Steely Dan is an American rock band whose popularity peaked in the 1970s, with the release of seven albums that blended elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B and pop. The famous magazine Rolling Stone has called them the perfect antiheroes for the seventies. Perhaps the feature that distinguishes Steely Dan from other American bands is the complex jazz-influenced structures and harmonies played by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, along with a revolving cast of rock and pop studio musicians.

Steely Dan’s enigmatic, sardonically humorous and topical lyrics add to the appeal of the songs. Steely Dan has rapidly developed a distinctive style and has since become one of the most accomplished and respected bands of their age. The overall sound of Steely Dan is quite special. An extra attention was given to the individual sound of each instrument, in order to create something different and unique. The recordings were done with the utmost fidelity to the sonic detail, and mixed in such a way that the listener can hear every distinctive instrument. Concerning the themes approached, the lyrics of Steely Dan cover a wide range of topics. In their basic approach to music, they refer to themes such as sex, drugs and rock’n'roll, but in a very subtle manner, neither encouraging nor discouraging.

In terms of backing vocals, Steely Dan favors a soul-influenced style, that was most of the times performed by a female chorus. Another distinctive characteristic of Steely Dan is the musical arrangement regarding the horns. Horn arrangements have been used in all the songs Steely Dan has recorded and typically feature brass and wood instruments, such as trumpets, trombones, saxophones, as well as flutes and clarinets. Alongside the wonderful use of backing vocals and horn, Steely Dan also uses chord sequences and harmonies that explore the area of the musical boundary between traditional pop sounds and jazz.