Okay, this one's not really that hard, but it seems like some of the previous posters are over analyzing, reading into, and also quoting incorrect lyrics. Therefore, I will over-analyze it as well, but I'll be spelling out why I believe my interpretation to be pretty close based on the actual lyrics, song history, etc.
First, we know that the speaker / singer in the song knows Peg or knows of Peg. I believe the folks who said that they may have had a previous relationship are spot on. He very well could be a stalker type fan, but if it's her "big debut", then how could she be famous enough to have a stalker? Nah, she left him to pursue her dream and he's a bit pissy about it.
She wrote him a letter, he got her "pin shot" of her in a "blueprint blue" dress and he know's he'll love her better than the public. This adds to the stalker element, but I don't think that's right for the reason I've already stated.
I think that the film, very well may be, a porno, but there's really no way of knowing for sure as the nature of the film is a bit obscured. Judging by the time period in which this song was written, (1976/1977 timeframe), it very well could be a porno because at that time it was common to have pornos in more mainstream theaters because of crossover movies like "Debbie Does Dallas" which were mainstream successes and were shown in all sorts of theaters. So, it could be a porn and probably is considering the chorus of the song and the very funky bass groove which was commented on quite a bit and is one element common to most pornos of the time. Porno bass funk to accompany the sex scenes.
"Peg, it will come back to you." This could mean a couple of things. It could mean that her actions on screen, if it is a porno, will come back to haunt her, but it could also mean that she is remembering something. Something she has forgotten will come back to her mind. I think that this line is intentionally ambiguous and I think that either of these interpretations are likely depending on what the listener has assumed about the movie.
But, if we look at "It" as being a memory that will come back, why has it gone and what is the memory that will come back? I'm thinking it's the memory of the love she shared with him, the singer or a memory of what the real world is like. At least, that's the only potential thing in the past that is referenced in the song that may "come back" to her. The memory of the man she left. Either interpretation works and they could be working simultaneously as a double entendre of sorts.
Okay, the most puzzling part of the song has to be:
"Then the shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D. It's your favorite foreign movie."
This line really hasn't been analyzed as such on this page and it's a very important part of the song. It is, in fact, the summation of the song, the ending of such. "Then the shutter falls" is obviously referring to a camera shutter, most likely a movie camera (although the pin shot camera was also referenced and could also "fall").
Here's where everything comes together. "IT" will come back to Peg, then the shutter falls (meaning the film ends, maybe the movie career ends, the picture is taken, the movie industry (whether porn or legitimate) is done with her or at least done with the movie.
The camera is off "IT" came back to her. The "IT" is kind of the thing here. I think that it is the price of her fame, is to lose touch with the real wold. When this memory comes back to her, the shutter falls, and she sees the "dream come true" for what it is, a 3-D foreign movie. She has been lost in a 3-D dream world that isn't real. The reality is what comes back (or so hopes the singer of the song, I suppose).
That's my take on it at least. I've not seen a better analysis of the "favorite foreign movie" line. I had a dream about this song actually, probably b/c I listen to Steely Dan too much, and the dream seemed to follow along with the above analysis. Peg had forgotten the real world, she was living a dream, but when she finally remembered, it came back to her, and when the movie shoot was done she saw it all for what it really was. A 3-D foreign movie, but one that was (no doubt) her favorite.
I've always been trouble by the last verse, "...the shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D, it's your favorite foreign movie." This interpretation seems to pull it all together. Thanks!
I've always been trouble by the last verse, "...the shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D, it's your favorite foreign movie." This interpretation seems to pull it all together. Thanks!
@jankout Don't buy your interpretation of the bass line in the chorus inferring a porn movie. The slap bass technique employed by Chuck Rainey was a hot topic at the time it was recorded. In the Aja documentary, Rainey even says he had to sneak the slap element in as the band didn't want him to use it.
@jankout Don't buy your interpretation of the bass line in the chorus inferring a porn movie. The slap bass technique employed by Chuck Rainey was a hot topic at the time it was recorded. In the Aja documentary, Rainey even says he had to sneak the slap element in as the band didn't want him to use it.
@jankout, I agree with you with everything except the bass referring to it being a porno, although I believe it could be a porno peg is in. I don’t follow the bowling thing at all. The 3-d foreign movie had me stumped too, the only thing that makes sense is that her real life is the 3-d foreign movie. Bravo! I couldn’t figure that out. I don’t believe the peg entwhistle thing either, because there is only one picture of her that has been colored with a green pencil or crayon, so there is no blue print blue dress. And...
