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.
Conversation
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
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Tell me would you like to chat
I wanna talk to you
And we can leave it at that
I wanna speak to you
Tell me what you have to say
I wanna speak to you
Conversation
You can say what you like
Conversation
We can talk it all night
Why don't you speak to me
Don't you know how I feel
Why don't you speak to me
And tell me it's for real
I wanna speak to you
Of the pompitous of love
Epismetology
Is what I'm thinking of
Conversation
You can say what you like
Conversation
We can talk it all night
I wanna talk to you
Tell me would you like to chat
I wanna talk to you
And we can leave it at that
I wanna speak to you
Of the pompitous of love
Epismetology
Is what I'm thinking of
Conversation
You can say what you like
Conversation
We can talk it all night
The lyrics of Steve Miller Band’s “Conversation” are quite straightforward. Miller expresses his desire to talk to someone, asking if they are interested in a chat. He wants to communicate with this person every day and night, emphasizing the importance of conversation. He then questions why the person is not speaking to him, urging them to tell him their feelings and assuring that he wants to have a real conversation. The lyrics take an interesting turn when Miller speaks about “the pompitous of love” and “epismetology,” words that are not commonly used in everyday language. Miller’s intention behind their use is unclear, but they add a cryptic and mysterious quality to the song.
Overall, “Conversation” is a song about the need for communication and the importance of talking things out. Miller emphasizes that conversation can happen all night, and the listener is left with a sense of longing to talk to someone special and meaningful. The song’s use of vocabulary like “pompitous” and “epismetology” adds a layer of mystique but ultimately leaves the song open for interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna talk to you
I desire to hold a conversation with you
Tell me would you like to chat
May I know if you wish to have a conversation with me
And we can leave it at that
We can conclude after the conversation
I wanna speak to you
I long to communicate with you
Tell me what you have to say
May I know what's on your mind
Every night and every day
I want to have conversations with you continuously
Conversation
An exchange of thoughts, opinions, and information between two people
You can say what you like
Feel free to express yourself
We can talk it all night
We can engage in conversation for a long time
Why don't you speak to me
I wonder why you don't communicate with me
Don't you know how I feel
Aren't you aware of my emotions
And tell me it's for real
Please assure me that this is genuine
Of the pompitous of love
In regards to the mystical language of love
Epismetology
The study of having chance encounters
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BYRON O. THOMAS, TATEEZE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind