“Barrytown”—fourth song, side one of Pretzel Logic (1974)

If you want to read something funny, look up this song on the internet and find Steely Dan fans arguing about whether it refers to the “Moonies” or not, as that once notorious “cult” was partially based in upstate New York town, Barrytown—which is near Bard College, where Becker and Fagen went to school. Moonies are what people eventually called the followers of the Unification Church, and we heard a lot about them in the Seventies—though they’d been around for decades. I would never have put that together with this song if I hadn’t read speculation claiming that’s what (or is not what) the song was about—but once you get it in your mind, it’s hard to hear it without thinking that’s what it’s referring to. On the other hand, it also kind of sounds like the singer is a “square” who is referring to hippies. Either way, there are some lines I can make no real sense of, but it’s okay—this is such a likable pop song it would be forgivable if the lyrics were inane or completely nonsense. I always loved this song—it’s got a great piano part, and it just moves along without needing to take a breath. It should have been the number one hit of 1974. It’s kind of crazy that “Rikki” was the hit off this record (great song, but I’d have never predicted it would be a radio hit).

Actually, it does take a breath—which is the two-line bridge, which is the spot in the song that sounds like a TV show theme song. And there should have been a TV show about Barrytown—why not? I love the structure of this song—two lines that rhyme, then three lines that rhyme, then two, and then the one line chorus with an internal rhyme—it’s really compelling. This will always be a song that, when it comes on, I stop and listen—and I’d gone for years never thinking about it any deeper than it was about a place (which I knew was north of NYC). I don’t mind the speculation about it being about the Moonies, actually—I like the images of “flower children” and lost, searching people in those decades, trying to find meaning and find themselves. It’s not always about cults that are sordid and depraved—pretty much every group there is, of all time, is somewhat of a cult. And all religions are about recruiting—some just use sexual desire a little more aggressively than others. Which reminds me of a story about when I was visiting Salt Lake City… but I’m not going to get into that right now. I’m trying to keep these brief articles brief. Ask me over coffee. Anyway… great song.

—Randy Russell 11.24.20