As soon as you hear the intro drumbeat of The Joker, it’s guaranteed you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing, “Some people call me the space cowboy”. But unless you’re a devoted Steve Miller Band fan, you’re probably unaware that “space cowboy” refers to the song Space Cowboy from the band’s 1969 Brave New World album. You may also be unaware that The Joker was not an instant classic around the world, despite it being perfectly made for the radio-friendly three-minute pop song. The Joker, the Steve Miller Band’s most famous song by far, has had a strange journey since it was released in 1973.
The Sixteen Year Gap
Sure, some songs are more well known in the United States than they are in the United Kingdom and vice versa, but most classic songs tend to hit their peak at the same time in the two countries that lead the way in modern popular music. However, despite The Joker topping the US Billboard charts, it took a whopping sixteen years for the song to become number one in the UK charts, therefore making it the record-holder for the longest gap between transatlantic chart-topping songs. Stranger still is the fact that the song only reached number 86 in the Billboard charts upon its first release in October 1973. It was only upon its re-release in early 1974 that it topped the US charts and went on to be a huge success in other countries.
Despite reaching number one in the United States and top-twenty chart positions in countries like Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands, The Joker failed to chart in the United Kingdom in 1974, and some other countries like Norway. It had everything going for it, too! Even the name was cool. After all, “the joker” is still a much-used name in popular culture, ranging from the fun mystery joker slot game to the phenomenal 2019 movie The Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix. The fact that the Steve Miller Band’s The Joker did not chart in the UK in 1974 is also rather unbelievable seeing as the song had loads of airplay on Radio 1 and other stations at the time. The Steve Miller Band did not even gain a place on the UK charts until 1976; with the song Rock ‘n Me.
The Gangster of Love Song Becomes Beloved in Britain in the ‘90s
Finally, in 1990, The Joker became just as popular in the UK as it had been for the previous sixteen years in the rest of the world. Of course, British Steve Miller Band fans knew of and loved The Joker, but the song was about to gain mainstream attention. The reason was the song’s inclusion in a TV advertisement. The ad in question was for Levi’s. The brand had become synonymous with classic songs, like Stand by Me and I Heard It Through the Grapevine, and The Joker fitted the ad campaign like a good pair of jeans. The Hugh Johnson-directed advert, called The Great Deal, was a phenomenal hit and brought The Joker to a new generation of music lovers. It hit the number one spot in the UK charts in September 1990 and also became a number one hit in many other countries in 1990 and 1991.
The Joker Becomes Number One Again!
Stranger still, eleven years after The Joker finally topped the UK charts, the song reached number one again; in the form of a sample. It was used by Shaggy on his amazing Angel of the Morning number one hit, which reached the top of the UK charts in June 2001. The Joker has since been covered by numerous other artists, including KISS’s former lead guitarist Ace Frehely, Everclear, and Fatboy Slim.
