Deacon Blues is a jazz rock song by Steely Dan, written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen in 1976 for the album Aja (1977). The track closes the album at 7:36, and a 7-inch single version runs 6:33 with the B-side Home at Last released on March 24, 1978. The recording features a tight rhythm section led by Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour, Tom Scott's horn arrangements, and a tenor sax solo by Pete Christlieb; Victor Feldman on electric piano and Bernard Purdie on drums also contribute. It reached No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 40 on the US Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 14 in Canada, while Aja itself peaked at No. 3 on the US album chart. Lyrically it tells the story of a disaffected suburban man who dreams of becoming a jazz musician, opening with the expanding man concept and a name like Deacon Blues inspired by Deacon Jones; Becker and Fagen describe it as a broken dream of a broken life. The song is noted for its dreamlike horn textures and the famous sax solo, and in 2021 Rolling Stone ranked it No. 214 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
