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.
Steppin' Stone
Steve Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was your little dog's bone
But now you've made it without me
You know all about me
And that's all right
You cry
The whole night long
Love's right and wrong
And now the sun's sleepin' through
And it's down on you, too
It's just not fair
Now what is right is right
And what's done's done
But before you come 'round my door, woman
Gonna see where you're comin' from
Better count up your change
And put a smile on your mind
Before you want away for any more of my time
I couldn't have loved you better
I could have loved you worse
I know what comes last baby
And you've known it from the first
I was your steppin' stone
I was your little dog's bone
But now you've made it without me
You know all about me
And that's all right
The Steve Miller Band's "Steppin" is a song about a romantic relationship that has ended. The opening lyrics, "I was your steppin' stone, I was your little dog's bone" suggest that the singer was used by his former partner and treated poorly. However, despite their treatment of him, he acknowledges that they have moved on and that he is okay with that.
The chorus of the song has a melancholy tone, with Miller singing about the woman crying the whole night and his attempt to navigate the ups and downs of love. The song's bridge, "Now what is right is right and what's done's done, but before you come 'round my door, woman, gonna see where you're comin' from," suggests that the singer is not willing to take his former partner back without first understanding their motivations.
The song's closing lines, "I couldn't have loved you better, I could have loved you worse, I know what comes last baby and you've known it from the first," imply that the relationship was doomed to fail from the beginning, and the singer is at peace with that.
Overall, "Steppin" is a reflective and introspective song that explores the complexities of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I was your steppin' stone
I used to be a tool for your advantage and to help you achieve your goals.
I was your little dog's bone
I was something you could control and manipulate, but with no real value or worth to you.
But now you've made it without me
You no longer need me to achieve your goals or to manipulate me, as you've achieved success on your own.
You know all about me
You understand my strengths and weaknesses, my likes and dislikes, and everything about me.
And that's all right
I'm not upset or bitter about it. It is what it is.
You cry
You're in emotional pain and upset about something.
The whole night long
This emotional pain is a constant and ongoing struggle for you, especially at night.
I try
I'm making an effort to help you and support you.
Love's right and wrong
Love is complex and can have both positive and negative aspects.
And now the sun's sleepin' through
The night is passing into morning, and a new day is beginning.
And it's down on you, too
You're feeling the weight of your problems and struggles.
It's just not fair
You feel like life is being unfair to you.
Now what is right is right
There are certain principles and values that are universally true and cannot be ignored.
And what's done's done
You cannot change the past or undo what has already been done.
But before you come 'round my door, woman
Before you try to come back into my life and my world,
Gonna see where you're comin' from
I need to understand your motivations and reasoning for wanting to come back.
Better count up your change
You should take stock of what you have and what you can offer me.
And put a smile on your mind
You should have a positive and optimistic mindset about the future.
Before you want away for any more of my time
Before you waste any more of my time and energy and leave me emotionally drained.
I couldn't have loved you better
I gave you my all and did everything I could to make our relationship work.
I could have loved you worse
Despite any shortcomings, I loved you as best I could and was always there for you.
I know what comes last baby
I understand that ultimately, true love and loyalty will come out on top and win.
And you've known it from the first
You've always known that love and loyalty are the most important things in life.
But now you've made it without me
You've achieved success and happiness on your own, without relying on me.
You know all about me
You understand my personality, my strengths and weaknesses, and my character.
And that's all right
I'm okay with you understanding and knowing all about me, as it is what it is.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: WILLIAM R. ROYCE SCAGGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donald Williams
One my favorite Steve Miller songs even though Boz Scaggs wrote it. I wish radio stations would play more stuff from his physcidelic era.
Leroy Calibo
One of the greatest shows I seen Steve Miller and all the original band back in the 60s at the Avalon Ballroom in San Fran
Brian Allan
Haven't heard this in forty years. But I've remembered it ever since. Thanks for the post. First blues song I ever liked. Only twelve-bar blues I know of using the #9 on all three chords. Even Hendrix didn't do that.
Mark Bridwell
that's ok keep playin' those #9's and God bless you
Sky Dog
If we could only get Boz and Steve to play together again!!!
Lawrence Schabell
Totally awesome album!!
David Zimmerli
What a fantastic rocker...!
Claude DePrine
Great song. Awesome!
FJRGD
Bozz Scagg's vocals sounded good back then too. Such good times & memories from back then. :))
John Gustav
What a groove mannnn!