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Cover of The Joker by Steve Miller Band
Cover: The Joker

Song · Steve Miller Band

“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band

From the album The Joker (1973)

“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band appears on 98 radio countdowns from 33 stations between 1991 and 2026. It was first released in 1973 on the album The Joker. Its best result is #9 on the KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,274 alternative song of all time.

98countdowns
33stations
#9best position
0#1 finishes
2top 10 finishes
1991–2026years charted

Watch

Steve Miller Band - The Joker (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (SteveMillerBandVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

The title track of The Joker, the eighth studio album from the Steve Miller Band, "The Joker" slipped out as a single in October 1973 and climbed all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 early the next year. It's a lazy, sly strut: Miller's lead vocal drawls over Gerald Johnson's rubbery bass and John King's easy drums, while his slide guitar lets out long, wolf-whistle slurs between the lines.

Miller produced it himself and shares the writing credit with Eddie Curtis and Ahmet Ertegün. The song got a second life in 1990, when a Levi's TV commercial sent it to number one in Britain for two weeks, keeping Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart" out of the top spot and stirring up a fuss; it went to the top in Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands too.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 219 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 37 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 80 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 49 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 211 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 101 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 15 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 145 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 53 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 82 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 20 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2001 1639 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 84 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2002 9 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 258 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 19 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 140 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 424 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 459 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 834 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2011 270 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 37 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 10 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 37 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 791 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 157 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 18 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 402 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 157 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 17 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 20 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 513 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 233 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 23 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 156 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 155 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 342 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 42 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 82 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 77 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 169 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 31 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 45 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 136 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 177 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 31 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 177 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 35 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 211 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 136 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 287 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 37 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 227 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 116 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 35 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 32 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 873 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 38 97.1 The River River 500 (2020) 47
2021 296 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 80 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 107 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 318 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 47 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 27 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 89 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2022 282 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 456 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 56 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 107 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 179 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 81 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 24 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 55 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 23 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2023 56 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 49 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 352 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 296 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 101 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 390 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 417 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 18 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 446 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 11 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 45 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 584 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 335 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 108 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 251 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 55 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 381 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 39 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 27 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 370 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 108 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2026 110 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 62 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 42 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: the Joker.

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