@jankout, I agree with you with everything except the bass referring to it being a porno, although I believe it could be a porno peg is in. I don’t follow the bowling thing at all. The 3-d foreign movie had me stumped too, the only thing that makes sense is that her real life is the 3-d foreign movie. Bravo! I couldn’t figure that out. I don’t believe the peg entwhistle thing either, because there is only one picture of her that has been colored with a green pencil or crayon, so there is no blue print blue dress. And they didn’t have 3-d movies in the early 30’s when Entwhistle was an actress. The whole bowling analogy sounds like a bad acid trip/nightmarish dream. Now we have to find an old 70’s porn where the actress’s real name is peg and she’s in a blue outfit of some kind. Although peg could be a made up name for someone in real life., so look for someone in “blueprint blue” in a movie poster for a mainstream like Debbie does Dallas. “Deb” “peg”?
@jankout , I actually ASKED Donald Fagen what this song was about and who Peg is/was on iMessenger. Doubt I get an answer, but it was worth a shot. You never know.
@jankout , I actually ASKED Donald Fagen what this song was about and who Peg is/was on iMessenger. Doubt I get an answer, but it was worth a shot. You never know.
@jankout This is a band, that literally named itself after a steam powered mechanical Dildo from William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch", so I think the thinly veiled references to porn/or at least movies with sexual content, are not far fetched at all. The chorus really makes more sense when you consider, especially in the late 70's when Aja was released, that "foreign movies" were in many cases known for their sexuality. Combine that with the fact that "sex movies" were also referred to as "blue movies", it all sort of lines up. "The shutter falls" meaning the...
@jankout This is a band, that literally named itself after a steam powered mechanical Dildo from William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch", so I think the thinly veiled references to porn/or at least movies with sexual content, are not far fetched at all. The chorus really makes more sense when you consider, especially in the late 70's when Aja was released, that "foreign movies" were in many cases known for their sexuality. Combine that with the fact that "sex movies" were also referred to as "blue movies", it all sort of lines up. "The shutter falls" meaning the shutter in the camera that is recording the movie she's in. For her, it's not a movie, it's reality. It's also possible to interpret this from his point of view: he sees it in his mind in 3-D, as he fantasizes about her -- thus it's his favorite "foreign movie".
Okay, this one's not really that hard, but it seems like some of the previous posters are over analyzing, reading into, and also quoting incorrect lyrics. Therefore, I will over-analyze it as well, but I'll be spelling out why I believe my interpretation to be pretty close based on the actual lyrics, song history, etc.
First, we know that the speaker / singer in the song knows Peg or knows of Peg. I believe the folks who said that they may have had a previous relationship are spot on. He very well could be a stalker type fan, but if it's her "big debut", then how could she be famous enough to have a stalker? Nah, she left him to pursue her dream and he's a bit pissy about it.
She wrote him a letter, he got her "pin shot" of her in a "blueprint blue" dress and he know's he'll love her better than the public. This adds to the stalker element, but I don't think that's right for the reason I've already stated.
I think that the film, very well may be, a porno, but there's really no way of knowing for sure as the nature of the film is a bit obscured. Judging by the time period in which this song was written, (1976/1977 timeframe), it very well could be a porno because at that time it was common to have pornos in more mainstream theaters because of crossover movies like "Debbie Does Dallas" which were mainstream successes and were shown in all sorts of theaters. So, it could be a porn and probably is considering the chorus of the song and the very funky bass groove which was commented on quite a bit and is one element common to most pornos of the time. Porno bass funk to accompany the sex scenes.
"Peg, it will come back to you." This could mean a couple of things. It could mean that her actions on screen, if it is a porno, will come back to haunt her, but it could also mean that she is remembering something. Something she has forgotten will come back to her mind. I think that this line is intentionally ambiguous and I think that either of these interpretations are likely depending on what the listener has assumed about the movie.
But, if we look at "It" as being a memory that will come back, why has it gone and what is the memory that will come back? I'm thinking it's the memory of the love she shared with him, the singer or a memory of what the real world is like. At least, that's the only potential thing in the past that is referenced in the song that may "come back" to her. The memory of the man she left. Either interpretation works and they could be working simultaneously as a double entendre of sorts.
"Then the shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D. It's your favorite foreign movie."
This line really hasn't been analyzed as such on this page and it's a very important part of the song. It is, in fact, the summation of the song, the ending of such. "Then the shutter falls" is obviously referring to a camera shutter, most likely a movie camera (although the pin shot camera was also referenced and could also "fall").
