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.
Mary Lou
Steve Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Bout ol' Mary Lou
I mean the kind of a girl
That make a fool of you
She make a young man old
And an old man pay
The way she took my money
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my watch and chain
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my diamond ring
She took the keys to my Cadillac car
Jumped in my Caddy and she drove afar
Put a detective
On her trail
The post office thought
They'd chase her by the mail
She got picked up
And then was put in jail
Stroked the judge
Just to go her bail
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my watch and chain
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my diamond ring
She took the keys to my Cadillac car
Jumped in my Caddy and she drove afar
She left Detroit
To go to Kalamazoo
Made her a fortune
Out of fools like you
Met her a rich man
Who was married and had some kids
Stroked that cat
Until he flipped his lid
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my watch and chain
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my diamond ring
She took the keys to my Cadillac car
Jumped in my Caddy and she drove afar
She came back into town
About a week ago
Told me she's sorry
She had hurt me so
I had a '65 Ford
And a two dollar bill
The way she took that
Lord, it gave me a thrill
Mary Lou
She took my watch and chain
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
She took my diamond ring
She took the keys to my Cadillac car
Jumped in my Caddy and she drove afar
The song "Mary Lou" by Steve Miller tells the story of a manipulative and deceitful woman by the same name. The lyrics recount how Mary Lou takes advantage of men, making them old before their time and draining them of their resources. The singer's experiences with her are detailed, including how she took his watch and chain, diamond ring, and even the keys to his Cadillac car. Though he tries to put her behind bars with the help of detectives and the post office, Mary Lou manages to stroke the judge and get out on bail. Eventually, she is able to make a fortune from foolish men and even causes a married man to become unhinged. However, Mary Lou eventually returns and apologizes to the singer, leaving him with only a '65 Ford and a two dollar bill.
The lyrics of "Mary Lou" paint a vivid picture of a woman who has the power to ruin men's lives with her manipulative ways. She is portrayed as a villain throughout the song, taking from the singer until he has almost nothing left. The imagery used, such as the mention of the Cadillac car and the fact that Mary Lou stroked the judge, creates a sense of danger and corruption that underpins the entire story. Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about trusting people who seem too good to be true.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna tell you a story
Steve Miller is about to tell a tale.
'Bout ol' Mary Lou
The story concerns a woman named Mary Lou.
I mean the kind of a girl
Mary Lou has certain qualities that signal trouble.
That make a fool of you
Being involved with Mary Lou is a mistake.
She make a young man old
Mary Lou’s actions can make someone age, meaning they seem older than they are.
And an old man pay
Even older people aren’t exempt from Mary Lou’s exploits, as she can make an old man “pay” in some way.
The way she took my money
Mary Lou has a way of getting what she wants at someone else's financial expense.
Was a crying shame
The fact that Mary Lou can so easily take others' money is a sad commentary on her character.
Mary Lou, Mary Lou
Repetition of her name lends a certain emphasis to the song.
She took my watch and chain
Mary Lou stole a watch and chain from Steve Miller.
She took my diamond ring
Mary Lou absconded with Miller's diamond ring.
She took the keys to my Cadillac car
Mary Lou stole Miller's car keys and the car itself.
Jumped in my Caddy and she drove afar
Mary Lou took the Cadillac and drove it far away from Miller.
Put a detective
Miller had a detective follow Mary Lou after she stole from him.
On her trail
The detective was following Mary Lou’s movements.
The post office thought
The post office got involved in trying to track down Mary Lou.
They'd chase her by the mail
The post office viewed Mary Lou as someone who could be tracked through the mail.
She got picked up
Mary Lou got caught by law enforcement.
And then was put in jail
As a result of getting caught, Mary Lou was incarcerated.
Stroked the judge
Mary Lou used her charm to try and get out of jail.
Just to go her bail
Mary Lou charmed the judge so that he would release her from jail.
She left Detroit
Mary Lou fled Detroit to escape the consequences of her actions.
To go to Kalamazoo
Mary Lou left Detroit and headed to Kalamazoo, presumably to escape legal problems.
Made her a fortune
Mary Lou found a way to get rich in Kalamazoo.
Out of fools like you
Mary Lou preyed on unsuspecting individuals to garner wealth.
Met her a rich man
Mary Lou found a wealthy man to attach herself to.
Who was married and had some kids
The man Mary Lou became involved with was already married and had children.
Stroked that cat
Mary Lou used her seductive powers to influence the man she was involved with.
Until he flipped his lid
The man Mary Lou was involved with became unhinged as a result of her actions and probably his own guilt.
She came back into town
Mary Lou found her way back to the city after being gone for a while.
About a week ago
Mary Lou had only recently returned to town.
Told me she's sorry
Mary Lou expressed regret for what she had done to Steve Miller.
She had hurt me so
Miller was deeply impacted by Mary Lou's actions.
I had a '65 Ford
Miller had a 1965 Ford.
And a two dollar bill
Miller had just a little bit of money.
The way she took that
Mary Lou stole something from Miller again.
Lord, it gave me a thrill
Despite being robbed once more, Miller was still aroused by Mary Lou.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Obie Jessie, Sam Ling
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind