Songfacts®:

• In the 1994 Steely Dan biography Reelin' In the Years by Brian Sweet, Donald Fagen said that the lyrics - which include mentions of touring the South in a minstrel show and meeting Napoleon - are about time travel.
• "Pretzel Logic" was the title track and second single released from Steely Dan's third album. Poco bassist Timothy B. Schmit, who later joined the Eagles, contributed backing vocals to the tune. The track also features a saxophone solo by Plas Johnson, a famous session musician whose credits include "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini.
• Unusual for Steely Dan, the title doesn't show up in the lyric. "Pretzel Logic" is one of those intriguing phrases that appeals to the band. It means reasoning that is convoluted and hard to follow, often used to support indefensible positions. Using it as the name of the album gave Steely Dan an excuse to put a pretzel cart vendor on the cover.
• Some fans have speculated that one of the song's verses may be a playful poke at David Bowie and the platform shoes he was known for wearing during his glam-rock era, which coincided with the time of Pretzel Logic's release. The verse in question was:
  
  I stepped up on the platform
  The man gave me the news
  He said, "You must be joking son
  Where did you get those shoes?
  Where did you get those shoes?"