Miller was born to Dr. George "Sonny" Miller, a pathologist, jazz enthusiast and amateur recording engineer, and Bertha, a jazz-influenced singer. In 1950, the family moved to Dallas, Texas. His first guitar chords were taught to him by the legendary Les Paul, pioneer of the electric guitar and also Miller's godfather. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, Miller formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught classmate Royce Boz Scaggs some guitar chords so he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year. Miller was only sixteen when he started college, and dropped out six credit hours shy of a literature degree. Les Paul encouraged young Miller to utilize his prodigal talents, and much of Miller's success has been attributed to Paul's tutelage during his childhood and teenage years.
Prior to forming the Steve Miller Band, Miller was in a band with Barry Goldberg called the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band. They formed in 1965, and released one single, before Miller left the band.
In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Miller handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums. Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace and Number 5 followed. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit. This first period in Steve Miller's music formed part of double album compilation "Anthology" which includes a guest appearance on drums by the then Beatle Paul McCartney on the song "My Dark Hour".
1973's The Joker marked the start of the second phase of Miller's career: more pop-oriented and simplistic, the album featured a number one hit in the U.S. in the title track as well as several other popular tunes. In fact, "The Joker" hit Number One on the UK singles chart in September 1990 after it was used on a television commercial.
Miller followed up The Joker with Fly Like an Eagle in 1976 and Book of Dreams in 1977. This pair of albums represented the peak of Miller's commercial career, both reaching the top echelons of the album charts and spawning a seemingly-endless series of hit singles, including "Rock'n Me", "Take the Money and Run", "Jet Airliner" and "Jungle Love". While critics lambasted Miller for abandoning his more ambitious approach and socially-aware lyrics for simple pop-rock and derivative blues tunes, fans gravitated towards the catchy, melodic songs in great numbers, and the Steve Miller Band co-headlined a major stadium tour with the Eagles in 1977.
On the heels of this massive success, Miller took a long hiatus from recording and touring, emerging in 1981 with Circle of Love, an ambitious album possibly intended to appease critics of his new style. Sales were disappointing, however, and in 1982 he returned to the pop formula with another hit album, Abracadabra. This was Miller's last great commercial success; a series of collections, live albums and attempts to find a new style appeared sporadically, but after 1993 Miller gave up producing records altogether. However, he collaborated with Paul McCartney on the former Beatle's 1997 Grammy-nominated album, Flaming Pie.
Behind The Barn
Steve Miller Lyrics
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Way back down on the farm
Went to see my woman
Way back on the farm
Sundown's gonna catch me
In my sweet baby's arms
She likes to rock
She likes to
Push, push, push to the stroll
Down, down, down, down
Down behind the barn
Sundown's gonna catch me
In my sweet baby's arms
You know, we went up on the mountain
Looked down on the sea
Went up on the mountain
And we looked down on the sea
You know, sundown's gonna catch me
Lovin' my sweet baby
She likes to rock
She likes to roll
She likes to
Push, push, push to the stroll
Down, down, down, down
Way behind the barn
Sundown's gonna catch me
In my sweet baby's arms
Woo
Woo, woo, woo
Yeah
Way behind the barn
Hoo
Hoo, hoo, hoo
Way behind the barn
Sundown's gonna catch me
In my sweet baby's arms
The lyrics of Steve Miller Band's "Behind The Barn" describe the singer's return to a farming community to see his woman. He anticipates being caught by sundown in his sweet baby's arms. He then goes on to sing about his woman's wild nature, loving to rock, roll, and push the stroll down, down, behind the barn. They have gone up on the mountain to look out on the sea, and he's caught feeling the love from his sweet baby before sundown will catch him. The song ends with a drawn-out, sensual "woo" as the singer almost succumbs to the passion he feels.
The lyrics suggest a very rural and simple lifestyle, where sundown seems to mark the passing of the day and signals that the singer should return to his simpler way of life with his partner. The song is categorized as a Rock and Roll, Blues, and R&B song. It has an upbeat tempo with an electrifying guitar riff that keeps the energy level high. The song is straightforward in its message, but the nostalgia for rural life and romance is evident throughout.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I went to see my woman
The singer went to visit his significant other.
Way back down on the farm
The woman resides on a farm, which is located far from the singer's location.
Went to see my woman
The singer is reiterating his purpose for going to the farm.
Way back on the farm
The woman is located deep into the rural area.
Sundown's gonna catch me
The artist has realized that it is getting late and he needs to leave before sunset.
In my sweet baby's arms
The singer wants to spend his final moments in his girlfriend's embrace.
She likes to rock
The woman enjoys dancing and moving her body in a certain way.
She likes to roll
The woman is comfortable with freely expressing herself.
She likes to
The woman enjoys doing different activities which bring her happiness.
Push, push, push to the stroll
The woman likes to dance to specific music styles or rhythms.
Down, down, down, down
The place where the woman likes to dance is in a lower location, probably a basement or behind the barn.
Down behind the barn
The woman likes to dance in a secluded area, away from curious eyes.
Sundown's gonna catch me
The singer has realized that he has spent too much time with his girlfriend and needs to leave before it is too late.
In my sweet baby's arms
The singer wants to carry his girlfriend's touch with him as he leaves.
You know, we went up on the mountain
The singer and his girlfriend took a walk on a mountain.
Looked down on the sea
From the mountain, the artist had a view of the sea which was situated far from the mountain.
Sundown's gonna catch me
It is late and the artist has to leave soon.
Lovin' my sweet baby
The entire time he spent with his girlfriend, the singer was enjoying his love for her.
Way behind the barn
The woman and the singer like to dance in a relatively hidden place behind the barn.
Hoo
The artist is expressing excitement as he leaves his girlfriend's location.
Hoo, hoo, hoo
The artist is expressing multiple levels of excitement as he leaves.
Sundown's gonna catch me
The artist has spent a considerable amount of time with his girlfriend and is now leaving at the last minute.
In my sweet baby's arms
The singer wants to leave his girlfriend in her embrace, as he departs.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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