Steely Dan

I've loved Steely Dan since I was 17. Why would a 17 year old listen to Steely Dan? Well, and then I might not have been so ready to admit it, but their songs are compelling and extremely well constructed. The Dan have a reputation for being more "easy listening" or even these days "smooth jazz" or whatever. But their lyrics are quite dark and subversive- songs about pedophiles, drug dealers, vigilantes, apocalypse, inbreeding, etc. I don't know how many times I'm in Publix and I hear a Dan song on the loudspeakers. And it's usually their most popular songs, one in particular, which is about someone trying to get a family member to sleep with them. They have a song about ex-Nazis going back to sites of Hitler speeches and reminiscing. They beat Eminem for Album of the Year in 2000. Their lyrics are probably even more subversive than his - especially considering it's subtle and couched within jazz/pop songs. I give Steely Dan's music as a whole 95%.