hit #17 in the UK, by far their biggest single here (next best was Do it Again which scraped into the top 40 at #39).

@lewismaddox4132

3 жыл бұрын

I believe I read somewhere that Dean laid down the track which was pretty orthodox. That talk box sound was done with some sort of modulating device after the fact.

I like the music in "The Fez".

Another gem. Please check out Your Gold Teeth II from Katy Lied.

The guitar is being played through a talk box

This was Steely Dan's most successful single in the UK (don't think they bothered releasing it in the US/CA). It's also very early for white guys to be using reggae rhythms. Walter Becker was and remained very keen on it. If you like The Royal Scam a lot give Here At The Western World an outing. It was recorded during the sessions, but didn't surface until they released a Greatest Hits.

@andyinoregon

3 жыл бұрын

"Here at the Western World" is a great recommendation. I even love the up-tempo remake that Donald Fagen gave us with his solo touring band. Swings like nobody's business!

@thornbird6768

3 жыл бұрын

I’m British , my Dad loved this song 👍🏻 it takes me right back to being a kid in the 70’s and this song playing on the record player in our dinning room ♥️

Nice

I think the idea is that the wife goes on vacation to Haiti and pretends that she's divorced. She has sex with a Haitian, feels refreshed, and returns to her husband. Then her baby is born with kinky hair, and everybody figures it out.

Don't choose which album you like better. You will be able to choose either one depending on your listening mood and not be disappointed.

You don’t know it but.......COUNTDOWN TO ECSTACY is the one you are searching for.

Papa Doc bumped somebody off. Lol

Time to do "Kings" Daniel.

Fortunately, you don't really have to choose between the albums - you can enjoy them both!

Talk box, Easy in the early 70s to get divorced, in Haiti & people did.

the last verse tells you that she got pregnant by a Haitian dude.

@jondhuse1549

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe not... "Baby Doc" Duvalier was president of Haiti after his father, starting in 1971... could be a reference to him. Thousands of Haitians were tortured and killed during his presidency... perhaps that is peculiar enough.

Videos can be distracting and music and lyrics mean different things to different people,that is the magic of music. The video artwork can be amazing but always to littoral.

My two favorite Dan albums are the same as yours. I think _Scam_ is more consistently good, while _Aja_ hits higher highs. But they're both so very good.

I don’t pay much attention to these videos. I much prefer listening and attempt to interpret the songs for myself

When it comes to the battle of Steely Dan albums I'm very much in the Royal Scam camp (with Countdown to Ecstasy its only rival for my favourite), don't think you've hit The Caves of Altimira or The Fez yet, though I admit I lost track sometimes as to what you've done and haven't with the Dan!

wa wa guitar used like a mute on a trumpet......wa wa pedals very well used...may be a talk box...that uses mouth shape to mix with guitar

Haiti had a deal you could get a divorce there without the other party being present...So you could actually take your new squeeze to Haiti divorce your spouseand remarry there

Nice reaction. To me this song smacks of mostly Walter Becker but I could be wrong. I think SD is best enjoyed when you just play the whole album, any of them. They really didn’t write bad songs which is astounding. Two of the greatest composers ever. One more thing, somehow many people lump the Dan as "jazzy", in fact they are more R&B/funk. Using extended chords doesn't equate to jazz, improvisation is the defining aspect of jazz. Pretty much every solo SD recorded was performed many many times before they kept it. This is all just my personal opinion please don't flatten my tires.

If you haven't done Rikki Don't Lose that Number...get with it! Lol.

@DiconDissectionalReactions

3 жыл бұрын

Done already:)

Come back in ten years, sonny...

Put tab A into slot B ,............oh wait. Nevermind.

There are no bad Steely Dan songs, especially from the classic period. None.

Steely Ben videos are fine. I am not going to begrudge Ben because he is a huge fan and spent a lot of time putting the videos together. His interpretation of the songs are for the most part correct based on research, but the songs are still one's own interpretation. To me, the music quality is primary.

oh no why?

Haitian divorce is a simple declaration of splitting up. The guitar is run through a voice box, an amplified speaker channeled through a big plastic tube placed into the mouth allowing for vocal manipulation of the sound through a vocal microphone. Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton used them too. Now there is a foot pedal that artificially modulates the sound through the guitar amp. Both the voice box and reggae were fresh to American ears in the mid 70s. And yes, Steely Ben's videos are terrible.

I vote for not using those videos. They do put one persons interpretation of the lyrics front and center. The important thing with SD, as always is the music. Leave it up to the viewer or listener to apply their own ideas as to what the song means. 👍

@starwish2468

3 жыл бұрын

I agree. Just listen, enjoy, and tell us how you like it. Enough analyzing, already.

@DiconDissectionalReactions

3 жыл бұрын

@starwish246 I believe Barry is referring to my question of using Steely Ben's videos in my reactions. I could be wrong about their intentions of course, but my channel is made for what I've been doing in every video and I'm not changing that aspect of it.

@michaelbastraw1493

3 жыл бұрын

@@starwish2468 Mr. 246: "Here I come to save the day!" I agree with you completely. But let's leave the poor guy alone for a bit. He's the one making the videos after all. Best. Leo.

Haitian Divorce is one of the few Steely Dan songs with a reggae beat. I think you should stick with the official audio on first reactions. The imagery in the Steely Ben videos can be distracting on first listen.

thats bs do not let anyone tell you what you love kid watch charlie freak,,,vid

Great analysis

Don't overthink just enjoy

Very few love songs performed by steely Dan