Monday, October 17, 2005

What is "the pompatus of love"?

What is "the pompatus of love"?

OK, people. The song is NOT called "Space Cowboy." It is NOT called "Gangster of Love." Those are OTHER songs by Steve Miller, in self-referential glory worthy of a rapper or the Escape Club.

The song is ALSO not called "I'm a midnight toker," though that probably accounts for its topping the charts in the year Cheech and Chong had an actual hit (huh huh) single.

It is called "The Joker." And the other song referenced in the first verse is "Enter Maurice," in which the man who would subsequently become the world's least likely Post Office pitchman sings:

"My dearest darling, come closer to Maurice so I can whisper sweet words of epismetology in your ear and speak to you of the pompitous of love."


The spelling was mutated and someone made an entire movie out of this.

Some classic rock DJ should do the whole set: Space Cowboy, Gangster of Love, Enter Maurice, and, just when someone wonders what's the deal, hit `em with the familiarity of The Joker. And top it off with the LONG version of Jet Airliner, the one with the "Threshold" synth intro, the long jangly guitar before the lyric, and "funky shit going down in the city" instead of "funky kicks."

Anyway, turns out he stole Pompatus of Love. And got it wrong. AND he stole "really love your peaches want to shake your tree" too.

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