When Mars' mother died in 1958, the older family members settled in Florida, while Johnny and his younger brother went to live in New Paltz, N.Y. After he graduated from high school, he played club shows around New York and recorded with his band Burning Bush for Mercury Records.
In the mid-1960s, Mars moved to San Francisco, where he met Dan Kennedy and formed the Johnny Mars Band, playing clubs and festivals in northern California, as well as shows for rock promoter/impresario/producer Bill Graham.
However, Mars could not seem to expand his audience much in San Francisco. After hearing about the greener pastures across the pond from his friend Rick Estrin of Little Charlie and the Nightcats, he toured England in 1972. There, he recorded a couple of albums, eventually moving to West London in 1978. Working with producer Ray Fenwick, who also worked with Spencer Davis and Ian Gillan, Mars met with success on the much praised album, Life On Mars.
In 1991, Mars became a featured soloist with the British New Wave pop group Bananarama. The group used him on their singles "Preacher Man," "Megalomaniac," and "Long Train Running," and he appeared in the group's video of "Preacher Man." Through the 1990s, Mars retained his strong European fan base, and he enjoys particularly strong followings in Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia. Critics there have called him "the Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica." Over the years, Mars has shared bills with Hendrix (before he was well-known) and Magic Sam.
In 1992, after a long absence from the Bay Area blues scene, owing to his new foothold in England and the rest of Europe, Mars was invited to play at the San Francisco Blues Festival. Mars' 1994 U.S. release for MM&K Recordings, Stateside with Johnny Mars, features brilliant, original, topical compositions and superb, unique harmonica playing, unfettered by the standard Chicago blues conventions.
Imagination
Johnny Mars Lyrics
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Can you tell me what you see
There's a thousand voices whispering
Songs and you're the melody
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
Many, many days our shadows passed
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
Set the morning light
And that morning light is you
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
The beauty we both can see
You're the dream I prayed would come along
To make my fantasy
Day and night you live inside my heart
You're the flame of love to me
The lyrics in "Imagination" by Johnny Mars are a beautifully crafted ode to the power of imagination and the potential that it has to shape our reality. The song opens with an invitation to a "magic mirror" to search the heart of the singer, asking it to reveal what it can see. The answer comes in the form of a thousand voices whispering songs, with the singer's heart as their melody.
The rest of the song proceeds to paint a picture of the singer's imagined reality with the object of their affection. Throughout the lyrics, the singer imagines a bright horizon, the morning light, and a flame of love. They speak of the power of imagination to create beauty and ecstasy, and how it allows them to conceive of a world where they are with the one they love.
Ultimately, the song is about the transformative power of love and the imagination. It's a reminder that we have the ability to shape our lives and our realities, through the power of our thoughts and beliefs. By imagining a world where love and beauty prevail, we can ultimately create a reality that matches this vision.
Line by Line Meaning
Magic mirror come and search my heart
Johnny Mars wants to look into his heart and see what he truly desires.
Can you tell me what you see
Johnny Mars is asking the magic mirror for a truthful reflection of his heart.
There's a thousand voices whispering
Johnny Mars hears many different thoughts and emotions within himself.
Songs and you're the melody
Amidst all those thoughts and emotions, Johnny Mars feels drawn towards a specific person.
So I imagine my heart with you
Johnny Mars uses his imagination to see himself with the person he desires.
See what imagination can do
Johnny Mars believes that imagination has the power to create amazing things in his life.
It's not hard to conceive
Johnny Mars finds it easy to believe in his own imagination.
Love ecstasy imagining you with me
Johnny Mars feels immense joy and pleasure when he imagines being with the person he desires.
Many, many days our shadows passed
Johnny Mars has spent a long time hoping for a brighter future.
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
Johnny Mars has a vision of a better life for himself and the person he desires.
Set the morning light
This vision brings optimism and positivity to Johnny Mars's life.
And that morning light is you
The person Johnny Mars desires is the source of his positivity and hope.
So I imagine my heart with you
Johnny Mars continues to imagine himself with the person he desires.
See what imagination can do
Johnny Mars once again emphasizes the power of imagination.
It's not hard to conceive
Johnny Mars continues to find it easy to believe in his imagination.
love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
Johnny Mars and the person he desires can both experience immense love and pleasure together.
The beauty we both can see
Through their love and imagination, Johnny Mars and the person he desires can both see a beautiful future together.
You're the dream I prayed would come along
The person Johnny Mars desires is everything he has ever dreamed of.
To make my fantasy
This person has the power to turn Johnny Mars's fantastical dreams into a reality.
Day and night you live inside my heart
The person Johnny Mars desires occupies a constant space in his mind and heart.
You're the flame of love to me
This person is the source of Johnny Mars's intense love and passion.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANKA WOLBERT, RONNIE MOERINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind