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The Steely Dan Dictionary: J

Listing 4 entries:

Lay down your Jackson and you will see / The sweetness you've been cryin' for
Song: Here At The Western World   Album: Steely Dan Greatest Hits

Slang term for an American 20-dollar bill, so called because of the portrait of Andrew Jackson on the front.

Jackson was the 7th President of the United States (1829-1837), and the first to be the target of an (unsuccessful) assassination attempt.

Link: The $20 bill

I'm thinking of a major Jane Street sunrise / And the goddess on the fire escape was you
Song: What A Shame About Me   Album: Two Against Nature

A street in New York City, located in the West Village area of Manhattan, close to New York University.

The street isn't particularly noteworthy for anything, apart from being a popular location for student accommodation due to its its proximity to NYU. In fact, anyone standing on a fire escape in Jane Street and looking towards the sunrise would be facing the NYU campus.

Link: Jane Street Block Association

The new cashier looks like Jill St. John / Can that be right?
Song: Green Book   Album: Everything Must Go

American actress, born Jill Oppenheim in Los Angeles in 1940.

Her best-known role was probably feisty jewel smuggler Tiffany Case in the 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever. Currently married to Hart To Hart star Robert Wagner and has retired from acting to focus on a new career as a TV chef.

Link: Jill St. John vintage swimsuit photos

Crashing the backboard / He's Jungle Jim again
Song: Glamour Profession   Album: Gaucho

Nickname of Jim Loscutoff (1930-2015), a former basketball player for the Boston Celtics.

Born in San Francisco, Jim's NBA career lasted from 1955-1964 as a forward on the legendary Bill Russell-led Celtics team, which won 8 consecutive NBA Championships.

Jungle Jim was never a high scorer but had a reputation for scooping up any rebounds Bill Russell didn't retrieve, hence "crashing the backboard".

Link: Vintage trading cards: Jim Loscutoff