Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967-8 in San Franci… Read Full Bio ↴Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967-8 in San Francisco, California, USA. The band features Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of (mainly) mid-1970s hit singles that continue to be staples of the classic rock radio format.

Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that 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.

In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs 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 with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.

In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.

Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.

Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.

John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.

Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.

Born to Be Blue
Steve Miller Band Lyrics

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Some folks were meant to live in clover
But they are such a chosen few, chosen few
And clover being green
Is something I've never seen
Cause I was born to be blue

When there's a yellow moon above me
They say there's moonbeams I should view, I should view

But moonbeams being gold
Are something I can't behold
Cause I was born to be blue

When I met you
The world was bright and sunny
When you left the curtain fell
I'd like to laugh
But nothing strikes me funny
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well

I guess I'm luckier than some folks
Woo woo woo
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
And that alone is more than I was created for
Cause I was born to be blue

When I met you
The world was bright and sunny
When you left the curtain fell
I'd like to laugh
But nothing strikes me funny
Now my world's a faded pastel, oh well

I guess I'm luckier than some folks
I've known the thrill of lovin' you, lovin' you
And that alone is more than I was created for

Cause I was born to be blue
Woo woo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Steve Miller's song Born To Be Blue are a reflection of the singer's innate experiences of life. The first verse implies that some people are lucky enough to live a comfortable and easy life, while others, like the singer, are not. The metaphor of "clover" being green is used to express this idea, which the singer says is something he has never seen. The subsequent verse establishes the same idea with "moonbeams," where the singer laments that he is unable to appreciate their beauty solely because he is "born to be blue." The singer is sorrowful that he is unable to enjoy the happiness that eludes him and that his entire world is a pale shadow of what it should be.

However, the final verse seems to hint at the possibility of consolation. The singer acknowledges that he has loved someone and experienced joy in that love, even if that happiness was temporary. The singer is grateful for that experience, and the memory of it provides solace after his beloved has left him. Despite this, the verse stands in stark contrast to the earlier sections, which emphasise the singer's basic sadness. The difference suggests a glimmer of hope, which the singer will take in his life.

In conclusion, Steve Miller's "Born To Be Blue" expresses a feeling of sadness and melancholy. He marvels at the lives of others, who seem to be "living in clover" while he is "born to be blue," unable to appreciate the beauty of the world around him. Despite this, he acknowledges that he did find love at some point, which he holds onto as his world fades away.

Born to Be BlueSteve Miller Band Lyrics

Born to Be Blue
Steve Miller Band Lyrics