The Joker (Steve Miller Band song)

Miller borrowed from the hit song "Lovey Dovey", which shares the lyric, "You're the cutest thing that I ever did see / I really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree / Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, lovey dovey all the time". Ahmet Ertegun and Eddie Curtis wrote the song, and the Clovers had the highest charting version in 1954.^[3]

It is one of two Steve Miller Band songs that feature the nonce word "pompatus". The first line of the lyrics is a reference to the song "Space Cowboy" from Miller's Brave New World album. The following lines refer to two other songs: "Gangster of Love" from Sailor and "Enter Maurice" from Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden. The line "some people call me Maurice / 'Cause I speak of the pompatus of love" was written after Miller heard the song "The Letter" by the Medallions. In "The Letter", writer Vernon Green made up the word puppetutes, meaning a paper-doll erotic fantasy figure;^[4] however, Miller misheard the word and wrote pompatus instead.

Cash Box said that "The Joker" "is going all the way to become [Miller's] most successful release ever."^[5] Record World called it "a smooth piece that is highly reminiscent of Van Morrison" and that "could establish Miller as a potent AM act."^[6]

"The Joker" topped the UK Singles Chart upon its reissue in 1990, beating "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite. Initially, it was thought both had sold the same number, triggering a rule that, in the event of a tie, the higher position would be awarded to the single that had most increased its sales over the prior week. "The Joker", having grown its sales by 57% compared to 37% for "Groove", thus secured the top spot. It was later determined that a rounding discrepancy had caused the tie, with "The Joker" topping the charts on merit, by 44,118 to 44,110 copies.^[7]

7-inch single (1973)

1. "The Joker" – 3:36
2. "Something to Believe In" – 4:40

7-inch single (1983 – live version)

1. "The Joker" (live) – 2:55
2. "Take the Money and Run" (live) – 3:49

7-inch single (1990)

1. "The Joker" (single version) – 3:34
2. "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" – 2:27

12-inch maxi (1990)

1. "The Joker" (LP version) – 4:22
2. "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" – 2:27
3. "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma" – 5:39

CD maxi (1990)

1. "The Joker" (single version) – 3:34
2. "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" – 2:27
3. "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma" – 3:33
4. "Living in the U.S.A." – 3:59

• Steve Miller – guitar, lead vocals
• Gerald Johnson – bass, backing vocals
• Dick Thompson – organ
• John King – drums

American reggae singer Shaggy and Barbadian singer Rayvon's 2001 song "Angel" samples the bassline of the song.^[43] It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 31, 2001.^[44]

The German hip hop trio Fettes Brot covered The Joker in 2001, translated the lyrics word by word into German and changed the title to "The Grosser".^[45] It entered the German Singles Charts at December 17, 2001, stayed there for 11 weeks, and peaked at number 26.^[46]

English musician Fatboy Slim covered "The Joker" and released it as a single on February 28, 2005.^[47] This version reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart and number 29 in Ireland.^[48][49]