‘Jet Airliner’ is a song composed by Paul Pena in 1973 and popularized by the Steve Miller Band in 1977. Pena wrote and recorded ‘Jet Airliner’ in 1973 for his New Train album. However, New Train was not released until 2000, due to conflicts between him and his label. Steve Miller heard Pena's unreleased New Train album through Ben Sidran, who produced it, and who was formerly in Miller's band. Miller recorded ‘Jet Airliner’ in 1975 during sessions for the Fly Like an Eagle album, but the song was not released until 1977, when it was included on Miller's Book of Dreams album.
Pena's version runs 5:42 and has five verses. Miller set out to make the song a hit, so he cut it down to 3:20 for the single (the album version runs 4:25) and excised two verses, adding some extra repetitions of the chorus at the end. He kept the distinctive guitar riff, the ear-catching chorus, and the memorable line, "You got to go through hell before you get to heaven." The lyrics of the Steve Miller Band version are slightly different from the Pena original. Miller's performance of the main riff also is slightly different from Pena's original, which has a funkier edge to it. Miller changed some of Pena's original lyrics to make them more cliché, and thus more radio-friendly. For instance, "my home land is so far away" became "my love light seems so far away," and "but I couldn't seem to quite get it down" turned into "the big wheel keeps on spinnin' around."
The song is also notable for helping to popularize the phrase "keep on keepin' on", previously found in John Lennon's song ‘Old Dirt Road’ (1974) and Bob Dylan's songs ‘You Ain't Goin' Nowhere’ (1971) and ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ (1975). The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart. In Canada, the song spent two weeks at No. 3.
On classic rock radio, Miller's "Jet Airliner" is generally played in tandem with "Threshold", the all-synthesizer instrumental that precedes it on Book of Dreams and the Greatest Hits 1974–78 compilation. Cash Box said that it "has the best of Miller's past and present, including impeccable harmonies and a deep guitar arrangement that pumps along steadily."
Labels – Mercury Records/ Capitol Records
Songwriter – Paul Pena
Producer – Steve Miller
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Leavin' home, out on the road
I've been down before
Ridin' along on this big ol' jet plane
I've been thinkin' about my home
But my love light seems so far away
And I feel like it's all been done
Somebody's tryin' to make me stay
You know I've got to be movin' on
[Chorus]
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
Don't carry me too far away
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
'Cause it's here that I've got to stay
[Verse 2]
Goodbye to all my friends at home
Goodbye to people I've trusted
I've got to go out and make my way
I might get rich, you know, I might get busted
But my heart keeps calling me backwards
As I get on the 707
Ridin' high, I got tears in my eyes
You know you got to go through hell
Before you get to heaven
[Chorus]
Big ol' jet airliner
Don't carry me too far away
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
'Cause it's here that I've got to stay
[Verse 3]
Touchin' down in New England town
Feel the heat comin' down
I've got to keep on keepin' on
You know the big wheel keeps on spinnin' around
And I'm goin' with some hesitation
You know that I can surely see
That I don't want to get caught up in any of that
Funky shit goin' down in the city
[Chorus]
Big ol' jet airliner
Don't carry me too far away
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
'Cause it's here that I've got to stay
[Chorus]
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
Don't carry me too far away
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
'Cause it's here that I've got to stay
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Chorus]
Big ol' jet airliner
Don't carry me too far away
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
'Cause it's here that I've got to stay
[Outro]
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
Carry me to my home
Oh, oh, big ol' jet airliner
'Cause it's there that I belong
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Big ol' jet airliner