Peg (song)
1977 single by Steely Dan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1977 single by Steely Dan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Peg" is a song by the American rock group Steely Dan, first released on the band's 1977 album Aja. The track was released as a single in 1977 and reached number 11 on the US Billboard chart in 1978 and number eight on the Cash Box chart.[4] With a chart run of 19 weeks, "Peg" is tied with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Hey Nineteen" for being Steely Dan's longest-running chart hit. In Canada, "Peg" spent three weeks at number seven in March 1978.[5]
| "Peg" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by Steely Dan | ||||
| from the album Aja | ||||
| B-side | "I Got the News" | |||
| Released | November 1977[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | ABC | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Gary Katz | |||
| Steely Dan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official Audio | ||||
| "Peg" on YouTube | ||||
"Peg" has been described by AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as a "sunny pop" song with "layers of jazzy vocal harmonies",[6] while music scholar Stephen K. Valdez said it features a fusion of jazz and rock elements.[7] In the opinion of jazz musician and academic Andy LaVerne, the song "has the blues at its core, though it might not be apparent at first listen".[8]
The song's guitar solo was attempted by seven top studio session guitarists—including Robben Ford and recurring guitarist Larry Carlton—before Jay Graydon's version became the "keeper".[9] He worked on the song for about six hours before the band was satisfied.[10]
Graydon spoke about his famous guitar solo in a 2014 interview:
Fortunately, I had no problems on sessions as to nailing a part, but know this—every first call studio guitarist that has played solos has been replaced by another guitarist at least once. It's just part of being a studio musician.[11]
Michael McDonald provides multi-tracked backup vocals in the choruses, and keyboardist Paul Griffin can be heard talking and improvising background vocals in the final chorus and fadeout.[12]
Although there was speculation that the name was a reference to Broadway star and one-time Hollywood actress Peg Entwistle, in 2000 the band said the song was written about a real person but not Entwistle.[13] In 2020, Donald Fagen said "There's no hidden meaning. We just wanted a dotted half note for that spot, and 'Peg' was short enough to fit with the music."[14] Fagen added that the song "takes place at a seedy photo shoot in L.A...from the perspective of [a] jilted boyfriend."[15]
Pitchfork rated "Peg" as its 87th best song of the 1970s, describing it as the "perfect Steely Dan song, and one of the strangest hits to ever grace the mainstream."[9] Drummer Rick Marotta called "Peg" one of the greatest tracks he has ever played on.[16] In 2017, Dan Weiss of Billboard ranked the song third on his list of the top 15 Steely Dan songs,[17] and in 2020, Phil Freeman of Stereogum ranked the song second on his list of the top 10 Steely Dan songs.[18]
Billboard praised the "sarcastic" lyrics, the "stinging instrumental break" and the "chilling" piano playing.[19] Cash Box wrote, "this snappy number has the beat and the harmonic hooks to capture that extra top 40 momentum."[20] Record World called it "a pop-rock love song, crafted with [Steely Dan's] usual perfectionism and flair."[21]
The song was the theme music for a celebrity paparazzi segment by the syndicated news magazine Entertainment Tonight from 1981 to 1985.[citation needed]
"Peg" was heavily sampled on the 1989 De La Soul song "Eye Know".[22] It was covered by Nerina Pallot in 2007 and in 2014 by Donny Osmond.[citation needed]
Source: Adapted from Aja liner notes.[26]
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