"Do It Again" is a 1972 song composed and performed by American rock band Steely Dan, who released it as a single from their debut studio album Can't Buy a Thrill as its opening track. The single version differed from the album version, shortening the intro and outro and omitting the organ solo.
Released in October 1972, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 18, 1972, and reached number 6 on the US charts in 1973, making it Steely Dan's second highest-charting single.
Contents
Song
"Do It Again" features an electric sitar solo by Denny Dias. The "plastic organ" solo by Donald Fagen was performed on a Yamaha YC-30 with a sliding pitch-bending control. The song is written in the key of G minor and has a tempo of 125 beats per minute. It follows a chord progression of Cm-Dm-E♭-Dm7-Gm-Cm-Dm-E♭-Dm.
Fagen sang the lead vocal on the album version of "Do It Again". David Palmer sang lead vocals on a few Steely Dan songs on the band's first album, and was their frontman during live performances. He sang "Do It Again" when the group played The Midnight Special in February 1973.
Cash Box described the song as a "fine commercial effort with plenty of potential as a hit record", going on to say that it "is highlighted by some fine vocal harmony and superb arrangement." Record World called it a "gentle rocker" that "has a bit of the Latin rock sound" and "solid production by Gary Katz."
Personnel
Steely Dan
Donald Fagen – lead vocals, electric piano, plastic YC-30 organ
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar
Denny Dias – guitar, electric sitar
Walter Becker – electric bass
Jim Hodder – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
Victor Feldman – percussion
Production
Gary Katz – producer
Roger Nichols – engineer
Tim Weston – assistant engineer
Doug Sax – mastering engineer
Cover versions
In 1983, Italian group Club House released "Do It Again Medley with Billie Jean", a mashup/medley of the track with Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". The song peaked at number 11 in the UK and No. 79 in Australia.