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.
I Wanna Be Loved
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But by only you
I wanna be loved
But by only you
Because I never had a love as true
Your kiss is so sweet
Honey your love is light
Honey your love is light
Come on and love me
Honey love me tonight
I wanna be loved
But by only you
I wanna be loved
But by only you
Because I know
I know your love is true
I wanna be loved
But by only you
I wanna be loved
But by only you
Because I never had a love as true
One interpretation of these lyrics is that the singer is expressing his desire for a deep, meaningful love with one specific person. He doesn't want just any love - he wants to be loved by only this one person. He speaks of never having had a love as true as this, suggesting that he has had past relationships that didn't measure up to what he truly wants.
The second verse suggests that this person he wants to be loved by has already shown him a taste of what could be. The kiss is sweet and the love is light, indicating a sense of happiness and positivity in the connection. He's pleading with this person to love him tonight, perhaps implying that there is a fear that this love won't be reciprocated forever, so he wants to cherish it in the moment.
The final verses repeat the desire to be loved, but with even stronger conviction. The singer knows that the love he wants can only come from this one person, and he's willing to wait for it. The repetition of "But by only you" emphasizes the exclusivity and importance of this love to him. Overall, these lyrics convey a sense of longing and hope for a true, deep connection with one specific person.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna be loved
I desire to be loved
But by only you
Exclusive love only from you is what I seek
Because I never had a love as true
I've never experienced a genuine love before
Your kiss is so sweet
Your affectionate touch is very enjoyable
Honey your love is light
Your love makes me feel free and unburdened
Come on and love me
Please express your love to me
Honey love me tonight
I wish to experience your love tonight
Because I know
I am certain
I know your love is true
I am confident that your love is genuine
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: J. REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind