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.
Mercury Blues
Steve Miller Lyrics
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I tell you what I'd do
I would go downtown
Buy a Mercury or two
'Cause I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury
Cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I'm goin' to buy me a Mercury
Up and down this road
You know that gal I love
I stole her from a friend
Fool got lucky stole her back again
Because she knowed he had a Mercury
Cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
Well, she knowed he had a Mercury
And she cruise up and down this road
Hey now mama
Where'd you stay last night
Your hair's all down
Your clothes don't fit you right
Had my money
I tell you what I'd do
Go downtown and buy a Mercury or two
'Cause I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury
And I'll cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I'm going to buy me a Mercury
And I'll cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I'm going to buy me a Mercury
Going to buy me a Mercury
Going to buy me a Mercury
Cruise, cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I'm going to buy me a Mercury
Buy me a mercury
Going to buy me a Mercury
Cruise, cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
The lyrics to Steve Miller's "Mercury Blues" are about the singer's love for the Mercury automobile. He expresses that if he had the money, he would go downtown and buy not one but multiple Mercury cars. He is "crazy 'bout a Mercury" and can't wait to cruise up and down the road with his new car. The singer even tells a story about a woman he loves who was stolen from him by a friend. He suspects she went back to the friend because he owns a Mercury, which she loves to cruise in.
The song is a tribute to the classic car, which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The Mercury was marketed as a luxury car that had a sleek design and a powerful engine. The car was associated with youth and freedom, becoming an icon of American car culture. Miller's lyrics capture the excitement and admiration that surrounded the Mercury in its heyday.
Line by Line Meaning
Had my money
If I had enough money
I tell you what I'd do
I would do something
I would go downtown
I would go to the city
Buy a Mercury or two
And buy one or two Mercury cars
Cause I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury
Because I really love Mercury cars
Cruise up and down this road
Drive on this road multiple times
You know that gal I love
You know the girl I love
I stole her from a friend
I took her away from one of my friends
Fool got lucky stole her back again
But he got lucky and stole her back
Because she knowed he had a Mercury
Because she knew he had a Mercury car
Well, she knowed he had a Mercury
Well, she knew he had a Mercury car
And she cruise up and down this road
And she drove on this road multiple times
Hey now mama
Hey there, lady
Where'd you stay last night
Where did you stay last night?
Your hair's all down
Your hair is messy and out of place
Your clothes don't fit you right
Your clothes don't fit you well
I'm going to buy me a Mercury
I'm going to buy myself a Mercury car
Buy me a Mercury
and buy me a Mercury car
Cruise, cruise up and down this road
Drive up and down this road multiple times
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: K.C. Douglas, Robert L. Geddins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind