RockLists.com

Song · Steely Dan

“Reeling in the Years” by Steely Dan

Released 1972

“Reeling in the Years” by Steely Dan appears on 71 radio countdowns from 28 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1972. Its best result is #52 on the BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,154 indie & aaa song of all time and #111 of the '70s.

71countdowns
28stations
#52best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

Reeling In The Years

Video from YouTube (Steely Dan - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Reeling in the Years" came off Can't Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan's 1972 debut, as its second single, and it's a cocky, rolling rocker with brains to spare. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen wrote it; Fagen sings lead and plays piano, Becker plays bass, Jim Hodder drums, and Gary Katz produced, with Roger Nichols engineering. The band had brought in David Palmer so Fagen wouldn't have to sing lead on stage, yet even on their first tour this one stayed Fagen's.

The fireworks belong to a guest. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter was meant to take the lead, but when he couldn't get the part the way the band wanted it, he asked Elliott Randall to try, and Randall nailed his solo in one take with no edits. Jimmy Page has called it his favorite solo of all time, and Guitar World's readers voted it the 40th best in 2016.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 269 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 204 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1996 468 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 151 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 87 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 489 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
2001 1513 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 338 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 65 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 341 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 735 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2009 661 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2011 253 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 199 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 52 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 200 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 419 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 479 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 364 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 579 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 273 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 130 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 194 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 241 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 374 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 371 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 582 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 178 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 373 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 912 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 197 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 385 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 435 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 382 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 301 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 427 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 470 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 310 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 488 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 478 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 293 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 944 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 461 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2022 111 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 266 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 395 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 214 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 571 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 329 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 67 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 572 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 234 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 241 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 285 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 367 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 249 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 251 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 217 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 257 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2024 265 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 213 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 449 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 406 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 127 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 215 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 237 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 553 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 347 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 413 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 434 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 492 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

Also listed as: Reeling In The Years; Reelin' in the Years; Reeling In the Years; Reelin in the Years; Reelin' In The Years; Reelin In The Years.

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Reeling in the Years" by Steely Dan.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.