I love how Fagen and Becker are able to use a musical oxymoron of “The Boston Rag” as a jumpy ragtime dance tune, but the instrumentation during the versed & chorus being an off-color haze that almost makes the listener sick at his/her stomach. When I first analyzed the song, I knew I was off. User “caucasian” has a great analysis. Although I’d still like to say what I heard before researching the lyrics to see if anyone thought the same.
I felt as though Lonnie was a little toddler that died of an illness back in 1965, but died after choking on items in the “playroom.” The really odd and haunting atmospheric key/mode seemed as if the narrator had sung a chant (chorus) that summoned the ghost of the child back (Lonnie came alive) in the present day since he was recalling the year back when Lonnie had “came alive.”
I love how Fagen and Becker are able to use a musical oxymoron of “The Boston Rag” as a jumpy ragtime dance tune, but the instrumentation during the versed & chorus being an off-color haze that almost makes the listener sick at his/her stomach. When I first analyzed the song, I knew I was off. User “caucasian” has a great analysis. Although I’d still like to say what I heard before researching the lyrics to see if anyone thought the same.
I felt as though Lonnie was a little toddler that died of an illness back in 1965, but died after choking on items in the “playroom.” The really odd and haunting atmospheric key/mode seemed as if the narrator had sung a chant (chorus) that summoned the ghost of the child back (Lonnie came alive) in the present day since he was recalling the year back when Lonnie had “came alive.”