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Rock'n Me

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"Rock'n Me"
The European release of "Rock'n Me" by Mercury Records.
Single by Steve Miller Band
from the album Fly Like an Eagle
B-side"Mercury Blues"
ReleasedAugust 1976 (US)
  • October 1976 (UK) [1]
Recorded1976 at CBS Studios in San Francisco, California[2]
Genre
Length3:05
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Steve Miller
Producer(s)Steve Miller
Steve Miller Band singles chronology
"Take the Money and Run"
(1976) 		"Rock'n Me"
(1976) 		"Fly Like an Eagle"
(1976)
Audio
"Rock'n Me" on YouTube

"Rock'n Me" (also known as "Rock 'N Me" or "Rock 'N' Me") is a song by American rock band Steve Miller Band, released in 1976 from the band's ninth studio album Fly Like an Eagle (1976).[7] It was written by primary band leader and songwriter Steve Miller released as the second single from the album. Miller also produced the song and album.[8][3] The North American release of the single was generally credited to Steve Miller as an individual, while the European release was generally credited to the Steve Miller Band as a whole group.

The song achieved lasting commercial and critical success, with the publication Billboard labeling it "an immediate audience grabber".[8] It became the band's second #1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed at the top for one week,[9][10] it also topped the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart.[11] In later years, the song has been included in several compilation albums such as 1978's Greatest Hits 1974–78 and 1991's The Very Best of the Steve Miller Band.[3]

Composition

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Composed for a pop and rock festival atmosphere,[8] the lyrics and vocals have been labeled as having an 'every man' quality.[3] It is sung from the point of view of someone frequently traveling while keeping a positive, upbeat attitude. Locations mentioned in the song include Phoenix, Arizona; Tacoma, Washington; Philadelphia; Atlanta; and Los Angeles.

Miller has acknowledged that elements of "Rock'n Me", particularly the intro, was a nod to the English rock band Free particularly the band's hit song "All Right Now". He stated:[8]

Yeah, it's a tack on the wall for Paul [Kossoff]. I did one concert in the two years that I was off the road. I went to London and played with Pink Floyd... it was a big, huge outdoor show so we needed a big rock and roll number that was really going to excite everybody. I just put it together and didn't think much about it.

He returned to the subject in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock Nights, referring to his support slot at Pink Floyd's one-off appearance at Knebworth in June 1975:[12]

I had thought about the gig and I knew they [sic] way it was going to work was, I was going to play just before Pink Floyd... the sun would be going down, it would be really cold, there wouldn’t be any lights on the stage, it would be a lousy time ... I went, 'You know, I’m gonna kick those guys in the butt.' So what I did was, I wrote 'Rock'n Me' as a song to play at a festival, to just get it going.

Reception

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Billboard described "Rock'n Me" as a "catchy and highly humorous midtempo rocker," saying that the melody sounds like the Beach Boys and the Eagles in places.[13] Cash Box said that it "draws from the best of rock ’n' roll over the last ten years" and has "hook-filled guitar lines."[14] Record World said it has "an intro reminiscent of Free's 'All Right Now' and vocals and guitar pure Steve Miller,"[15]

In other media

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The song is a playable track in the video game Rock Band 2, and Tap Tap Revenge 3. It is featured as a radio station track in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.[16]

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1976) Peak
position
Canadian Top Singles[11] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 22
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 23
South Africa (Springbok)[19] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[20] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 1
Chart (1977) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[21] 25
West Germany (GfK)[22] 28

References

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  1. ^ "Steve Miller singles".
  2. ^ Brown, Ashley, ed. (1990). "Space Cowboy". The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Vol. 11 (Reference ed.). Marshall Cavendish. p. 1227. ISBN 1-85435-026-9.
  3. ^ a b c d Sullivan, Denise. "Rock 'N Me – Steve Miller,Steve Miller Band | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  4. ^ Smith, Troy L. (December 14, 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Evans, Paul; Scoppa, Bud (2004). "Steve Miller Band". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 542–543. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. ^ Milward, John (2013). Crossroads: How the Blues Shaped Rock 'n' Roll (and Rock Saved the Blues). UPNE. p. 16. ISBN 9781555537449.
  7. ^ Steve Miller Band – Rock'n Me, retrieved February 10, 2022
  8. ^ a b c d Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). Billboard Books. ISBN 9780823076772.
  9. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (9th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 443. ISBN 9780823085545.
  10. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Top Singles". RPM. Vol. 26, no. 7. November 13, 1976. p. 23. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  12. ^ Kielty, Martin (March 3, 2019). "The Song Steve Miller Wrote To Kick Pink Floyd 'In the Butt'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 14, 1976. p. 78. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 14, 1976. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 21, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Grand theft Auto Official Tracklist has Been Revealed". Consequence. October 2, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "Steve Miller Band – Rock'n Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. ^ "Steve Miller Band – Rock'n Me". Top 40 Singles.
  19. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  21. ^ "Steve Miller Band – Rock'n Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Miller,Steve Band – Rock'n Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
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