| "Time Out of Mind" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Steely Dan | ||||
| from the album Gaucho | ||||
| B-side | "Bodhisattva" (live) | |||
| Released | March 14, 1981[1] | |||
| Genre | Jazz rock, pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:10[2] | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Gary Katz | |||
| Steely Dan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official Audio | ||||
| "Time Out of Mind" on YouTube | ||||
"Time Out of Mind" is a song by the American rock group Steely Dan that was first released on their 1980 album Gaucho. It was also released as the album's second single in 1981, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for 11 weeks. It was Steely Dan's final hit before disbanding in the summer of that year.[3][4]
The writing of "Time Out of Mind" took place amid the worsening drug addiction of Walter Becker, who co-wrote the song with his bandmate Donald Fagen. The meaning of the lyrics is not explicit, but they are generally thought to concern heroin use. The song has been described by critics as "oddly cheery" and "deceptively upbeat".[5][6]
The creation of "Time Out of Mind" was difficult, as with the rest of the album. Mark Knopfler, the Dire Straits guitarist hired to play on the track, described his experience recording the part as "painstaking". Overdubbing and obsessive mixing caused the tape containing the song to degrade, making the mixing process delicate and restrictive. Becker was only minimally involved by then, having been badly injured in a car accident and only able to communicate with the studio by phone.[7] The mix was eventually finished before the tape was ruined. Before the single's release, several radio stations were already playing the song, causing MCA Records to hurriedly release the single with a reused B-side and leading to a minor dispute between the record company and Steely Dan.
- ^ O'Rourke, Stephen V. (2007). The Steely Dan File. p. 148. ISBN 9780615172996 – via Google Books.
- ^ Gaucho (Liner notes). Steely Dan. MCA Records. 1980. p. 1.
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