Boz Scaggs' Ode To Gambling and Con Men Everywhere?

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Dwight McCann under CC BY-SA 2.5 license

Every time I hear Boz Scaggs' "Lido Shuffle," I'm always asking myself what the heck is it about?  The best interpretation I can come up with is a con man gambler who's luck is running out.  The lyrics make that meaning seem logical enough.

According to Scaggs in a 2013 interview with Song Facts, he came up with the idea for the song came from a song that Fats Domino domino did called "The Fat Man."  That song had a shuffling beat to it similar to "Lido Shuffle."

Interpretations aside, "Lido Shuffle" is a dynamite selection on Scaggs' Silk Degrees album from 1976. You may or may not know that members of Scaggs, backing band at the time, including David Paich, would later form the band called Toto.  "Lido" was also featured on the soundtrack for the movie FM.

"Lido missed the boat that day left the shack.  But that was all he missed and he ain't comin' back."

All in all, Mr. Scaggs has had quite a career for himself.  He is still going strong making albums. His most recent was 2013's Memphis.  Keep up the good work Boz!

Tim Musick
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