Here's where everything comes together. "IT" will come back to Peg, then the shutter falls (meaning the film ends, maybe the movie career ends, the picture is taken, the movie industry (whether porn or legitimate) is done with her or at least done with the movie.
The camera is off "IT" came back to her. The "IT" is kind of the thing here. I think that it is the price of her fame, is to lose touch with the real wold. When this memory comes back to her, the shutter falls, and she sees the "dream come true" for what it is, a 3-D foreign movie. She has been lost in a 3-D dream world that isn't real. The reality is what comes back (or so hopes the singer of the song, I suppose).
That's my take on it at least. I've not seen a better analysis of the "favorite foreign movie" line. I had a dream about this song actually, probably b/c I listen to Steely Dan too much, and the dream seemed to follow along with the above analysis. Peg had forgotten the real world, she was living a dream, but when she finally remembered, it came back to her, and when the movie shoot was done she saw it all for what it really was. A 3-D foreign movie, but one that was (no doubt) her favorite.
What do you think?
jankout, your analysis of Peg extremely well thought-out. Excellent. I have to agree 100& with your perception.
jankout, your analysis of Peg extremely well thought-out. Excellent. I have to agree 100& with your perception.
I've always been trouble by the last verse, "...the shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D, it's your favorite foreign movie." This interpretation seems to pull it all together. Thanks!
I've always been trouble by the last verse, "...the shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D, it's your favorite foreign movie." This interpretation seems to pull it all together. Thanks!
@jankout Don't buy your interpretation of the bass line in the chorus inferring a porn movie. The slap bass technique employed by Chuck Rainey was a hot topic at the time it was recorded. In the Aja documentary, Rainey even says he had to sneak the slap element in as the band didn't want him to use it.
@jankout Don't buy your interpretation of the bass line in the chorus inferring a porn movie. The slap bass technique employed by Chuck Rainey was a hot topic at the time it was recorded. In the Aja documentary, Rainey even says he had to sneak the slap element in as the band didn't want him to use it.
@jankout, I agree with you with everything except the bass referring to it being a porno, although I believe it could be a porno peg is in. I don’t follow the bowling thing at all. The 3-d foreign movie had me stumped too, the only thing that makes sense is that her real life is the 3-d foreign movie. Bravo! I couldn’t figure that out. I don’t believe the peg entwhistle thing either, because there is only one picture of her that has been colored with a green pencil or crayon, so there is no blue print blue dress. And...
@jankout, I agree with you with everything except the bass referring to it being a porno, although I believe it could be a porno peg is in. I don’t follow the bowling thing at all. The 3-d foreign movie had me stumped too, the only thing that makes sense is that her real life is the 3-d foreign movie. Bravo! I couldn’t figure that out. I don’t believe the peg entwhistle thing either, because there is only one picture of her that has been colored with a green pencil or crayon, so there is no blue print blue dress. And they didn’t have 3-d movies in the early 30’s when Entwhistle was an actress. The whole bowling analogy sounds like a bad acid trip/nightmarish dream. Now we have to find an old 70’s porn where the actress’s real name is peg and she’s in a blue outfit of some kind. Although peg could be a made up name for someone in real life., so look for someone in “blueprint blue” in a movie poster for a mainstream like Debbie does Dallas. “Deb” “peg”?
@jankout , I actually ASKED Donald Fagen what this song was about and who Peg is/was on iMessenger. Doubt I get an answer, but it was worth a shot. You never know.
@jankout , I actually ASKED Donald Fagen what this song was about and who Peg is/was on iMessenger. Doubt I get an answer, but it was worth a shot. You never know.
@jankout This is a band, that literally named itself after a steam powered mechanical Dildo from William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch", so I think the thinly veiled references to porn/or at least movies with sexual content, are not far fetched at all. The chorus really makes more sense when you consider, especially in the late 70's when Aja was released, that "foreign movies" were in many cases known for their sexuality. Combine that with the fact that "sex movies" were also referred to as "blue movies", it all sort of lines up. "The shutter falls" meaning the...
@jankout This is a band, that literally named itself after a steam powered mechanical Dildo from William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch", so I think the thinly veiled references to porn/or at least movies with sexual content, are not far fetched at all. The chorus really makes more sense when you consider, especially in the late 70's when Aja was released, that "foreign movies" were in many cases known for their sexuality. Combine that with the fact that "sex movies" were also referred to as "blue movies", it all sort of lines up. "The shutter falls" meaning the shutter in the camera that is recording the movie she's in. For her, it's not a movie, it's reality. It's also possible to interpret this from his point of view: he sees it in his mind in 3-D, as he fantasizes about her -- thus it's his favorite "foreign movie".