時の流れに
The song features the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section: Barry Beckett (Rhodes piano), David Hood (bass guitar) and Roger Hawkins (drums), arranged by Bob James. The saxophone, played by Michael Brecker, emphasizes the jazz character of the song. Music theorist Peter Kaminsky analyzed how the key progression of the introduction to "Still Crazy After All These Years" anticipates the key progressions throughout the album. The song has an AABA form, with the first, second and fourth verses sharing the same basic melody. The first and second verses are primarily in the key of G major, although there are some unexpected harmonies that differ between the verses. The key of the third verse, the B section, is never resolved. G major returns in the final verse, but modulates to the slightly higher key of A major, which according to author James Bennighof gives "a faint sense of slightly demented triumph to the singer's declaration that he wouldn't be held responsible for his potential mayhem." Music critic Walter Everett considers this modulation to reflect the singer's "unpredictable emotional and mental state."