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.
Circle of Love
Steve Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I met you baby
You put a circle of love around me
Ooooooooh
When I met you baby
You put a circle of love around me
I was in love right from the start
(Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii)
Got my first kiss in the back seat of a car
I was hot, I was really rarin' to go
Got my first kiss in the back seat of a car
At the drive-in, the drive-in movie show
And I gave her my heart
I was in love right from the start
(Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii)
Ooooooooh
When I met you baby
You put a circle of love around me
Ooooooooh
When I met you baby
You put a circle of love around me
And I give you my heart
I was in love right from the start
(Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii)
In "Circle of Love," Steve Miller sings about meeting someone who has put a circle of love around him. This person has had a profound impact on his life and he is deeply in love with them. The song starts with a repetition of "Ooooooh" that creates a dreamy atmosphere. Miller's vocals are soft and gentle, suggesting a deep emotional connection between him and the person he is singing about. The first verse establishes that Miller was changed by meeting this person and that they have given him a sense of security and love.
The second verse reveals a little more about Miller's first experience with love. He got his first kiss in the back seat of a car at a drive-in movie show. He was hot and eager to experience love. The stanza reflects the excitement and passion of young love. However, it is the chorus that underlines the depth of Miller's feelings. He is willing to give this person his heart because he was in love with them from the start. This line emphasizes the immediate connection and attraction he had when he met his lover. Overall, "Circle of Love" is a gentle and romantic song about the power of love to change a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooooooooh
Expressing the feeling of excitement and happiness.
When I met you baby
Referring to the time when the singer and his lover first met.
You put a circle of love around me
Feeling surrounded by the love of the person he met.
And I give you my heart
Giving his love to the person he met.
I was in love right from the start
Falling in love with the person he met immediately.
(Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii)
An emotional expression emphasizing his love for her.
Got my first kiss in the back seat of a car
Describing a nostalgic memory of his first romantic experience.
I was hot, I was really rarin' to go
Feeling excited and ready to engage in romantic activities.
At the drive-in, the drive-in movie show
Recalling the location where he had his first kiss.
Ooooooooh
Expressing the feeling of excitement and happiness.
When I met you baby
Referring to the time when the singer and his lover first met.
You put a circle of love around me
Feeling surrounded by the love of the person he met.
And I give you my heart
Giving his love to the person he met.
I was in love right from the start
Falling in love with the person he met immediately.
(Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii Iiiii)
An emotional expression emphasizing his love for her.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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