Walter Becker (b. February 20, 1950) formed a musical partnership with Dona… Read Full Bio ↴Walter Becker (b. February 20, 1950) formed a musical partnership with Donald Fagen (b. January 10, 1948) when both were students at Bard College in the 1960s. They were members of a late edition of Jay & the Americans in 1969 and were sponsored by Kenny Vance of that group, writing and recording the soundtrack to a low-budget film called You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It (Or You'll Lose That Beat) in 1970. Moving to ABC Records as staff writers in 1971, they formed the group Steely Dan, one of the most popular groups of the 1970s. In 1981, Fagen went solo and Becker went into production, both part-time. They reunited when Becker produced Fagen's second album, Kamakiriad, in 1993, and toured as Steely Dan in the summers of 1993 and 1994. Becker released his debut solo album, Eleven Tracks of Whack, in 1994.

Ida Lee
Becker & Fagen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

They're throwin' a party
For big Ida Lee
The man from the skyway
The Chinaman and me
There's so much affection
It's making me crazy
I've run out of reasons
For keeping it neat

Everybody's laughin'
Everybody's makin' love
Ida Lee
It's you I'm thinkin' of
Threw out the favours
The hooters and the hats
Put out the candle
And blew out the cat
My temperature's rising
We're all on the chaise lounge now
Big Ida Lee
She's nowhere to be found

They open the air shaft
As Ida walks in
She comes up to me and whispers
Honey, where have you been?
I'm stripping my gears

I'm blowing my fuse
'Cause Ida Lee's giving me somewhat more than I can use

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Becker & Fagen's song "Ida Lee" tell the story of a party being thrown for a woman named Ida Lee. The singer seems to be caught up in the excitement of the party and the affection being shown towards Ida Lee. As the party progresses, things become more wild and crazy, with everyone laughing and making love. The singer admits to having run out of reasons for keeping things "neat."

At one point in the song, Ida Lee herself enters the scene, and the singer becomes even more overwhelmed by his emotions. He describes feeling like he's "stripping [his] gears" and "blowing [his] fuse," unable to handle the intensity of his feelings for Ida Lee.

Overall, the song seems to be about the intense emotions that can come from a wild and crazy party, as well as the overwhelming power of attraction and desire.

Line by Line Meaning

They're throwin' a party
A party is being thrown by someone

For big Ida Lee
The party is in honor of a person named Ida Lee

The man from the skyway
There is a man from the skyway in attendance

The Chinaman and me
The artist is present along with a person from China

There's so much affection
There is a significant amount of love and affection being expressed

It's making me crazy
The singer is becoming overwhelmed by the amount of emotion

I've run out of reasons
The singer cannot justify or explain their feelings any longer

For keeping it neat
They were previously trying to keep their emotions under control

Everybody's laughin'
Everyone is laughing and having a good time

Everybody's makin' love
People are engaging in sexual activity

Ida Lee
Referring to Ida Lee again

It's you I'm thinkin' of
The artist is specifically thinking about Ida Lee

Threw out the favours
The party hosts have gotten rid of unnecessary party favors

The hooters and the hats
The specific items thrown out were hooters and hats

Put out the candle
They turned off a candle that was likely lit as part of the party decor

And blew out the cat
It is unclear what this line means; it could be literal (a cat was extinguished) or figurative (a cat was disrupted in some way)

My temperature's rising
The artist is becoming sexually aroused

We're all on the chaise lounge now
Everyone is now on the same piece of furniture

Big Ida Lee
Referring to Ida Lee again

She's nowhere to be found
Ida Lee is currently missing from the party

They open the air shaft
Someone has opened a ventilation opening

As Ida walks in
Ida Lee has arrived, perhaps through the ventilation opening

She comes up to me and whispers
Ida Lee approaches the singer and speaks softly

Honey, where have you been?
Ida Lee is asking the artist where they have been

I'm stripping my gears
The singer is experiencing emotional and/or sexual overwhelm

I'm blowing my fuse
The singer is reaching a point of emotional or sexual release

'Cause Ida Lee's giving me somewhat more than I can use
Ida Lee is providing the singer with an excessive amount of stimulation, either emotional or sexual

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DONALD JAY FAGEN, WALTER CARL BECKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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