How Steve Miller’s “The Joker” Became a #1 Hit Twice – Thanks to a Misheard Lyric

Coming up… Steve Miller's career was on the ropes before it even started… he had 7 consecutive albums that flopped… If his next one wasn’t a hit the label was gonna get rid of him and his career would likely be over. Miller was desperate for a hit. A short time later he would write a song that he thought was just ok… The Joker. But it was hilariously unique in its lingo… with words and phrases that we still sing today, and a guitar effect that truly set it apart. Steve Miller thought The Joker would be a decent album track, whereas the suits from his label were predicting it would be a smash… It went to #1 and had a lyric that Miller has sung incorrectly for decades because he took it from another song. But he misheard it and then 16 years after it was #1 it went to the top spot again after being used in a Levi’s commercial… It's the story of The Joker, the song that gave Steve Miller his first gold record which he put above his washing machine! Find out why next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .