The 30 Best Steve Miller Band Songs, from Space Cowboy to Abracadabra

What is the Steve Miller Band's most famous song?

"The Joker" is the Steve Miller Band's most famous song, a laid-back 1973 number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rock'n Me" and "Abracadabra" also went to number one, and "Fly Like an Eagle", "Take the Money and Run" and "Jet Airliner" are classic rock radio staples.

The Steve Miller Band's biggest hits

1. "The Joker", 1973: a slinky number one that nods to characters from his earlier songs.
2. "Rock'n Me", 1976: a number one rocker with a riff inspired by Free's "All Right Now".
3. "Abracadabra", 1982: a number one pop hit with a hypnotic synth groove.
4. "Fly Like an Eagle", 1976: a spacey, funky number two hit about freedom and change.
5. "Take the Money and Run", 1976: a number 11 story song about two young outlaws on the run.
6. "Jet Airliner", 1977: a number eight hit written by Paul Pena.
7. "Swingtown", 1977: a number 17 hit from Book of Dreams.
8. "Jungle Love", 1977: a number 23 single with a driving beat.
9. "Space Cowboy", 1968: a psychedelic blues rocker from Brave New World.
10. "Living in the U.S.A.", 1968: an energetic single from Sailor.

Steve Miller Band songs of the late 60s and early 70s

11. "Gangster of Love", 1968: their take on the Johnny "Guitar" Watson song, from Sailor.
12. "Quicksilver Girl", 1968: a dreamy, gentle love song from Sailor.
13. "My Dark Hour", 1969: a single recorded with Paul McCartney on bass and drums.
14. "Going to the Country", 1970: a single from Number 5.
15. "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' but Trash", 1974: a cover of the R&B song by The Clovers.
16. "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma", 1973: a playful track from The Joker album.

Songs from Fly Like an Eagle (1976)

17. "Space Intro", 1976: the synthesizer opening that flows into "Fly Like an Eagle".
18. "Wild Mountain Honey", 1976: a hazy, gentle love song.
19. "Serenade", 1976: a bright, upbeat fan favorite.
20. "Dance, Dance, Dance", 1976: an acoustic, country-flavored hoedown.
21. "Mercury Blues", 1976: an electric cover of the K.C. Douglas blues song.

Songs from Book of Dreams (1977)

22. "Threshold", 1977: the synthesizer instrumental that leads into "Jet Airliner".
23. "Winter Time", 1977: a gentle, wistful song about the changing seasons.
24. "True Fine Love", 1977: an upbeat love song.

Steve Miller Band songs of the 80s and later

25. "Heart Like a Wheel", 1981: a number 24 hit from Circle of Love.
26. "Circle of Love", 1982: the title track of the 1981 album.
27. "Macho City", 1981: a sprawling, 16-minute track that fills one side of Circle of Love.
28. "Cool Magic", 1982: a follow-up single from Abracadabra.
29. "Shangri-La", 1984: a single from Italian X Rays.
30. "Wide River", 1993: the title track of their 1993 album.

Who is Steve Miller?

Steve Miller was born in Milwaukee in 1943 and grew up in Dallas, in a musical family whose friends included Les Paul, his godfather, who taught him his first guitar chords. He played the blues in Chicago before moving to San Francisco in 1966, where the Steve Miller Band became part of the city's psychedelic scene and played the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Boz Scaggs was an early member of the band; see our Boz Scaggs songs for his solo hits. The Steve Miller Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

The story behind The Joker

After several years of critically respected but modestly selling blues and psychedelic albums, Miller released The Joker in 1973, and its laid-back title track went to number one. The song nods to his earlier songs, including "Space Cowboy" and "Gangster of Love", and its lazy slide guitar and wolf whistle became instantly recognizable. In 1990 it went to number one in the UK after it was used in a Levi's jeans commercial.

Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams

Miller recorded so many songs in 1975 and 1976 that they filled two albums. Fly Like an Eagle, released in 1976, produced "Take the Money and Run", "Rock'n Me" and "Fly Like an Eagle", and Book of Dreams, from 1977, added "Jet Airliner", "Jungle Love" and "Swingtown". The hits from those two records, along with "The Joker", make up Greatest Hits 1974-78, one of the best-selling albums of all time in the US.

Abracadabra and the 80s

In 1982, almost a decade after "The Joker", "Abracadabra" gave Miller his third number one in the US and became a hit around the world. Its sleek, synth-driven groove proved he could move with the times as MTV changed pop music. The 80s also brought "Heart Like a Wheel" and the ambitious Circle of Love, and Miller kept touring for decades, playing the hits to new generations of fans.

Steve Miller and the blues

Before the hits, Steve Miller was a blues guitarist. He learned from Les Paul as a boy, played in Chicago's blues clubs in the mid-60s and brought that sound to San Francisco, where the band's early albums mixed electric blues with psychedelia. Even at the height of his pop success, he kept covering blues songs like "Mercury Blues" and "Gangster of Love", and he has remained a passionate advocate for the blues and the musicians who created it.

Steve Miller Band albums to start with

• Sailor (1968): psychedelic blues with "Living in the U.S.A." and "Quicksilver Girl".
• The Joker (1973): the laid-back breakthrough.
• Fly Like an Eagle (1976): their masterpiece, full of hits.
• Book of Dreams (1977): the companion album, with "Jet Airliner".
• Greatest Hits 1974-78 (1978): the essential collection.

Steve Miller Band songs for a road trip

Few bands are better for a drive. Open with "Jet Airliner" and "Take the Money and Run", cruise through "Rock'n Me", "Swingtown" and "Jungle Love", and save "Fly Like an Eagle" and "The Joker" for sunset. For more, see our road trip songs and songs about travel.

Steve Miller Band songs for a party or a barbecue

"The Joker", "Abracadabra", "Rock'n Me" and "Dance, Dance, Dance" are perfect for a backyard barbecue or a classic rock party, and "Take the Money and Run" always gets a singalong going. For a wedding, "Wild Mountain Honey" and "True Fine Love" are fun, unexpected choices. For more, see our 80s songs and songs about summer.

Steve Miller Band songs for a retirement or Father's Day

"Fly Like an Eagle" is a great send-off for a retirement party, and "Jet Airliner" suits anyone heading off on a new adventure. For a classic rock dad on Father's Day, "The Joker", "Rock'n Me" and "Take the Money and Run" are guaranteed smiles. For more, see our retirement songs.

A classic rock song about them

The Steve Miller Band's songs are about freedom, the open road and good times. A personalized rock song can tell the story of someone you love the same way: their name, their adventures and the memories only you two share. It makes a great birthday, retirement or Father's Day gift for a classic rock fan.

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