Steve Miller cracks the stack once again.
We've got to get down to Swingtown.
“The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band (SMB) was the 8th song pulled from The Big Stack of 45s and now “Swingtown” b/w “Winter Time” becomes the 21st.
It’s obvious that my wife loved her some Steve Miller back in her early middle school days. A lot of people did, because Steve Miller understood how to navigate at the intersection of Tuneful Pop and Gently Rocking. It made him a favorite on both FM and AM stations, greatly increasing the reach and enduring popularity of his music.
Was It A Hit?
“Swingtown” was the third single from the SMB’s highly successful 1977 album Book of Dreams, which spent 22 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at #2 on the chart dated October 15, 1977.1
“Swingtown” followed the chart success of “Jet Airliner” and “Jungle Love.” All 3 of the singles hit the Top 20, with “Jet Airliner” being the biggest hit. “Swingtown” reached #17, making it one of the 7 SMB songs to hit the Top 20. The band had one more big hit, “Abracadabra”, which landed at #1 about 5 years later.
Let’s Take A Listen
This song has something a bit unusual for a big-time 70s radio hit—a long introduction. Now, we’re not talking “Love Lies Bleeding” long, but it is more than 40 seconds until the vocals hit on “Swingtown.” At this point the SMB’s music was crafted to be popular on both Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) stations as well as Top 40, so the longish intro was a feature, not a bug.
The song is based around a simple melody that is quite catchy—a good thing, since it is repeated throughout the song … first through Steve’s vocalizations and later in a synth solo.
It’s a slick and glossy sound that—even more than our earlier stack selection “The Joker”—is miles away from the Chicago-influenced electric blues and “Bay Area freakout” music2 the band played early in their career.
What About the B Side?
“Winter Time” is a lovely, delicate song about the sadness and loneliness brought about by the coming of winter (and, by extension the decay, loss and grief that accompanies it.) Melodically, it seems almost to be an “answer song” to The Mamas and the Papas “California Dreaming.”
Steve sings the opening words “In the winter time” to the tune of “All the leaves are brown.” It’s too obvious to be a coincidence, but it’s absolutely fitting that Miller’s ruminations on the coming of winter are placed in the memorable frame created by John Phillips.
Interesting Factoid
The song “Swingtown” has long been a staple of the University of Wisconsin marching band—fitting, as Miller was a Badger before starting on his musical odyssey.
Post-Script: The Stack So Far
1. Bo Donaldson and the Heywood’s “Billy Don’t be a Hero”
2. Diana Ross “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)”
3. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”
4. Jim Croce “Time in a Bottle”
5. Wings “Venus and Mars Rock Show”
6. Coven “One Tin Soldier” (The Legend of Billy Jack)
7. The Carpenters “Yesterday Once More”
8. Steve Miller Band “The Joker”
9. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band “Blinded By The Light”
10. Michael Jackson “Ben”
11. Don McLean “American Pie”
12. Three Dog Night “Shambala”
13. The Spinners “The Rubberband Man”
14. Jim Stafford “Spiders and Snakes”
15. Michael Murphey “Wildfire”
16. Diana Ross “Last Time I Saw him”
17. Rose Royce “Car Wash”
David Downing “The Love Theme Loose Shoes”
Chic “Le Freak”
Helen Reddy “Angie Baby”
21. Steve Miller Band “Swingtown”
Next up: An epic Motown smash that (sadly) remains as relevant today as when it was first released.
Book of Dreams may have very well hit the top spot were it not for the irresistible force that held it out: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.
My term, although I’m sure some real music critic has used it as some point.
Steve's bay area freakout period is well documented in a still -available double LP called the Steve Miller Anthology. It has a ton of worthwhile songs, including one with a breathtaking piano solo by Nicky Hopkins.
listen to this cover - Josh Turner does interesting variations on songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K32Fuxh8WAo