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.
Brave New World
Steve Miller Lyrics
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From a dream of the past
To the brave new world
Where nothing will last
That comes from the past
It's a brave new world
As we walk with space
In the brave new world
Now, as you begin
You're born once again
With the rising sun
Something new, nothing old
Something true, something gold
No spirit of the past
Can hold you back
From the brave new world
The direction to start
Is inside your heart
To the brave new world
If you're free in your heart
You can make a new start
It's a brave new world
There's nothing to hide
Leave your troubles behind
It's a brave new world
I told you, my friend
And I'll tell you again
Your trip has begun
Something new, nothing old
Something true, something gold
The direction to start
Is inside your heart
To the brave new world
The song “Brave New World” by Steve Miller is about moving forward without being weighed down by the past. The lyrics suggest that the world is changing quickly and people need to embrace the new changes in order to survive. The song starts off by describing a person who is leaving the past behind and heading towards a new future. The lyrics say, “We're driving fast from a dream of the past to the brave new world where nothing will last that comes from the past.”
The song then goes on to describe how people need to let go of old ways of thinking and embrace new ideas to move forward. The lyrics say, “No spirit of the past can hold you back from the brave new world. The direction to start is inside your heart to the brave new world.” The song encourages people to be positive and happy, as this will help them to embrace the new changes. The lyrics say, “Put a smile on your face as we walk with space in the brave new world.”
In summary, “Brave New World” by Steve Miller is a song that is about moving forward without being held back by the past. It encourages people to embrace new ideas and to be positive and happy as they face the changes in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
We're driving fast
Speeding towards the future
From a dream of the past
Leaving behind memories of the past
To the brave new world
Heading towards a new beginning
Where nothing will last
Breaking away from the past
That comes from the past
Everything from the past is left behind
Put a smile on your face
Be happy and optimistic
As we walk with space
Moving forward with freedom
In the brave new world
In a new world full of possibilities
Now, as you begin
Starting fresh
You're born once again
Getting a second chance
With the rising sun
With a new day comes new hope
Something new, nothing old
Starting anew and moving on completely
Something true, something gold
Reaching for something genuine and valuable
No spirit of the past
Leaving all past sorrows behind
Can hold you back
Won't stop you from moving forward
From the brave new world
Full of opportunities and new beginnings
The direction to start
How to begin
Is inside your heart
You carry everything you need
If you're free in your heart
If you rid yourself of heartaches and negativity
You can make a new start
You can start over again
There's nothing to hide
When you're in a new chapter, you should be honest and sincere
Leave your troubles behind
Move forward and have a fresh beginning
I told you, my friend
On this journey, you're never alone
And I'll tell you again
You are appreciated always
Your trip has begun
The journey has started
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Celia Gonzales
"Brave New World"
We're driving fast
From a dream of the past
To the brave new world
Where nothing will last
That comes from the past
It's a brave new world
Put a smile on your face
As we walk with space
In the brave new world
Now as you begin
You're born once again
With the rising sun
Something new, nothing old
Something true, something gold
No spirit of the past
Can hold you back
From the brave new world
The direction to start
Is inside your heart
To the brave new world
If you're free in your heart
You can make a new start
It's a brave new world
There's nothing to hide
Leave your troubles behind
It's a brave new world
I told you, my friend
And I'll tell you again
Your trip has begun
Something new, nothing old
Something true, something gold
The direction to start
Is inside your heart
To the brave new world
tonfan
epic stuff....thanks for these older Steve Miller posts. I was 15 when I saw him tour for this album.One of the top ten gigs of my life;sitting on the floor at Fillmore West 20 feet from the stage...YOWZAH !!!!!.......
Celia Gonzales
"Brave New World"
We're driving fast
From a dream of the past
To the brave new world
Where nothing will last
That comes from the past
It's a brave new world
Put a smile on your face
As we walk with space
In the brave new world
Now as you begin
You're born once again
With the rising sun
Something new, nothing old
Something true, something gold
No spirit of the past
Can hold you back
From the brave new world
The direction to start
Is inside your heart
To the brave new world
If you're free in your heart
You can make a new start
It's a brave new world
There's nothing to hide
Leave your troubles behind
It's a brave new world
I told you, my friend
And I'll tell you again
Your trip has begun
Something new, nothing old
Something true, something gold
The direction to start
Is inside your heart
To the brave new world
Jordan Alexander
Celia Gonzales great song.
tonfan
One of the best live shows ever : Steve Miller doing this tour 1970.....Mind -blowing power trio rock....
Kent Dunn
One of the best albums ever recorded!
Martha Wedge-Blake
Apropos for these tim3s!
motorcityquig
A very underated album. Long before Steve sold out with The Joker.
TadmorsTube
Great stuff. An album my brother brought home right after it came out. I played it about every week for four years. And, a little-known fact... Paul McCartney played drums, bass guitar, and sang backing vocals on "Celebration Song" and "My Dark Hour"--though, he is credited as Paul Ramon. You can really hear him using that "Birthday"-type voice in "My Dark Hour." Great stuff! Thanks for downloading. And, I agree... Steve Miller Band's first five albums were the best stuff.
j0eX
And that is where the Ramones got their name.
Michael Wilkinson
I thought this pre Joker shit was some of the best written and played music of the 60's/70's. Musicians across the globe respected Steve Miller so much when he was releasing tunes like this. I love the chorus on this track & that guitar kills it!