Kid Charlemagne

The cover of the "Kid Charlemagne" single features Fagen (top) and Becker (bottom)

"Kid Charlemagne" is a song by the rock group Steely Dan, which was released as a single from their 1976 album The Royal Scam. It is notable as a fusion of a funk rhythm and jazz harmonies with rock and roll instrumentals and lyrical style.

Although the lyrics are, at first glance, typically oblique and allusive, writers Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have stated that it was loosely inspired by the exploits of the infamous 1960s San Francisco-based LSD chemist Owsley Stanley — although it conflates the core story with numerous other images of the Sixties. This is evident in the following lines:

On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene
But yours was kitchen clean

Everyone stopped to stare at your Technicolor motor home

The first two lines draw on the fact that Owsley's acid was famed for its purity, although the last line is clearly a reference to the famous psychedelic bus named Furthur, which was used by the Merry Pranksters.

The final verse foreshadows the main reason for Owsley's eventual bust:

Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail
Those test tubes and the scale
Just get them all out of here
Is there gas in the car?
Yes, there's gas in the car

I think the people down the hall know who you are

Owsley and another person were arrested after their car ran out of gas. Walter Becker told a taxi cab driver in New York City that he was with the band Steely Dan. The cab driver told him what he thought the worst song lyrics were. When Becker asked the driver what they were, the driver responded, "Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car."

The song features a famous guitar solo by guitarist Larry Carlton. The drum track was played by Bernard "Pretty" Purdie whose long-time session partner, Chuck Rainey, plays the bass.

Pop Culture References

• In an episode of the Fox Broadcasting Company series Malcolm in the Middle an episode entitled "Garage sale" has Hal using the pseudonym "Kid Charlemagne" to operate an illegal radio station.
• Kanye West's song "Champion" contains a sample from "Kid Charlemagne".