Posted on 08/26/2022 2:16:29 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Donald Fagen - I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World - 1982
This nugget from Donald Fagen's "Nightfly" album of 1982.
Could have been a Steely Dan album. Should have been a Steely Dan album. But was not to be. Instead, it was Donald Fagen out on his own. And this jazz-influenced tune poured optimistic "feel-good" Friday afternoon vibes out of the speakers during the somewhat miserable autumn of 1982, just before Reaganomics kicked the economy into high gear.
Fern bars were still somewhat a thing at that time and you can picture men in leisure suits sipping on a Heineken (this was before microbrews) or perhaps a glass of Asti Spumante while this song played. Women with Mindy haircuts (from "Mork & Mindy) would nervously sit at the other end of the bar with wine coolers waiting for these men to make a move.
If you invested $1,000 in the Standard & Poor 500 in October of 1982 and just left it alone while re-investing your dividends, you would be a millionaire today.
The song refers to the International Geophysical Year which occurred between about July 1957 to December 1958. This was basically when a bunch of scientists came together to project their visions of the future world to come.
Everybody was so optimistic about the future back then (i.e. "Ninety Minutes from New York to Paris"). The song also mentioned solar-powered cities, transatlantic tunnels and spandex jackets - only the latter of which came to be true.
Spandex jacket? Yep, we got those.
There was no official video to go with this song when it came out as MTV was fairly new and the Steely Dan guys just weren't too much into that video thing. Instead, they spent nearly their entire waking time hunched over soundboards and ensuring that their carefully crafted songs were absolutely perfect. In fact, I don't think Donald Fagen saw even a ray of sunlight from about 1972 to 1983.
But this isn't Steely Dan but Donald Fagen out on his own. Walter Becker might have been out getting a suntan during this time. Who knows.
If they come to your location, DO NOT MISS THEM!!! Donald Fagen has kept up the quality control, and it can be an AMAZING show!!!
Every time The Lovely Mrs. End Times Sentinel and I have a disagreement, I run that song through my head.
May have saved my 30 year marriage on more than one account.
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