After learning guitar at the age of 12, Scaggs met Steve Miller at St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. In 1959, he became the vocalist for Miller's band The Marksmen. The pair later attended the University of Wisconsin together, playing in blues bands like The Ardells and The Fabulous Knight Trains. Leaving school, Scaggs briefly left Texas to join the burgeoning rhythm and blues scene in London. After singing in bands such as The Wigs and Mother Earth, he recorded his first solo album Boz in 1965, which was not a commercial success. He traveled to Sweden as a solo performer and did a brief stint with the band The Other Side with fellow American Jack Downing and Brit Mac MacLeod.
Returning to the US, Scaggs promptly headed for the booming psychedelic music center of San Francisco in 1967. Linking up with Steve Miller again, he appeared on the Steve Miller Band's first two albums Children of the Future and Sailor, which won over critical reviews. After being spotted by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, Scaggs secured a solo contract with Atlantic Records in 1968. Despite good reviews, his first Atlantic album was met with lukewarm sales, as were followup albums on Columbia Records. In 1976, he linked up with session musicians who would later form Toto and recorded his smash album Silk Degrees. The album reached number 2 on the US charts and number 1 in a number of countries across the world, spawning three hit singles: "Lowdown", "Lido Shuffle", and "What Can I Say", as well as the MOR standard "We're All Alone", later a hit for Rita Coolidge. A sellout world tour followed, but his follow-up album, the 1977 Down Two Then Left, lacked the cohesion of Silk Degrees.
Scaggs' 1980 album Middle Man would spawn two top 20 hits, "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "Jojo," and Scaggs would enjoy two more hits over 1980 and 1981 ("Look What You've Done to Me" from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, and "Miss Sun" from a greatest hits set).
Scaggs continued to record and tour sporadically throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although he semi-retired from the music business and turned owner of the San Francisco nightclub Slim's. His lengthy hiatus from the music industry slowed his chart career down dramatically.
Scaggs recorded Other Roads in 1988, took another hiatus, and then came back in 1994 with Some Change. In the late 190s he released Come On Home, an album of blues, and My Time, an anthology. He garnered good reviews with Dig, although the CD, which was released on September 11, 2001, was lost in the post-911 melée. In May, 2003, Scaggs released But Beautiful, a collection of jazz standards that debuted at number 1 on the jazz charts.
In 2013 he released the album Memphis
Payday
Boz Scaggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By Credits (Boz Scaggs/David Faich)
Hey you steppin' on my head
Why you gotta throw rocks in my bed
Mr. Shoeshine, could you kindly keep it down
Do we really need an Apocalypse right now?
She was good to me, right up to the end
Where I left her, well it's hard to tell
Got to call, just a soon as I get well
Come payday'
Everybody gets strange
Talking 'bout my Payday, hey hey
Better get out my way, baby
I don't mind a job, work's no big deal
It's just how they treat you, how they make you feel
I'll take my check, you take your mood
Let's just say, whatever man, whatever gets you through
Come payday'
Blow those blues away, boy
Talking 'bout my Payday, hey hey
Don't be waitin' up for me
Brothers, Sisters
Tonite we party, tonite we're dancin'
Hey, we're talkin' the ultimate smash of a lifetime
This one's on me'..
(Solos) ( 8-10 measures)
Sometime's it like a war in here, Face the night alone
But ever since I work up, felt it in my bones
Waiting for that hour's all that keeps me clear
There's gonna be some lightnin' strike when I get outta here
(quiet bass/guitar/drums) Cause it payday, y'all
Better stay out my way
Talking 'bout some hey day, hey hey
Man it's all comin' home
Payday, gonna shake it all down tonite
Payday, Gonna do my dance tonite
Boz Scaggs's song Payday starts with the singer expressing his frustration with the world around him. He feels like people are mistreating him and causing unnecessary contradictions. He then goes on to reminisce about the good times he's had and the people who have been kind to him in the past. The singer then shifts his focus back to the present and talks about how he's just waiting for the day he gets paid, so he can shake off his blues and party. He feels like payday is the solution to all his problems, and he can finally let loose.
