# In 1978, Steely Dan released a song that didn’t fit ‘Aja’. It became one of their biggest hits

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1978-steely-dan-released-a-song-that-didnt-fit-aja-it-became-one-of-their-biggest-hits/
- Published: 2026-10-29T22:19:39+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T00:03:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-1978-steely-dan-released-a-song-that-didnt-fit-aja-it-became-one-of-their-biggest-hits/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Steely Dan wrote ‘FM’ as a film theme in under a week.
- The song was recorded around the time of ‘Aja’.
- Becker and Fagen kept it off the album.

## Summary

Steely Dan wrote ‘FM’ in 1978 as the title song for a film, while they were working around the time of their album ‘Aja’. Though recorded by the band and several notable musicians, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen did not consider it a fit for the album, seeing it as a quickly completed commission rather than part of the record’s ambitious design.

Fagen and Becker wrote the song in less than a week, with Fagen on piano and keyboards and Becker playing bass and guitar. Jeff Porcaro played drums, Pete Christlieb contributed saxophone, and Eagles members Glenn Frey and Don Henley joined Timothy B. Schmit on backing vocals. The film’s producer, MCA Records, was separate from Steely Dan’s label at the time, ABC Records, adding a further reason to keep the track apart from ‘Aja’.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.