Franks grew up in southern California with his father Gerald, his mother Betty and younger sister Christine who is the mother of Connor Sullivan (The lead singer of The Royal Nonesuch). Although no one in his family played music, his parents loved swing music and his early influences included Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer. At age 14 Franks bought his first guitar, a Japanese Marco Polo for $29.95 with six private lessons included - the only music education that he received.
At University High in Irvine, Franks discovered the poetry of Theodore Roethke with his off-rhymes and hidden meter. In high school, he began singing folk-rock, accompanying himself on guitar. Studying English at UCLA Michael discovered Dave Brubeck, Patti Page, Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Miles Davis. He never studied music in college or later, but earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in comparative literature in 1966 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 1968. He had a teaching assistantship in a Ph.D. program in American literature at the University of Montreal before returning to teach part-time at UCLA.
During this time Franks started writing songs, starting with the antiwar musical Anthems in E-flat starring Mark Hamill. He also composed music for the films Count Your Bullets, Cockfighter, and Zandy's Bride, starring Liv Ullmann and Gene Hackman. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee recorded three of his songs, including "White Boy Lost in the Blues" on their album Sonny & Brownie. Franks played guitar, banjo and mandolin on the album and joined them in touring. In 1973, he recorded an eponymous album, later reissued as Previously Unavailable, which included the minor hit "Can't Seem to Shake This Rock 'n Roll".
In 1975 Franks released his second album The Art of Tea, beginning a long relationship with Warner Brothers Music. The Art of Tea featured Joe Sample, Larry Carlton and Wilton Felder of The Crusaders and included the hit song "Popsicle Toes". His third album, Sleeping Gypsy (1977), which includes the song "The Lady Wants to Know", was partially recorded in Brazil. Around this time, percussionist Ray Armando gave Franks a cabasa, which became a signature instrument for him to play on stage when he was not playing guitar. Burchfield Nines (1978), which includes the song "When the Cookie Jar Is Empty", reflects his move to New York City and features more of an East Coast sound. Since then, Franks has recorded more than 15 albums.
His best known works include "When I Give My Love to You", "Popsicle Toes", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "Tiger in the Rain", "Rainy Night in Tokyo", and "Tell Me All About It". His biggest hit came in 1983 with "When Sly Calls (Don't Touch That Phone)" from the album Passionfruit. Radio hits include "Your Secret's Safe With Me" from 1985's Skin Dive, and "Island Life" from 1987s The Camera Never Lies.
Don't Be Shy
Michael Franks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
More profound than words can say
I would walk a mile to be
Nearer to you night and day
All the signals that you send
Broadcast with your silent eyes
Surely seem to recommend
Every time I see your face
Lovely Leonardo lines
All my fears just bulk erase
Into funny valentines
And until your lips are kissed
How can I complete my song
I'm afraid I must insist
Love is never wrong
Don't be shy
Come and give your love to me
Don't be shy
You can't hide from destiny
Baby don't be shy
Jump right in and take the chance
To find romance
Just open up your heart and don't be shy
Every time our circuits cross
I can feel the energy
Solo I'm a total loss
Got to have you next to me
All this deprivation hurts
Without you I won't last long
Give me all your mega-hurts
Shock me till I'm strong
Don't be shy
Come and give your love to me
Don't be shy
You can't hide from destiny
Baby don't be shy
Jump right in and take the chance
To find romance
Just open up your heart and don't be shy
Don't be shy
Give your love to me
You can't hide from destiny
Don't be shy
Just take the chance
Find romance
Just open up your heart and don't be shy
Don't be shy
Come and give your love to me
Don't be shy
You can't hide from destiny
Baby don't be shy
Jump right in and take the chance
To find romance
Just open up your heart and don't be shy
Don't be shy
Come and give your love to me
Don't be shy
You can't hide from destiny
Baby don't be shy
Jump right in and take the chance
To find romance
Just open up your heart and don't be shy
Don't be shy
In the lyrics of Michael Franks's song Don't Be Shy, the singer expresses his overwhelming desire for someone he cares about deeply. The opening lines of the song declare the depth of the singer's feelings: "Every time you smile at me / More profound than words can say / I would walk a mile to be / Nearer to you night and day." Even though words cannot fully express the depth of the singer's emotions, his desire to be close to the person he is singing to is evident. The singer continues to describe his yearning by saying that he would rather touch the person than fantasize about them.
The singer then describes the person's appearance as being "lovely Leonardo lines," which are delicate and refined, like those found in a painting. The singer admits that in the presence of the person he cares about, all his fears disappear. The singer then declares that he cannot complete his song without that person's lips being kissed, emphasizing that their love is necessary for his music to be whole.
The chorus of the song urges the person to not be shy and to "come and give your love" to the singer. The singer recognizes that destiny will bring them together and encourages the person to take a chance on love. The song expresses the message that love is worth taking a risk for, and that when someone cares deeply for another person, they should not hold back.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time you smile at me
Whenever you smile at me
More profound than words can say
Your smile is more meaningful than any words can convey
I would walk a mile to be
I would go to great lengths to be near you
Nearer to you night and day
To be close to you at all times, day or night
All the signals that you send
All of the non-verbal cues you give off
Broadcast with your silent eyes
Are communicated through your eyes without speaking
Surely seem to recommend
Seem to suggest
We should touch not fantasize
We should act rather than just imagine
Every time I see your face
Whenever I catch sight of your face
Lovely Leonardo lines
Your facial features are as beautiful as those in a painting by Leonardo da Vinci
All my fears just bulk erase
All my fears disappear
Into funny valentines
Replaced by happy thoughts of Valentine's Day
And until your lips are kissed
Until I get to kiss your lips
How can I complete my song
I can't fully express myself until then
I'm afraid I must insist
I have to be honest and say that
Love is never wrong
There's no such thing as a wrong kind of love
Don't be shy
Don't be reluctant
Come and give your love to me
Please share your love with me
You can't hide from destiny
You can't avoid fate
Baby don't be shy
Please don't hesitate
Jump right in and take the chance
Take a risk and seize the opportunity
To find romance
To discover love
Just open up your heart and don't be shy
Be willing to be vulnerable and expose your emotions
Every time our circuits cross
Whenever we connect
I can feel the energy
I sense a powerful force
Solo I'm a total loss
Without you, I'm completely lost
Got to have you next to me
I need to be near you
All this deprivation hurts
Not having you is painful
Without you I won't last long
I won't survive without you
Give me all your mega-hurts
Share all of your pain with me
Shock me till I'm strong
Expose me to the difficult parts of life so I can grow stronger
Don't be shy
Don't hold back
Give your love to me
Share your love with me
Just take the chance
Be brave and try
Find romance
Discover love
Come and give your love to me
Please share your love with me
Contributed by Gabriel R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.