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.
When Sunny Gets Blue
Steve Miller Lyrics
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Her eyes get gray and cloudy
Then the rain begins to fall
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter
Love has gone so what can matter
No lover man comes to call
When sunny gets blue
Like the wind that stirs the tree
Wind that sets the leaves to swayin'
Like some violins are playin'
Weird and haunting melody
People used to love to hear her laugh, to see her smile
That's how she got her name
Since that sad affair
She's lost her smile, she's changed her style
Somehow she's not the same
But memories will fade and pretty dreams will rise up
Where her other dreams fell through
Hurry new love, hurry here
And brush away each falling tear and hold her near
When sunny gets blue
People used to love to hear her laugh, to see her smile
That's how she got her name
Since that sad affair
She's lost her smile, she's changed her style
Somehow she's not the same
But memories will fade and pretty dreams will rise up
Where her other dreams fell through
Hurry new love, hurry here
And brush away each falling tear and hold her near
When sunny gets blue
The song "When Sunny Gets Blue" by Steve Miller Band is a poignant ballad about a woman named Sunny who has experienced heartbreak and lost her joy. When Sunny gets blue, her eyes become cloudy and gray, and the rain begins to fall symbolizing her sadness. The pitter-patter of the rain is a metaphor for the heartache she feels. The lyrics suggest that she had been in love, but it has ended, and now she's alone. There's no lover man to come to call.
The second verse deepens the melancholy feeling of Sunny, where she breathes a sigh of sadness, like the wind that stirs a tree. The wind represents the feelings that are stirred up in her heart, and the leaves that sway are a metaphor for her emotions. The song speaks to the frailty of human emotions and how our lives can change suddenly. The chorus suggests that there's hope for Sunny to find love again, and when she does, it will be a cure for her sadness.
The lyrics of "When Sunny Gets Blue" are filled with metaphors, and the song is beautifully written. The melody is haunting, and the lyrics tell a story of heartbreak and hope. It's a classic ballad that has stood the test of time and remains a favorite of many.
Line by Line Meaning
When sunny gets blue
When she gets sad and lonely
Her eyes get gray and cloudy
Her eyes lose their usual brightness and become moody
Then the rain begins to fall
It starts raining and the weather reflects her mood
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter
The sound of the rain hitting the ground
Love has gone so what can matter
Since her love has left her, nothing else seems to matter
No lover man comes to call
No one comes to visit or cheer her up
She breathes a sigh of sadness
She lets out a deep sigh of sorrow
Like the wind that stirs the tree
Her sadness is as natural as the wind that moves the leaves on a tree
Wind that sets the leaves to swayin'
The wind moving the leaves creates a gentle, rhythmic swaying motion
Like some violins are playin'
Her sadness is like a haunting melody that evokes sadness
Weird and haunting melody
The melody that plays is not a happy one and is haunting her
People used to love to hear her laugh, to see her smile
Her cheerful energy was infectious and people liked to be around her
That's how she got her name
Her happy demeanor earned her a nickname that she no longer lives up to
Since that sad affair
Since the heartbreak that changed her forever
She's lost her smile, she's changed her style
She doesn't smile as much anymore and she has changed the way she carries herself
Somehow she's not the same
Her personality and energy have changed since the heartbreak
But memories will fade and pretty dreams will rise up
The sadness will eventually pass and she will dream again
Where her other dreams fell through
Where her previous love and dreams were lost
Hurry new love, hurry here
She longs for a new love to enter her life and sweep her off her feet
And brush away each falling tear and hold her near
She wants someone to comfort her and hold her close during her sorrowful moments
When sunny gets blue
When she gets sad and lonely
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARVIN FISHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind