Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band (1977) 8/17/21

In1973, singer songwriter Paul Pena wrote a song that was destined to become a "Great Song of 1977," but due to contractual problems with his record label, the song--and the album it came from--wasn't released until 27 years later, in 2000!

So how did it become a "Great Song of 1977?

Well, thanks to a few musical connections, Steve Miller was able to listen to Paul's unreleased album, and really liked the song, "Jet Airliner," so he decided to record it for his 1975 album, "Fly Like an Eagle."

Then it was bumped from THAT album to Steve's 1977 album "Book of Dreams," and when it was FINALLY released as a single, it became one of his best-known songs...and a Top 10 hit in Canada (#3) and the US (#8).

Note: The single version was quite a bit shorter than the album version, and the word "Sh*t" was replaced by the word, "Kicks." I've provided links to both below.

"Jet Airliner:" Paul Pena's problem became Steve Miller's "Great Song of 1977." Hopefully Paul's residual checks were a huge consolation. Steve Miller (Single version):

Steve Miller (Album Version):

Paul Pena (Original Version):