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.
Going to Mexico
Steve Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't be too slow
I should have quit you baby
A long time ago
Left you flat
And split for Mexico
Don't try to stop me
You and your friends babe
You are a thing in my past
You're much too slow
I'm goin' to Mexico
I've got four or five hundred miles to go
Down that southbound highway
'53 Studebaker goin' for broke
I'm pushin' it night and day
I've had enough of your lies
To last a long, long time
You and your mother, babe
You're like a nursery rhyme
You're much too slow
I'm goin' to Mexico
Yeah, come on baby
Yeah
The song "Going to Mexico" by Steve Miller Band is a classic rock song that tells the story of a man who has finally had enough of his significant other and is leaving her to go to Mexico. The lyrics, "Pack my bags, don't be too slow, I should have quit you baby, a long time ago, left you flat and split for Mexico," express his frustration with his current situation and his determination to move on. He is telling his girlfriend that he needs to leave, and he needs to leave quickly because he knows he should have left a long time ago.
The man is trying to escape his girlfriend's grip, and he doesn't want to waste any more time in the relationship. He is trying to make it clear to her that he has made up his mind and that he is going to leave no matter what. The line, "Don't try to stop me child, you're talking too fast, you and your friends babe, you are a thing in my past, you're much too slow, I'm going to Mexico," strengthens this point. He is telling her that he doesn't have time to listen to her plead with him to stay, and that he is already moving on to something new.
Overall, the song "Going to Mexico" is about a man who has decided to move on from a situation that he knows is not right for him. The lyrics express his determination to leave and his excitement about the new opportunities that await him in Mexico.
Line by Line Meaning
Pack my bags
I am preparing to leave
Don't be too slow
Don't delay me
I should have quit you baby
I should have left you a long time ago
A long time ago
A while ago
Left you flat
I abruptly left you behind
And split for Mexico
I'm heading to Mexico
Don't try to stop me
Don't impede me
Child, you're talkin' too fast
You are speaking too quickly
You and your friends babe
You and your acquaintances
You are a thing in my past
You are a part of my past
You're much too slow
Your speed is too low
I'm goin' to Mexico
I'm headed to Mexico
I've got four or five hundred miles to go
I have to cover a distance of 400-500 miles
Down that southbound highway
Traveling on a road that heads south
'53 Studebaker goin' for broke
Driving a '53 Studebaker at full speed
I'm pushin' it night and day
I'm driving non-stop
I've had enough of your lies
I am tired of your deceit
To last a long, long time
Enough to last for an extended period
You and your mother, babe
You and your mother
You're like a nursery rhyme
You're predictable
Yeah, come on baby
Let's go
Yeah
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOZ SCAGGS, STEVE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
joeshowallme
The year this was released (I was born in 57), my dad called me from his work, which was a jewelry store he owned in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and told me there was a hippy musician in the store with his band and girlfriends, and he told him about me. I was a very young guitar player at the time. My dad said this guy wanted to talk with me, and that he had bought this really cool shark I tooth necklace that my dad knew I wanted. I got pissed, and before the guy got on the phone, I stupidly and childishly (hey, I was a kid) hung up the phone. When dad got home, instead of yelling at me, he handed me this album that the hippy actually walked down to the record store on Liberty street, bought, brought back to my dad, autographed, and gave to my dad to give me as a gift in lieu of the necklace he bought that I wanted. I had no idea who this guy was, but on the record cover was the following scribble- To Joe from Steve Miller. Played the hell outta that record, and really wish I'd of held onto it and the signed cover. Just thought I'd share.
Joel Ewing
+joeshowallme: Joe.....cool frickkin' post, dude. You write stories well, it's a gift as you well know by now. Me....born '54....this album was played until it melted as a high school idiot. Too many joints, bong hits and not enough sense. THAT....was high school in Tucson in my experience. But we bonded thru that and being in sports, and those guys I grad. with in '73 are STILL my tightest buds today. We ALL burned one to this album many times....many many times. God Bless you.
matthew adams
That’s the fing best story I ever heard. And the Lord said : Steve!
Randall Kennedy
Steve is the coolest cat in Rock and Roll and always was since he came on the scene.
A Nautical Gate
He's a gangsta
John Deeble
No doubt
420frannie
I guess you never heard Abracadabra...🤣
Larry Lanberg
Steve Miller has always been the master of 2 & 3 minute songs. God I love this. I used to jam on the Sailor album too, way back when. Early Steve Miller Band.
Also been into early Deep Purple, Genesis, Yes, J. Geils Band and early Fleetwood Mac. Music of my life. There's a common bond between all those bands, but damn if I know what it is.
Robert McAllister
It means you have good taste in music
Claudio Morrison
I love Steve too much, his guitar is pure vital energy!