Bad Sneakers

"Bad Sneakers"
Single by Steely Dan
from the album Katy Lied
B-side"Chain Lightning"
ReleasedSeptember 1975[1]
RecordedNovember 1974
StudioABC, Los Angeles, California
GenreSoft rock
Length3:16
LabelABC
SongwritersWalter Becker, Donald Fagen
ProducerGary Katz
Steely Dan singles chronology
"Black Friday"
(1975) 		"Bad Sneakers"
(1975) 		"Kid Charlemagne"
(1976)
Official audio"Bad Sneakers" on YouTube

"Bad Sneakers" is a song by jazz rock band Steely Dan. It was released as the second single from and second track on their 1975 album Katy Lied, but only reached number 103 in the charts.[2] The album's producer, Gary Katz, later regretted not suggesting that the song be released as a single.[3] The band Sneaker, best known for their Top 40 hit "More Than Just the Two of Us", took their name from "Bad Sneakers".[4]

Cash Box noted that "a razored guitar bridge highlights and counterbalances some laidback vocals with the overall sound layered and dimensional."[5] Record World said that it "pieces together bits of the L.A. r&r experience while stranded outside of Radio City Music Hall."[6] Steely Dan biographer Anthony Robustelli likened it to their later song "Aja" in that it features sections which are disparate in both feel and genre (with elements of reggae, funk, and jazz) yet fit together seamlessly.[2]

The backing vocals on "Bad Sneakers" are by Michael McDonald, who made his recording debut with Katy Lied.[7] Robustelli said that for most people, the entrance of McDonald's vocals on the second pre-chorus (at the lyric "going insane") is the most memorable part of the song.[2] McDonald had previously been a member of Steely Dan's 1974 touring band,[8] and would continue to perform backing vocals for the band in recordings until 1980.[9] The song also appears on the compilation albums A Decade of Steely Dan and Citizen Steely Dan.

Lyrics

As usual for their works, songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have been silent about the meaning of "Bad Sneakers". However, biographer Brian Sweet has assessed that the song seems to be about Becker and Fagen's longing for New York and their difficulty relating to the people and general climate of their new home of California.[10] Another Steely Dan biographer, Anthony Robustelli, says it is likely that the lyric "Five names that I can hardly stand to hear, including yours and mine" refers to the five original members of Steely Dan (which includes Becker and Fagen).[2]

Personnel

Credits per Robustelli.[2]

Steely Dan
Additional musicians

Covers

The alternative band The Push Stars covered the song for the Me, Myself & Irene (2000) soundtrack.[11] It is one of eight Steely Dan covers which appear on that soundtrack.[12]

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 782. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ a b c d e Robustelli, Anthony (2017). Steely Dan FAQ: All that's Left to Know about this Elusive Band. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. pp. 139–140. ISBN 9781495025129.
  3. ^ "Official Steely Dan | FAQ". Archived from the original on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  4. ^ Awards Show Network (August 31, 2017). "American Bandstand 1981 - Interview Sneaker". YouTube. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  5. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 23, 1975. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  6. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 23, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  7. ^ Robustelli, Anthony (2017). Steely Dan FAQ: All that's Left to Know about this Elusive Band. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. p. 144. ISBN 9781495025129.
  8. ^ Robustelli, Anthony (2017). Steely Dan FAQ: All that's Left to Know about this Elusive Band. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. p. 88. ISBN 9781495025129.
  9. ^ Michael McDonald Archived 2009-05-04 at the Wayback Machine at Everything2
  10. ^ Sweet, Brian (2000). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780711982796.
  11. ^ "Bad Sneakers". YouTube.
  12. ^ Robustelli, Anthony (2017). Steely Dan FAQ: All that's Left to Know about this Elusive Band. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. p. 359. ISBN 9781495025129.


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