1. A country music sin… Read Full Bio ↴Roger Miller is a name of at least two musicians:
1. A country music singer/songwriter from Oklahoma, USA
2. An alternative rock singer/songwriter from Massachusetts, USA
1) Roger Dean Miller (b. 2 Jan 1936 - d. 25 Oct 1992), was an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs. His most recognized tunes included the chart-topping country/pop hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me" and "England Swings", all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era.
After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the United States Army, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, penning such hits as "Billy Bayou" and "Home" for Jim Reeves and "Invitation to the Blues" for Ray Price. He later started a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the late-1960s, but continued to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top 20 country hit "Old Friends" with Willie Nelson in 1982. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 Tony-award winning Broadway musical Big River, in which he also acted.
Miller died from lung cancer in 1992, and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by younger artists, with covers of "Tall, Tall Trees" by Alan Jackson and "Husbands and Wives" by Brooks & Dunn, each reaching the number one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum in his home town serves as a tribute to Miller.
Although usually grouped with country music singers, Miller's unique style defies easy classification. Many of his recordings were humorous novelty songs with whimsical lyrics, coupled with scat singing or vocalese riffs filled with nonsense syllables. Others were sincere ballads, which also caught the public's fancy, none more so than his signature song, "King of the Road." The biographical book Ain't Got No Cigarettes described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent", and stated that many regarded him as a genius.
On his own personal style, Miller remarked that he "tried to do" things like other artists but that it "always came out different" so he got "frustrated" until realizing "I'm the only one that knows what I'm thinking." He commented that the favourite song that he wrote was "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd." Johnny Cash discussed Miller's bass vocal range in his 1997 autobiography. He commented that it was the closest to his own that he had heard.
1) Roger Miller (b. 1968), is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for co-founding the groups Mission of Burma and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.
His main instruments are guitar and piano. Guitar Player magazine describes Miller's guitar playing as balancing rock energy with cerebral experimentation, while his keyboard work has earned comparisons to Béla Bartók and even Cecil Taylor.
Born in Boston, Miller was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Detroit-area bands like the Stooges and the MC5, Miller formed several garage bands in his teens. With brothers Benjamin (Ben) Miller and Laurence B. (Larry) Miller, he formed Sproton Layer; their recordings were collected and released in 1992 as With Magnetic Fields Disrupted. Miller played bass guitar and was the primary singer and songwriter, and the ongoing collaboration M3. Attending CalArts in 1976, majoring in composition, Miller also studied piano and French Horn, and studied music by 20th century experimental composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He would eventually drop out of college in favor of punk rock.
Relocating to Boston, Massachusetts, Miller was a member of the short-lived Moving Parts before co-founding Mission of Burma in 1979. The group was popular in and around Boston, but was unable to expand their audience. Miller played guitar and sang, and slightly edged out bassist/singer Clint Conley as the more productive songwriter. It was also Miller's idea to invite Martin Swope to join the group and add tape loop effects, giving the group an unusual, experimental sound.
Mission of Burma disbanded in 1983 due in large part to Miller's worsening tinnitus, attributed in large part to their notoriously loud live performances. In subsequent years, Mission of Burma's small body of recordings grew to be regarded as important and influential.
During the Burma years, Miller worked as a freelance piano tuner.
After Burma broke up, Miller turned his attention to playing piano with the more experimental, instrumental group Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic, which he left in 1987. Afterwards, Miller had several collaborations, solo efforts and film scores; many of these post-Burma albums were released by SST Records.
Lou
Roger Miller Lyrics
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Too bad the bad can't be like the good,
But everything changes a little and it should,
Good ain't forever and bad ain't for good
And Lou's got the flu and he's laid up, laid up, laid up,
Lou's got the flu and he's laid up,
Have to get well pretty soon though
I got sugar in my candy and sugar in my soup
I'm getting fat from the candy and sick from the soup
True love is sweet but if it's mishandled
A bitter wind blows and out goes your candle
And Lou's got the flu and he's laid up, laid up, laid up,
Lou's got the flu and he's laid up,
Have to get well pretty soon though
Now not enough water puts thirst in a man
And just enough water puts joy in his land
But too much water will overflow
And tear the man's land up, so there you go
And Lou's got the flu and he's laid up, laid up, laid up,
Lou's got the flu and he's laid up,
Have to get well pretty soon though
The song "Lou's Got The Flu" by Roger Miller is a playful and philosophical take on the ups and downs of life. The lyrics explore the concepts of good and bad, change and impermanence, love and loss, and balance and moderation. The first verse sets the tone by acknowledging that there are both good and bad people in the world, but that things are always in flux and nothing lasts forever. The titular character, Lou, is sidelined by the flu, which is used as a metaphor for the setbacks and challenges that can occur in life.
The second verse uses the imagery of sugar to illustrate the dangers of excess and imbalance. Too much of a good thing can be just as harmful as too little, and even true love can turn bitter if not handled with care. The third verse uses water as a metaphor for the delicate balance between scarcity and abundance. Just enough water is a blessing, while too little or too much can cause problems.
Despite the philosophical musings, the song maintains a lighthearted and humorous tone, with Miller's distinctive twang and playful rhymes. The repeated refrain of "Lou's got the flu and he's laid up" adds to the playful rhythm and showcases Miller's masterful use of repetition.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people bad and some people good,
There are people who are good and people who are bad.
Too bad the bad can't be like the good,
It's unfortunate that bad people can't be more like the good ones.
But everything changes a little and it should,
Things naturally change over time and that's okay.
Good ain't forever and bad ain't for good
Good things don't last forever and bad things won't always stay that way.
And Lou's got the flu and he's laid up, laid up, laid up,
Lou is sick with the flu and he's unable to do anything.
Lou's got the flu and he's laid up,
Lou is sick and has to stay in bed.
Have to get well pretty soon though
Lou needs to recover from the flu soon.
I got sugar in my candy and sugar in my soup
There is sugar in both my candy and my soup.
I'm getting fat from the candy and sick from the soup
Eating too much candy is making me gain weight and the soup is making me feel ill.
True love is sweet but if it's mishandled
Love is wonderful, but if it's not treated well, it can turn sour.
A bitter wind blows and out goes your candle
Things can go from good to bad quickly if you're not careful.
Now not enough water puts thirst in a man
Not having enough water can make someone thirsty.
And just enough water puts joy in his land
Having just the right amount of water brings happiness.
But too much water will overflow
Too much water can cause problems.
And tear the man's land up, so there you go
Excess water can damage the man's property and cause issues.
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