Pompatus
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 epismetology: 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."
Because of its peculiarity and seemingly-nonsensical usage, the word
pompatus has managed to become something of 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 entitled
The Pompatus of Love starring
Jon Cryer featured four guys discussing a number of assorted topics, including attempting to determine the meaning of the titular 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.
*
The Straight Dope: In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?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."
