Monday, March 9, 2015

The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker"

A few months ago, I listened to the only Steve Miller Band album I have - Greatest Hits 1974-1978.  A line in "The Joker" sounded familiar to me:  "I really love your peaches; wanna shake your tree."  It took me months to actually place it, but I'm fairly certain that it comes from Jerry Lee Lewis' version of Carl Perkins' "Matchbox."

I listened to and transcribed Carl Perkins' version (from 1956), but I didn't find that phrase in it.  However, it is in Lewis' (from 1958):
Well, if you don’t like my peaches, honey, please don’t shake my tree
If you don’t like Jerry’s peaches, don’t pull around on his tree
Incidentally, it's also in the Beatles' version (from 1964):
Well, if you don't want my peaches, honey, please don't shake my tree
If you don't want Ringo's peaches, honey, please don't mess around my tree
I don't know much about the Steve Miller Band (after all, I have only one album by them), but that phrase in "The Joker" is so similar to that in "Matchbox" that I don't think it's just a coincidence.