The singer then addresses his experience with work and how he doesn't mind it, but it's more about how he's treated while working. He feels like people's moods affect how they treat him, and so he just wants to do his job and collect his check. The singer then invites his fellow partygoers to celebrate life with him and forget about their troubles for a night. He's excited to enjoy himself, and nothing can bring him down, now that it's payday. The song ends on a high note, with the singer dancing and having a good time, free from his worries.
Overall, Payday is a song about the struggles of everyday life and how people cope with them. The singer feels like payday is the only thing that can make him feel better, and he invites others to join him in celebrating life. It's a song that speaks to everyone who has ever had to deal with the stresses of the working world.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you steppin' on my head
Why are you causing me trouble and making it difficult for me to think clearly?
Why you gotta throw rocks in my bed
Why are you trying to make my life harder and cause problems for me?
Mr. Shoeshine, could you kindly keep it down
I would appreciate it if you would quiet down and not cause a disturbance.
Do we really need an Apocalypse right now?
Do we really need the end of the world to happen right now, given all the other problems we are facing?
Where's my sunshine, Sunshine was my friend
Where is any light or positivity in my life? I used to have it, but now I feel lost.
She was good to me, right up to the end
Sunshine, or any source of positivity, was always there for me until things got difficult.
Where I left her, well it's hard to tell
It's difficult to pinpoint when I lost that source of positivity or where it went away.
Got to call, just a soon as I get well
I need to reach out to someone, maybe Sunshine or another friend, as soon as I am feeling better.
Come payday'
When it's time for me to receive my paycheck,
Everybody gets strange
Everyone starts acting strange or unpredictable for various reasons around payday.
Talking 'bout my Payday, hey hey
Referencing how people talk about payday and how important it is to them.
Better get out my way, baby
Best not to get in my way or cross me around payday.
I don't mind a job, work's no big deal
I don't have a problem with working; it's the way I'm treated at work that bothers me.
It's just how they treat you, how they make you feel
The poor treatment and negative atmosphere at work can affect your mental state and well-being.
I'll take my check, you take your mood
I'll take my paycheck, but I don't really care about your mood or attitude.
Let's just say, whatever man, whatever gets you through
Let's just agree to have different coping mechanisms to get through these work-related issues.
Blow those blues away, boy
Referencing how payday helps alleviate some of the financial difficulties that contribute to the blues or sadness.
Don't be waitin' up for me
Don't expect me to be home or available after I receive my paycheck and start celebrating.
Brothers, Sisters
Addressing the crowd or group he is speaking to.
Tonite we party, tonite we're dancin'
Highlighting a night of celebration and happiness.
Hey, we're talkin' the ultimate smash of a lifetime
Referring to the party and celebration as the ultimate, unforgettable experience.
This one's on me'..
I'll be treating everyone to drinks and good times tonight.
Sometime's it like a war in here, Face the night alone
Acknowledging the difficulties and challenges he has faced but persevered through.
But ever since I work up, felt it in my bones
He woke up with a renewed feeling and sense of purpose that he can feel within him.
Waiting for that hour's all that keeps me clear
The anticipation of payday and the relief it brings is the only thing keeping him going during tough times.
There's gonna be some lightnin' strike when I get outta here
There is going to be a sudden change in his life, perhaps something great or unexpected, once payday comes around.
Cause it payday, y'all
Referring to the joy and excitement that payday brings.
Better stay out my way
Suggesting that others stay clear of him around payday to avoid getting caught up in his excitement and celebratory mood.
Talking 'bout some hey day, hey hey
Referencing that payday is a time for celebration and excitement.
Man it's all comin' home
Finally, all his hard work is paying off and he is receiving his paycheck, which is a source of happiness and excitement.
Payday, gonna shake it all down tonite
Indicating that he plans on spending his paycheck and having a good time.
Payday, Gonna do my dance tonite
He is going to celebrate and dance tonight because it is payday and he feels happy and relieved.
Contributed by Colin P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.