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.
Born To Be Blue
Steve Miller Lyrics
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But they are such a chosen few, chosen few
And clover being green
Is something I've never seen
Cause I was born to be blue
When there's a yellow moon above me
They say there's moonbeams I should view, I should view
Are something I can't behold
Cause I was born to be blue
When I met you
The world was bright and sunny
When you left the curtain fell
I'd like to laugh
But nothing strikes me funny
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well
I guess I'm luckier than some folks
Woo woo woo
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
And that alone is more than I was created for
Cause I was born to be blue
When I met you
The world was bright and sunny
When you left the curtain fell
I'd like to laugh
But nothing strikes me funny
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well
I guess I'm luckier than some folks
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
And that alone is more than I was created for
Cause I was born to be blue
Woo woo
The lyrics to Steve Miller's song Born To Be Blue are a reflection of the singer's innate experiences of life. The first verse implies that some people are lucky enough to live a comfortable and easy life, while others, like the singer, are not. The metaphor of "clover" being green is used to express this idea, which the singer says is something he has never seen. The subsequent verse establishes the same idea with "moonbeams," where the singer laments that he is unable to appreciate their beauty solely because he is "born to be blue." The singer is sorrowful that he is unable to enjoy the happiness that eludes him and that his entire world is a pale shadow of what it should be.
However, the final verse seems to hint at the possibility of consolation. The singer acknowledges that he has loved someone and experienced joy in that love, even if that happiness was temporary. The singer is grateful for that experience, and the memory of it provides solace after his beloved has left him. Despite this, the verse stands in stark contrast to the earlier sections, which emphasise the singer's basic sadness. The difference suggests a glimmer of hope, which the singer will take in his life.
In conclusion, Steve Miller's "Born To Be Blue" expresses a feeling of sadness and melancholy. He marvels at the lives of others, who seem to be "living in clover" while he is "born to be blue," unable to appreciate the beauty of the world around him. Despite this, he acknowledges that he did find love at some point, which he holds onto as his world fades away.
Line by Line Meaning
Some folks were meant to live in clover
Some people are lucky and life seems perfect for them.
But they are such a chosen few, chosen few
Only a select few get to live in such bliss.
And clover being green
Clover is a symbol of good fortune and happiness.
Is something I've never seen
The singer has never experienced such good fortune.
Cause I was born to be blue
The singer was meant to live a life filled with sadness and disappointment.
When there's a yellow moon above me
The moon is symbolic of hope and new beginnings.
They say there's moonbeams I should view, I should view
People believe that the singer should experience the hope and opportunity of a new moon.
But moonbeams being gold
The hope and opportunity of a new moon are things the singer can never truly experience.
Are something I can't behold
The singer is unable to see the good in life or experience happiness fully.
Cause I was born to be blue
The singer was always meant to live a life filled with sadness and disappointment.
When I met you
The singer's life was filled with joy and hope when they met someone special.
The world was bright and sunny
The singer was very happy at the time.
When you left the curtain fell
The person the singer loved left them and their hope for happiness was lost.
I'd like to laugh
The singer wants to find happiness and joy again.
But nothing strikes me funny
Nothing in life seems to be able to bring the singer happiness or joy after their loss.
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well
The singer's world is now dull and unexciting, and they have come to accept their fate.
I guess I'm luckier than some folks
The singer realizes that even though their life has been full of sadness, others have had it worse.
Woo woo woo
An exclamation of sadness and acceptance of the singer's fate.
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
The singer was very happy when they were in love with someone special.
And that alone is more than I was created for
The happiness the singer found in love was more than they ever thought they would experience in life.
Cause I was born to be blue
Despite finding happiness in love, the singer's overall fate is still to live a life full of sadness and disappointment.
Woo woo
An exclamation of sadness and acceptance of the singer's fate.
Lyrics © REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: Mel Torme, Robert Wells
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind