Soul Jazz
The song was written by Steely Dan founders and core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. It was released on their 1974 album Pretzel Logic and as a single backed with “Any Major Dude Will tell You.” The song went to #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #14 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, #3 in Canada, and #30 in Australia. It was Steely Dan’s highest charting single.
The Rikki referred to in the song, the story goes, is writer and artist Rikki Ducornet. She met Donald Fagen while she was attending Bard College. Although she was married and pregnant at the time, evidently Fagen gave her his number. Ducornet says she was intrigued but nothing went any farther.We don’t know if she lost that number, but she disregarded it.
The keyboard riff was taken (more or less) from jazz composer and pianist Horace Silver’s 1964 “Song for My Father.” Another bit of musical trivia regarding the song is that the album version is notable for its use of a flapamba, which is a somewhat rare variation on a marimba, in the intro. Jazz musician Victor Feldman played it. The intro was cut from the single version.
On the track were Donald Fagen (lead and backing vocals), Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (electric guitar), Dean Parks (acoustic guitar), Michael Omartian (piano), Walter Becker (bass), Jim Gordon (drums), Victor Feldman (percussion, marimba), and Tim Schmit (backing vocals). Shortly afterwards, Baxter joined The Doobie Brothers.