Brian Troutman Land

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

Donald Fagen is perhaps best known as one of the two principals behind the ’70s jazz-rock fusion (I hate that term) group, Steely Dan. As listeners follow Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, and a rotating group of highly skilled hired hands through the group’s discography, they will note that each successive album becomes more polished, more calculated, and that rock and roll stylings take a back seat to blues-inspired riffs and jazz-based chords that are ingeniously interwoven with enigmatic lyrics to create unique and captivating musical experiences.

The 1980 release Gaucho marked Steely Dan’s last studio album (for the next two decades, at least), and someone searching a database only for “Steely Dan” would miss one of the greatest entries in Fagen’s entire career. A solo effort, The Nightfly, was released in 1982, and the entire album deserves a “Greatest” mention, but the standout is Fagen’s most successful solo single, “I.G.Y.”

The International Geophysical Year was an actual event in world history. Taking place from July 1957 to December 1958, the I.G.Y. centered on a global series of events highlighting physical sciences and their applications, including seismology, meteorology, and rocketry.

Like a middle-aged man revisiting the “Futurama” he saw at a world’s fair in his youth, Fagen’s “I.G.Y.” captures the essence of this postwar world in an almost regretful retrospective. The seemingly hopeful yet internally disenchanted aura that marks the song represents a society’s aspirations of greatness while also reflecting a deeper understanding of the imperfection inherent in reality.

This paradoxical relationship between promising dreams and discouraging truths is brought out in the lyrics of the song. The refrain: “what a beautiful world this will be; what a glorious time to be free” fills the listener with an uneasy desire to believe the narrator’s naïve optimism. The lyric: “well by ’76, we’ll be A-O-K,” when looking at the ’50s with the eyes of ’82, reveals a somber sense of the long road ahead.

Though the words are interesting and thought-provoking, the shining strength of “I.G.Y.” is its captivating world of musical textures. From the song’s mystical, engaging, and almost cosmic intro to the wistful and gently piercing synth-harmonica that reappears throughout, “I.G.Y.” invites the listener into its realm and immerses him in a rich sonic landscape. The experience is greatly enhanced when the song is played in a high-quality stereo surround setup; brilliantly defined instrumental and vocal tracks separated among speakers give an added dimension to Fagen’s ingenious arrangements.

Years after hearing this song for the first time, I found myself watching the movie October Sky, which was based on the childhood of rocket pioneer Homer Hickam. When Homer’s achievements were recognized in a school assembly, a large banner was seen hanging in the packed auditorium proclaiming “International Geophysical Year.” I couldn’t keep myself from believing that all of the young people present must have had a touch of that same optimism, though their hopes were yet unclouded by any worries of their future.