274:, featured four men discussing a number of assorted themes, including attempts to determine the meaning of the phrase. Jon Cryer was also a writer of the film, and describes finding out the meaning of the phrase during a phone call with Vernon Green in his autobiography "So That Happened" in chapter 22, page 217.
100:"epismetology" and "pompatus" in the lyrics of two of his other songs, "Enter Maurice" and "The Conversation", one of which is, like "The Letter", in spoken-word style.
233:
song" that included a term he misunderstood as "pompatus", and said that for years he did not know what it meant whenever someone asked him about it.
103:
The appealing oddness of the phrase "the pompatus of love" garnered a lot of attention, and inspired its use by others. For example, as the title of
96:. "The Letter" also included another original coinage, "pismotality". Presumably in homage to the Medallions' song, Steve Miller used the
154:
138:
92:
at the age of 14. Green included the word "puppetutes" in the lyrics of doo-wop song "The Letter" (1954), as performed by him and
347:
225:
88:
The word is probably a corruption of—or imagined variation on—the word "puppetutes", which was itself a coinage, originated by
216:
described words of such secrecy that they could only be spoken to the one you loved", Green explained. He coined the term
442:
77:
283:
447:
173:
256:
frequently referenced the phrase and there is a sound clip of him using the line within the song "
370:
73:
281:
frequently refers to the song line as a source of comedic value, particularly in his 1997 book
220:"to mean a secret paper-doll fantasy figure who would be my everything and bear my children".
266:
257:
104:
8:
180:) and "pompatus", both are variants of words which Miller most likely heard in a song by
389:
303:
288:
143:
33:
401:
293:
249:
185:
317:
148:
93:
364:
436:
261:
184:
called "The Letter," which was recorded by the Los
Angeles doo-wop group The
298:
253:
181:
177:
136:
Each line references a track on a previous Miller album: "Space Cowboy" on
89:
383:
308:
278:
97:
69:
271:
108:
191:
Green's "The Letter" as performed by the
Medallions had the lines:
230:
212:
Green describes the lyrics as a description of his dream woman. "
348:'In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?'
426:
172:
Although Miller claims he invented the words "epismetology" (a
369:. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. October 10, 2019.
402:"Over the Hedge by T Lewis and Michael Fry for Oct 9, 2011"
57:
51:
42:
229:
and explained that the word "pompatus" came from "an old
168:
in your ear and speak to you of the pompatus of love.
60:
54:
48:
39:
45:
36:
434:
119:The lyrics of "The Joker" include the quatrain:
366:Steve Miller Reveals How He Made Up "Pompatus"
315:. It was the subject of the October 9, 2011
165:so I can whisper sweet words of epismetology
236:
162:My dearest darling, come closer to Maurice
155:Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden
126:Yeah! Some call me the gangster of love.
132:'Cause I speak of the pompatus of love.
435:
342:
340:
338:
336:
334:
226:The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
244:Because of its peculiarity, the word
123:Some people call me the space cowboy.
248:has secured a niche in 20th century
331:
13:
158:(1972), which includes the lines:
14:
459:
420:
311:uses the word in his 2010 novel,
427:"The Joker" lyrics and biography
373:from the original on 2021-12-11.
301:uses the word in his 2006 novel
32:
152:(1968); and "Enter Maurice" on
394:
377:
357:
284:Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs
1:
324:
195:Oh my darling, let me whisper
223:In 2019, Miller appeared on
129:Some people call me Maurice,
83:
7:
10:
464:
443:Popular culture neologisms
412:– via GoComics.com.
114:
287:. 'Pompatus' is used by
270:, a 1996 film starring
385:The Pompatus of Love
267:The Pompatus of Love
258:Clap for the Wolfman
76:in his hit single "
352:The Straight Dope
291:in his 2001 book
455:
414:
413:
411:
409:
404:. 9 October 2011
398:
392:
381:
375:
374:
361:
355:
344:
289:Michael Ondaatje
277:Humor columnist
204:and discuss the
144:Gangster of Love
67:
66:
63:
62:
59:
56:
53:
50:
47:
44:
41:
38:
463:
462:
458:
457:
456:
454:
453:
452:
448:1973 neologisms
433:
432:
429:at the Tokezone
423:
418:
417:
407:
405:
400:
399:
395:
382:
378:
363:
362:
358:
345:
332:
327:
242:
198:sweet words of
139:Brave New World
117:
86:
35:
31:
17:
12:
11:
5:
461:
451:
450:
445:
431:
430:
422:
421:External links
419:
416:
415:
393:
376:
356:
346:Adams, Cecil.
329:
328:
326:
323:
318:Over the Hedge
241:
240:in pop culture
235:
210:
209:
202:
196:
170:
169:
166:
163:
134:
133:
130:
127:
124:
116:
113:
94:The Medallions
85:
82:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
460:
449:
446:
444:
441:
440:
438:
428:
425:
424:
403:
397:
391:
387:
386:
380:
372:
368:
367:
360:
353:
349:
343:
341:
339:
337:
335:
330:
322:
321:comic strip.
320:
319:
314:
313:Gator a-Go-Go
310:
306:
305:
304:Lisey's Story
300:
296:
295:
290:
286:
285:
280:
275:
273:
269:
268:
263:
262:The Guess Who
259:
255:
251:
247:
239:
234:
232:
228:
227:
221:
219:
215:
207:
203:
201:
197:
194:
193:
192:
189:
187:
183:
179:
175:
167:
164:
161:
160:
159:
157:
156:
151:
150:
145:
141:
140:
131:
128:
125:
122:
121:
120:
112:
110:
106:
101:
99:
95:
91:
81:
79:
75:
71:
65:
29:
28:
23:
22:
406:. Retrieved
396:
384:
379:
365:
359:
351:
316:
312:
302:
299:Stephen King
294:Anil's Ghost
292:
282:
276:
265:
254:Wolfman Jack
245:
243:
237:
224:
222:
217:
213:
211:
205:
199:
190:
182:Vernon Green
178:epistemology
176:of the word
171:
153:
147:
137:
135:
118:
102:
90:Vernon Green
87:
74:Steve Miller
26:
25:
20:
19:
18:
250:pop culture
214:Pizmotality
200:pizmotality
105:a 1996 film
98:nonce words
437:Categories
408:6 December
325:References
309:Tim Dorsey
279:Dave Barry
218:puppetutes
206:puppetutes
186:Medallions
174:metathesis
80:" (1973).
72:coined by
70:nonce word
16:Nonce word
272:Jon Cryer
188:in 1954.
142:(1969); "
109:Jon Cryer
107:starring
84:Etymology
78:The Joker
371:Archived
246:pompatus
238:Pompatus
208:of love.
27:Pompitus
21:Pompatus
354:, 1996.
231:doo-wop
68:) is a
149:Sailor
115:Lyrics
260:" by
146:" on
410:2017
390:IMDb
24:(or
388:at
264:.
30:) (
439::
350:.
333:^
307:.
297:.
252:.
111:.
64:/
61:s
58:ə
55:t
52:ə
49:p
46:m
43:ɒ
40:p
37:ˈ
34:/
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.