The Joker (Steve Miller Band song)
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"The Joker" is a song by the Steve Miller Band from their 1973 album The Joker. The song is one of two Steve Miller Band songs that feature the neologism "pompatus". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974.
More than 16 years later, in September 1990, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart after being used in a Levi's television advertisement, thus holding the record for the longest gap between transatlantic chart-toppers.
The song is sometimes misidentified by the title "Space Cowboy" because of the first line of the lyrics, which actually refer to an earlier song by that title from Miller's Brave New World album. The following lines refer to two other earlier songs, "Gangster of Love" from Sailor, and "Enter Maurice" from Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden.
"The Joker" in popular culture
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (August 2007) |
- In the "That '70s Musical" episode of That '70s Show, "The Joker" is one of the songs sung by the cast.
- In the "The Way We Was" episode of The Simpsons, Homer sings along to the song while driving.
- The Pompatus of Love is a 1996 film based on the same notable lyrics in this song.
- In the King of the Hill episode "Patch Boomhauer", where everybody was flashingback to everyone's bachelor party, this song was playing in the background.
- In a joke by stand-up comedian Frank Caliendo.
- In Friends episode The One with the Embryos, during a quiz it turns out that Joey used to have an imaginary friend called Maurice, who was a space cowboy.
- David Letterman once did a Top 10 list of Rejected Batman villains. Included in the list were The Joker's brothers, The Smoker and The Midnight Toker (a reference to the line: I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker...).
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Cover versions
"The Joker" has been covered by:
- k.d. lang on her album Drag on which all the songs have the theme of smoking or cigarettes;
- The rap duo Twiztid on the album Cryptic Collection 3;
- In a mashup song performed by Jason Mraz and included Everything I Own, performed by Chrissie Hynde. Is part of the soundtrack for Happy Feet.
- It was also covered live by The Smashing Pumpkins, and the recording can be found on the Mashed Potatoes box set.
- Fatboy Slim reworked the song on his 2004 album Palookaville.
- It is sampled in Shaggy's song "Angel".
- Tim McGraw during the Soul2Soul 2007 tour with Faith Hill
- Keith Urban during his Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing 2007 tour with The Wreckers -- August 18th, 2007.
- Spearhead on the compilation CD Hempilation 2.