He Never Thought It Would Be a Hit
Miller said that he never thought The Joker would become a hit. He was simply up for the challenge of creating a Top 40 radio hit that would also have to follow a soul disco symphony. He thought of it like a game – “like a crossword puzzle” – that needed to have some soul and substance to it.
Source: Twitter
Even though Miller wasn’t convinced it was “the one,” Capitol Records did. They chose to make the track the lead single of the album of the same name. Miller recalls playing the song for the label execs and them literally standing up and saying, “That’s a hit!”