Pompatus
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The word pompatus (also spelled pompitous, IPA: ['pampətus]) is used in the lyrics of Steve Miller's 1973 pop-music song "The Joker":
- Some people call me the space cowboy.
- Yeah! Some call me the gangster of love.
- Some people call me Maurice,
- 'Cause I speak of the pompatus of love.
The words "space cowboy" and "gangster of love" are both references to previous Miller songs. The "pompatus" line is also a reference to an earlier song of his, "Enter Maurice," which was recorded the previous year:
- My dearest darling, come closer to Maurice
- so I can whisper sweet words of epistemology
- in your ear and speak to you of the pompatus of love.
Although Miller claims he invented the word, all of his song-writing shows strong rhythm and blues influences, and a 1954 song called "The Letter" by the Medallions had the lines:
- Oh my darling, let me whisper
- sweet words of pizmotality
- and discuss the puppetutes of love.
The song was composed by Vernon Green as a description of his dream woman. "Pizmotality described words of such secrecy that they could only be spoken to the one you loved," Green explained. He coined the term puppetutes "to mean a secret paper-doll fantasy figure who would be my everything and bear my children."
The sheet music for "The Joker" shows the lyric as "Cause I speak of the prophetess of love". Probably Miller wrote it that way, then improvised "pompatus" during the recording session.
[edit] Pompatus in pop culture
Because of its peculiarity and seemingly nonsensical usage, the word pompatus has become a minor pop trivia icon. DJ Wolfman Jack frequently referenced the phrase and has a soundclip of him using the line within the song "Clap for the Wolfman" by The Guess Who. A 1996 movie titled The Pompatus of Love starring Jon Cryer featured four guys discussing a number of assorted topics, including attempts to determine the meaning of the phrase. Humor columnist Dave Barry frequently references the song line as a source of comedic value, particularly in his 1997 book, Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs. The line has also been mentioned in various television show gags, including The Simpsons and South Park. Pompatus is also used by Michael Ondaatje in his 2001 book, Anil's Ghost. "She loved the way the lecturer stated it, offhand, but with the air of a pompatus."
