Lunch With Gina - Steely Dan
----------------------------
from the album "Everything Must Go"
transcribed by Howard Wright
hakwright (at) gmail (dot) com
This is a classic funky Steely Dan song, featuring some great understated
guitar work. The harmony is defined mostly by the fairly sparse keyboard
parts, but the guitar lines and horns also have an influence.
The interaction of the guitars, sparse keyboard parts and the lively bass
creates a lot of interesting detail in the music, yet the arrangement is
still light and has a lot of space.
There's an interesting mix of the "neutral" 7sus4 sound with both minor
and major tonalities throughout the song. In the verse, the keyboards
use a 7sus4 chord (using stacked 4ths), but the guitar and bass hint at
a G minor sound, while the Fender Rhodes part throws in occasional G
major triads! In the chorus there's a similar mix of 7sus4 and minor
chords.
There are some places where I've written the chords in brackets - this
is where a chord is suggested, but the harmony is ambiguous. For example,
in the intro and chorus, the guitar plays repeated G notes - the harmony
is sometimes left unclear at this point (no chords), at other times the
keyboard defines a Gm7 or G7sus4 sound.
All chord shapes given at the end.
Intro:
-------
F7(vii) Ebmaj7 (G)
F7(vii) Ebmaj7
Cm9 F/Bb Eb/Ab C/F G/C
Notes:
After the Cm9 we really need Bbmaj9 and Abmaj9 chords (voiced as a stack
of 3rds), but on the guitar you just can't get this voicing, so the F/Bb
and Eb/Ab are the next best thing. You could try Bbmaj7 and Abmaj7 if
you prefer.
The final C/F G/C change is also awkward on guitar as it's difficult to
get the change cleanly at the proper speed. It's probably better to
get a clean change by playing just the C-triad to G-triad part and
omitting the bass notes: x x 14 13 12 x -> x x 12 12 12 x.
(If you're playing with another guitar/bass/keyboard, they can fill
in the right bass notes)
This simple C-triad to G-triad change occurs throughout the song, and
I've referred to it as the "C-G riff".
Verse 1:
---------
The verse has a nice contrast of guitar sounds, mostly playing single-note
lines on top of the keyboard parts. One guitar has an aggressive, scratchy
sound, playing a simple funky part. The second guitar has a very clean
sound, and plays very soft, simple blues licks, with some strummed chords
at the end of the verse.
G7sus4 (C-G riff)
That must be her again she's been and rung my bell
C7sus4
That cool psychotic brain the one I know so well
G7sus4 (C-G riff) (G7sus4)
Dm11 G7 Cm11 F7(i)
So I'm nailed to the floor in the no-watching zone
Bbmaj7 E9 Ebmaj7 D7b5
There's about zero chance she'll give up and go home
Chorus:
--------
F9 Bb/Eb
This endless afternoon
Gm6add4 (Gm7)
It started on the day I met her
F9 Bb/Eb Gm6add4
Lunch with Gina is forever.
Notes:
The Bb/Eb chords here are actually Emaj9, but asd in the intro you
can't get the full voicing to work on the guitar. I prefer the Bb/Eb
sound as a substitute, but Emaj7 will also work.
I like the unresolved sound of the Gm6add4 chord, which comes directly
from the Fender Rhodes part, but if you prefer a simpler shape you could
use G7sus4 or Gm7.
Verse 1:
---------
(Chords as verse 1)
She's coming round the corner
her body's just a blur
I peel out like the flash
It don't mean boo to her
So I duck into Nino's she's barred from the place
the minute I walk out she's right in my face
Chorus:
--------
F9 Bb/Eb
She's got nothing but time
Gm6add4 C/G Gm7
No use in trying to be clever
F9 Bb/Eb Ebmaj7 Bb/Eb* Ab/A
Lunch with Gina is forever
Middle 8:
----------
Db/C C
Now I'm in my apartment
B/C Bb/C
The blinds down the lights out
A/C Ab/C
The phone rings God help me
D7b5 Dbmaj7
There's nobody home
Ab/G G
I crouch on the carpet
Gb/G F/G
Not breathing just being
Bb7 Ebmaj7(iii)
Like meat on the bone
Eb7 Abmaj7
Keyboard Solo
--------------
The solo section uses the verse chords, then uses the
first changes from the chorus (F9 Bb/Eb), then leads to:
Dm6add4 (Dm7)
I'm in a cozy booth, maybe my watch is fast
Bb/C C
Another Tanqueray I'll wait till twenty past
G7sus4 (C-G riff) (G7sus4)
(then back to the end of the verse section:)
Dm11 G7 Cm11 F7
I'm about to go postal when she waltzes in
Bbmaj7 E9 Ebmaj7 D7b5
I guess she's a knockout, hey where have I been?
Chorus:
--------
F9 Bb/Eb
The waiter never comes
Gm6add4 Gm7(i)
God knows the service could be better
F9 Bb/Eb Gm6add4 Gm7(i)
Lunch with Gina is forever
F9 Bb/Eb
Coffee and a kiss
Gm6add4 Gm7(i)
maybe later maybe never
F9 Bb/Eb
Lunch with Gina
Gm6add4 Gm7(i) F9 Bb/Eb
(repeat and fade)
Chord shapes:
--------------
E A D G B E EADGBE E A D G B E
x 8 7 8 10 x x6578x 8 10 8 8 8 10
F7(vii) Ebmaj7 Cm9
E A D G B E EADGBE E A D G B E
x x 8 10 10 8 xx6886 x 8 10 9 8 8
F/Bb Eb/Ab C/F
E A D G B E EADGBE EADGBE
x x 10 7 8 7 333xxx x333xx
G/C G7sus4 C7sus4
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
xx0563 xx5463 x3x341 xx3241
Dm11 G7 Cm11 F7(i)
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE E A D G B E
6x776x x7677x xx0574 10 x 10 11 9 x
Bbmaj7 E9 D7b5 or D7b5
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x87888 x68766 3xx310 3x333x
F9 Bb/Eb Gm6add4 Gm7
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
3x555x x6878x x6876x x0x544
C/G Ebmaj7(vi) Bb/Eb* Ab/A
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
8x666x x3555x x3444x x3333x
Db/C C B/C Bb/C
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x3222x x3111x x5411x x4311x
A/C Ab/C D7b5(i) Dbmaj7
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
less of a stretch: x545xx x435xx
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
3x654x 3x543x 3x432x 3x321x
Ab/G G Gb/G F/G
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
6x633x x6533x x6564x 4x554x
Bb7 Ebmaj7(iii) Eb7 Abmaj7
E A D G B E EADGBE
x x 0 10 8 7 3xx331
Dm6add4 Gm7(i)
Back to Steely Dan and Donald Fagen guitar tabs
Last updated: July 2020
All information in these pages copyright © 2000-2020 Howard Wright unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.