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.
Read My Lips
Michael Franks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must be obvious I love you
Read my lips
It must be obvious
Read my lips
Though, I can't tell you that I love you
Read my lips
It must be obvious
Hard as I try to fight it
Anything can excite it
Merely the meeting of our eyes
It just intensifies
I soon loose my senses
I got no defenses
There ain't nothin' I can do
Except to stare at you
You got the secret combination to my heart
If you want to take it all please do
Infatuation is just tearing me apart
I don't dig secrecy
I can't wait 'til the day we're both free
It must be obvious I love you
But you know, loose talk sinks ships
Though I can't tell you that I love you
In public, read my lips
You know who's my witness
The first day at fitness
When I saw your sultry shape
And there was no escape
You set off my siren
I kept pumping iron
But all that my eyes would do
Was only stare at you
In Michael Franks's song, "Read My Lips," the singer is confessing his love for someone in a subtle, yet not-so-subtle way. The song is about the overwhelming feeling of infatuation, and the powerlessness that comes with it. The lyrics "Read my lips, it must be obvious I love you" indicate that the singer wants the recipient of his affection to understand that he is in love with them without him explicitly stating it. He acknowledges that loose talk can sink ships, which is why he can't be completely forthcoming about his feelings in public.
Franks paints a vivid picture of how the singer's emotions are triggered by the slightest things, as they're merely the meeting of their eyes. This infatuation intensifies with every meeting, and he soon loses his senses. In the next line, "I got no defenses," the singer concedes that there's nothing he can do to stop his feelings. The chorus suggests that the object of his infatuation holds the key to his heart and if they want it all, they should take it.
The singer tells us that he cannot wait for the day when they can be free to express their feelings without fear of judgment. He emphasizes again that he cannot tell the object of his affection that he loves them in public, but they should read his lips to understand his intentions. The song concludes with the singer reminiscing about the day that he saw the object of his affection at the gym. The person's sultry shape set off his siren, and he couldn't help but stare.
Line by Line Meaning
Read my lips
Pay close attention to what I am saying
It must be obvious I love you
I am in love with you, and it should be apparent
Read my lips
Listen carefully to what I am saying
It must be obvious
It should be clear and evident
Read my lips
Focus on my words
Though, I can't tell you that I love you
I am unable to verbally express my love for you
Read my lips
Pay attention to what I am trying to convey
Hard as I try to fight it
Despite my efforts to resist
Anything can excite it
Anything can trigger my feelings towards you
Merely the meeting of our eyes
Simply making eye contact with you
It just intensifies
Causes my feelings to become stronger
I soon lose my senses
I become consumed by my emotions
I got no defenses
I am defenseless against my love for you
There ain't nothin' I can do
I am unable to control my feelings
Except to stare at you
All I can do is gaze at you
You got the secret combination to my heart
You have the ability to unlock my heart
If you want to take it all please do
If you want my heart, it is yours for the taking
Infatuation is just tearing me apart
My infatuation with you is causing me emotional pain
I don't dig secrecy
I do not like keeping things hidden or secret
I can't wait 'til the day we're both free
I am looking forward to the day when we can be together openly
But you know, loose talk sinks ships
We need to keep our feelings discreet to avoid complications or harm
You know who's my witness
Someone was there to see my initial attraction towards you
The first day at fitness
The day we met at the gym
When I saw your sultry shape
When I first saw your alluring figure
And there was no escape
I was unable to avoid being drawn to you
You set off my siren
You ignited my attraction to you
I kept pumping iron
I tried to distract myself by continuing my workout
But all that my eyes would do
All I could do was keep looking at you
Was only stare at you
I couldn't stop staring at you
Contributed by Gabriella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.