Steely Dan ~ Rikki Don't Lose That Number 1974 Jazz Funk Purrfection Version

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number was released on May 11, 1974 just in time to fulfill its promise as the song of that summer to me. The jazzy rhythms caught my ear but that original intro played by Victor Feldman on his "flapamba" an exotic take on a marimba or xylophone sets a somber mood. I remember hearing it in the morning on the radio that spring with the Feldman solo intact and it just felt so shimmery and bright like the spring into summer sunshine day in the Texas panhandle desert, clean and clear. The song was the opening track of their "Pretzel Logic" LP and immediately caught on the catchy, almost tango-like song became their biggest pop hit to date peaking at #4, and knocking the #6 "Do It Again" from that honor. This song was always about a woman from what I understood and the way the song was structured it was like he was facing a situation where he knew the woman is choosing another, but lets her know he would always be there for her. A snapshot of a relationship in a song, and there are some that say the song is drug related to which Walter Becker shrugs off the accusation. I concur with Becker. Their pop career after "Rikki" faltered a bit with the #37 showing of "Black Friday" the follow up to "Rikki", then the #11 "Peg", #19 Deacon Blues, #22 FM (No Static At All), the #26 "Josie" and a rebound into the Top 10 "Hey Nineteen" at #10. Their last single to make the Top 40 was the #22 peak of "Time Out Of Mind" in 1981.