The Joker (Steve Miller Band song)

"The Joker"
Single by Steve Miller Band
from the album The Joker
B-side	"Something to Believe In"
Released	October 1973 [1]
Studio	Capitol (Hollywood) [2]
Genre	Rock
Length	4:26 (album version) 3:36 (single version)
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Eddie Curtis Ahmet Ertegun Steve Miller
Producer(s)	Steve Miller
Steve Miller Band singles chronology
"Fandango" (1972) "The Joker" (1973) "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" (1974)
Official video
"The Joker" on YouTube

Weekly charts Chart (1973–1974) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [8] 8 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [9] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [10] 18 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] 18 US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 1 Chart (1990–1991) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [13] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [14] 5 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [15] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [16] 12 France (SNEP) [17] 33 Germany (GfK) [18] 7 Ireland (IRMA) [19] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [20] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [21] 1 Norway (VG-lista) [22] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [23] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] 5 UK Singles (OCC) [25] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Position Australia (Kent Music Report) [26] 58 Canada Top Singles (RPM) [27] 50 US Billboard Hot 100 [28] 40 Chart (1990) Position Belgium (Ultratop) [29] 35 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [30] 58 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [31] 15 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [32] 19 UK Singles (OCC) [33] 24 Chart (1991) Position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [34] 62 Germany (Media Control) [35] 54 New Zealand (RIANZ) [36] 20

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [37]	3× Platinum	90,000‡
Sweden (GLF) [38]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [39]	Gold	400,000‡
United States (RIAA) [40]	6× Platinum	6,000,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notable covers and samplings

American reggae singer Shaggy and Barbadian singer Rayvon's 2001 song "Angel" samples the bassline of the song. ^[41] It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 31, 2001. ^[42]

English musician Fatboy Slim covered "The Joker" and released it as a single on February 28, 2005. ^[43] This version reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart and number 29 in Ireland. ^{[44] [45]}

References

1. Dio, Ray (October 20, 1990). "Raydio" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 42. p. 25. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
2. Nichols, Paul (December 26, 2014). "The Joker". prsformusic.com. PRS for Music. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
3. Bronson, Fred (March 31, 2001). "US Pop Stars Go 'Over' The Top". Chart Beat. Google Books: Billboard magazine. p. 94. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
4. Adams, Cecil (October 25, 1996). "In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?". The Straight Dope . Retrieved April 13, 2024.
5. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 22, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
6. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 22, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
7. "Official Singles Chart turns 70: Seven historic controversies". BBC News. November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4963a." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 1973" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
11. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
12. "The Steve Miller Band Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
13. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
14. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 38. September 22, 1990. p. IV. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
16. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN   951-31-2503-3.
17. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
18. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
19. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Joker". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
21. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
22. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker". VG-lista. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
23. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
24. "Steve Miller Band – The Joker". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
25. "Steve Miller Band: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
26. "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. December 30, 1974. Retrieved January 15, 2022– via Imgur.
27. "The Top 200 Singles of '74". RPM . Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
28. "Billboard Top 100 – 1974". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
29. "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
30. "Eurochart Hot 100 of 1990" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. 60. OCLC   29800226 . Retrieved January 15, 2020– via World Radio History.
31. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). MegaCharts . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
33. "1990 Top 100 Singles". Music Week . London, England: Spotlight Publications. March 2, 1991. p. 41.
34. "Eurochart Hot 100 1991" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved January 17, 2020– via World Radio History.
35. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved November 14, 2020.
36. "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved December 3, 2017.
37. "New Zealand single certifications – Steve Miller Band – The Joker". Radioscope. Retrieved December 19, 2024.Type The Joker in the "Search:" field.
38. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
39. "British single certifications – Steve Miller Band – The Joker". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved August 26, 2022.
40. "American single certifications – Steve Miller Band – The Joker". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 19, 2024.
41. Udovitch, Mim (February 15, 2001). "Q&A: Shaggy". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
42. "Billboard Magazine: March 31, 2001 Issue". March 31, 2001. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
43. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . February 26, 2005. p. 25.
44. "Fatboy Slim". Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
45. "Fatboy Slim Discography". Irish-charts.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021.

External links

• The Straight Dope: In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?
• Language Log: Dismortality and puppetutes—post on the etymology of "pompatus".