I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) - wikipedia I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) `` I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) '' Single by Donald Fagen from the album The Nightfly B - side `` Walk Between Raindrops '' Released September 1982 Format 7 '' Genre Jazz - rock, Jazz - funk, R&B Length 6 : 03 ( album ) 4 : 56 ( single ) Label Warner Bros. - 29900 Songwriter ( s ) Donald Fagen Producer ( s ) Gary Katz Donald Fagen singles chronology `` I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) '' ( 1982 ) `` New Frontier '' ( 1983 ) `` I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) '' ( 1982 ) `` New Frontier '' ( 1983 ) `` I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) '' is a song written and performed by American songwriter, singer and musician Donald Fagen. It was the first track of his Platinum - certified debut solo album The Nightfly, and was released in September 1982 as its first single. It charted well on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock, R&B Singles and Adult Contemporary charts. Contents 1 Background 2 Credits 3 Title and lyrics 4 Chart performance and cover versions 5 Charts 6 References 7 External links Background Fagen, along with musician Walter Becker, led the rock band Steely Dan during the 1970s. Between 1972 and 1981, Steely Dan had ten Top - 40 singles, including the top - ten hits `` Do It Again '' ( 1972 ), `` Rikki Do n't Lose That Number '' ( 1974 ) and `` Hey Nineteen '' ( 1980 ). In 1981, Becker and Fagen parted ways. Fagen 's first album as a solo artist, The Nightfly, was released the next year. Credits Donald Fagen - Vocals, synthesizer, Synth - harmonica Greg Phillinganes - Electric Piano Rob Mounsey - synthesizer Anthony Jackson - Bass Hugh McCracken - Guitar James Gadson - Drums Jeff Porcaro - Additional Drums Roger Nichols - Drum / Percussion Programming Starz Vanderlocket - Percussion Randy Brecker - Trumpet Dave Tofani - Alto Sax Michael Brecker - Tenor Sax Ronnie Cuber - Baritone Sax Dave Bargeron - Trombone Valerie Simpson, Zack Sanders, Frank Floyd, Gordon Grody - Backup Vocals Title and lyrics The `` I.G.Y. '' of the title refers to the `` International Geophysical Year '', an event that ran from July 1957 to December 1958. The I.G.Y. was an international scientific project promoting collaboration among the world 's scientists. Fagen 's lyrics reference, from the point of view of that time, an optimistic vision of futuristic concepts such as solar - powered cities, a transatlantic tunnel, permanent space stations, and spandex jackets. In retrospect the song can also be read ironically, critiquing the naïveté of such postwar optimism in America and the Western world. The `` 76 '' referred to in the song is 1976, the U.S. Bicentennial year. Chart performance and cover versions `` I.G.Y. '' debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 9, 1982 at number 56. It reached the top 40 on October 30 and eventually peaked at number 26 on November 27, 1982. It also reached number 8 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart, number 17 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock chart, and number 54 on Billboard 's R&B Singles chart. It was Fagen 's only solo Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1983, losing to `` Always on My Mind ''. `` I.G.Y. '' has been covered by artists such as British singer and musician Howard Jones, who included a version on his 1993 greatest hits album The Best of Howard Jones. The gospel a cappella group Take 6 covered `` I.G.Y. '' as the title track on their 2002 release Beautiful World. The lyrics of Fagen 's original song were modified to recast the song with a gospel message. In 2004, Marcia Hines recorded a version for her album Hinesight. The song was also used in a scene from the Simpsons episode `` Future Drama '' where Homer and Bart are flying around in the ' imperfect Hovercar. ' The Brazilian group Brylho covered `` I.G.Y. '' as the title `` Noite do Prazer ''. Charts Chart ( 1982 -- 83 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 53 Canada 50 Singles ( RPM ) 36 Canada Contemporary Adult ( RPM ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 46 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) 8 US Billboard Hot 100 26 US Rock Albums & Top Tracks ( Billboard ) 17 References ^ Jump up to : Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits ( 8th Edition ). Billboard Books. ISBN 0 - 8230 - 7499 - 4. Jump up ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. `` Steely Dan biography ''. allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2010. Jump up ^ Mason, Stewart. `` Song review : Donald Fagen : I.G.Y ''. allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2010. Jump up ^ http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/07/08/steely-dan-sunday-i-g-y-1982/ Jump up ^ `` Music : Top 100 Songs Billboard Hot 100 Chart ''. Billboard.com. 1982 - 11 - 27. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Donald Fagen : Billboard Singles ''. allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2010. Jump up ^ Hilburn, Robert ( February 21, 1983 ). `` Grammys could gain needed respectability by honoring Nelson ''. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved November 1, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Johnny Christopher Grammy awards ''. allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2010. Jump up ^ DeGagne, Mike. `` The Best of Howard Jones ''. allmusic. Retrieved November 1, 2010. Jump up ^ Edelstein, Paula. `` Beautiful World - Take 6 ''. allmusic. Retrieved March 28, 2011. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992. St Ives, NSW : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` RPM 50 Singles '' ( PDF ). RPM. Ottawa : Library and Archives Canada. 37 ( 17 ). December 11, 1982. OCLC 352936026. Retrieved December 3, 2016. Jump up ^ `` RPM Contemporary Adult '' ( PDF ). RPM. Ottawa : Library and Archives Canada. 37 ( 20 ). January 15, 1983. OCLC 352936026. Retrieved December 3, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Donald Fagen -- New Frontier '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 29, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Top 50 Adult Contemporary Survey for Week Ending 3 / 19 / 83 ''. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 95 ( 11 ) : 23. March 19, 1983. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Retrieved November 29, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Donald Fagen Chart History ( Hot 100 ) '' Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks Survey for Week Ending 12 / 4 / 82 ''. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 94 ( 48 ) : 20. December 4, 1982. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Retrieved November 29, 2016. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Donald Fagen Studio albums The Nightfly ( 1982 ) Kamakiriad ( 1993 ) Morph the Cat ( 2006 ) Sunken Condos ( 2012 ) Singles `` I.G.Y. ( What a Beautiful World ) '' `` New Frontier '' `` Ruby Baby '' `` Snowbound '' Other songs `` Slinky Thing '' Related articles Steely Dan The New York Rock and Soul Revue Live at the Beacon Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I.G.Y._(What_a_Beautiful_World)&oldid=805281834 '' Categories : 1982 singles 1982 songs Songs written by Donald Fagen Warner Bros. Records singles Song recordings produced by Gary Katz Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart making named ref Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart called without song Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 14 October 2017, at 09 : 11. 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Question: who sings what a beautiful world this would be
Answer: Donald Fagen