Steve Miller (born October 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Steve Miller (born October 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer, best known for his work leading the Steve Miller Band.

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.

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Steve Miller Lyrics

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Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
Zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine
Heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

Zip-a-dee-ay
Zip-a-dee-ay
Zip-a-dee-ay
Zip-a-dee-ay

Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual
Everything is satisfactual

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
Zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling

Wonderful day
Wonderful day
Wonderful day
Wonderful day

Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual
Everything is satisfactual

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
Zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling

Wonderful day
Wonderful day
Wonderful day
Zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful day
Zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful day
Zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful day
Zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful day
Zip-a-dee-ay

Overall Meaning

The song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" by Steve Miller is a joyous ode to the simple pleasures of life. This song has a catchy melody and simple lyrics that express the joy and wonder of experiencing a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. The singer describes how everything seems perfect and wonderful as he sings "My, oh my, what a wonderful day." This simple chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, creating a sense of celebration and joy. The singer explains that he has a sense of contentment and that he feels like he has everything he needs because "Mr. Bluebird is on my shoulder." This bird is a symbol of happiness and represents the carefree attitude of the singer.

The message of this song is one of positivity and hope. The singer is thankful for the beautiful day and the good things in his life. The repetition of the chorus acts as a reminder to appreciate the small things in life and to always look for the silver lining. The song encourages listeners to find joy in even the simplest things and to enjoy life to its fullest.

Line by Line Meaning

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
Expressing joy and happiness

Zip-a-dee-ay
Repeating the joyful exclamation

My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Expressing gratitude for a great day ahead

Plenty of sunshine
Anticipating a bright and sunny day

Heading my way
Expressing optimism about the future

Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder
Feeling lucky and blessed with good fortune

It's the truth, it's actual
Confirming the reality of the present moment

Everything is satisfactual
Expressing contentment and satisfaction

Wonderful feeling
Being overwhelmed with happiness

Wonderful day
Celebrating a great day spent

Zip-a-dee-ay
Repeating the joyful exclamation