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.
Tell Me All About It
Michael Franks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just body language can you blame it
My love's like a raging river
And I think you're the one to tame it
You, you're the quiet, shy type
You always whisper never shout it
Ooh, Baby, you are my type
Why don't you tell me all about it
Make you tell me all about it
That's what I'm gonna do
Till you tell me all about it
Making love till you do
Till you tell me all about it
(Musical Interlude)
Me, I'm a lousy loner
Just call my number come be near me
Me, I'm a soulful moaner
Stay chez moi so you can hear me
You, you're the quiet shy type
You always whisper never shout it
Ooh, Baby, you are my type
Why don't you tell me all about it
(Background singers repeat:
I got ways to make you, make you tell me all about it
That's what I'm gonna do, till you tell me all about it
Making love till you do, till you tell me all about it)
I got ways
I got some special ways
I got some very special ways to make you tell me
Baby, baby
(Scat)
Tell me, tell me
I got ways to make you
Make you love me
(Background singers change to:
That's exactly what I'm,
That's what I'm gonna do, till you tell me all about it
We won't stop making love,
Making love till you do, till you tell me all about it
I got some ways,
I got ways to make you, make you tell me all about it)
Ooh, tell me that you love me
Tell me all about it, Baby
(Scat)
Tell me, Baby, that you love me...
The lyrics of "Tell Me All About It" by Michael Franks tells the story of two people in love with different personalities - one spontaneous and the other reserved. The opening lines suggest how just touching each other sends shivers of excitement down their spines. The singer compares their love to a raging river, and they believe that the other person is the only one who can tame it. The singer is eager to learn more about their lover, to unlock the part of them that they keep secret and to bring them out of their shell. They want to make the other person feel comfortable enough to share everything with them.
The song is about taking things slow and building a relationship slowly, with patience and love. The singer acknowledges that they are a lousy loner, but that the presence of their lover brings a soulful moan out of them. They want to spend as much time as possible with their lover and are willing to have deep conversations and make love until the other person opens up and tells them everything they want to know. The song's smooth saxophone and laid-back rhythm enhance the romantic, seductive mood of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Love, when we touch I shiver
The feeling of love is so powerful that even a simple touch can evoke shivers and excitement.
Just body language can you blame it
Nonverbal cues and expressions play a huge role in expressing love and attraction.
My love's like a raging river
The emotion of love is intense and overwhelming, like a powerful force of nature.
And I think you're the one to tame it
The recipient of the love is seen as the one who can calm and control the strong emotions felt by the person in love.
You, you're the quiet, shy type
The person being addressed is introverted and not prone to being loud or expressive with their emotions.
You always whisper never shout it
The person being addressed is also characterized as someone who speaks softly and subtly.
Ooh, Baby, you are my type
The person being addressed is someone who the singer feels a strong physical and emotional attraction towards.
Why don't you tell me all about it
The artist wants to know more about the person being addressed, including their feelings and thoughts about love.
I got ways to make you
The artist has a plan and strategies to elicit and encourage the person being addressed to reveal their feelings about love.
Make you tell me all about it
The artist wants the person being addressed to be candid and honest about their feelings and beliefs regarding love.
That's what I'm gonna do
The singer is committed to their plan and strategy to entice and encourage the person being addressed to share their thoughts.
Till you tell me all about it
The artist won't stop until the person being addressed opens up and shares their thoughts about love.
(Musical Interlude)
An instrumental break in the song.
Me, I'm a lousy loner
The singer describes themselves as someone who is bad at being alone.
Just call my number come be near me
The singer desires companionship and wants the person being addressed to be close to them.
Me, I'm a soulful moaner
The artist describes themselves as someone who expresses their emotions vocally and audibly.
Stay chez moi so you can hear me
The person being addressed is invited to stay with the artist to hear their soulful expressions.
I got some special ways
The singer has something unique and effective up their sleeve when it comes to getting the person being addressed to share their thoughts and feelings.
I got some very special ways to make you tell me
The singer is confident in their abilities to encourage and elicit honesty from the person being addressed.
(Scat)
Non-lexical vocalizations used to express emotion and improvised melodies.
Tell me that you love me
The artist wants to hear the person being addressed express their love.
Tell me all about it, Baby
The artist wants the person being addressed to open up about their emotions, thoughts, and beliefs about love.
Contributed by Grace E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tia Adab
Love, when we touch I shiver
Just body language can you blame it
My love's like a raging river
And I think you're the one to tame it
You, you're the quiet, shy type
You always whisper never shout it
Ooh, Baby, you are my type
Why don't you tell me all about it
I got ways to make you
Make you tell me all about it
That's what I'm gonna do
Till you tell me all about it
Making love till you do
Till you tell me all about it
(Musical Interlude)
Me, I'm a lousy loner
Just call my number come be near me
Me, I'm a soulful moaner
Stay chez moi so you can hear me
You, you're the quiet shy type
You always whisper never shout it
Ooh, Baby, you are my type
Why don't you tell me all about it
(Background singers repeat:
I got ways to make you, make you tell me all about it
That's what I'm gonna do, till you tell me all about it
Making love till you do, till you tell me all about it)
I got ways
I got some special ways
I got some very special ways to make you tell me
Baby, baby
(Scat)
Tell me, tell me
I got ways to make you
Make you love me
(Background singers change to:
That's exactly what I'm
That's what I'm gonna do, till you tell me all about it
We won't stop making love
Making love till you do, till you tell me all about it
I got some ways
I got ways to make you, make you tell me all about it)
Ooh, tell me that you love me
Tell me all about it, Baby
(Scat)
Tell me, Baby, that you love me...
Reverend Raymond L Johnson Jr
📀✨When I was introduced to Michael Franks, it was instant satisfaction. I fell in love with his voice, background voices. And the instrumental was pure genius. I have every thing I could possibly find of Michael Franks. And it's all good, absolutely perfect. My dream, is to see him live. I'M GETTING CLOSE!!, now that I live in New York, I know, praying to God, that I will see him. God bless you Micheal Franks, keep on keeping on✨🎶🎶🎶👍
Diana Cobb
I absolutely love Michael Frank's music. When I listen to His lyrics its so amazing it's like you're included in his experiences. Beautiful soul
Burt472
Same here....A greeting from Italy
Royston Taylor
Been listening to Michael for 40 years...a class performer and songwriter.. Voice like an angel
Clarence Crawley
an underrated performer. class. timeless.
vbuster281
But he always stayed true to himself 💓💓💓
Cathi Young
There's so much passion in his lyrics no matter what he songs. 🎶🎵💕
CM H
This song is insane! Love it!!!
Pamela Vaughn
first heard of him in the early 80's. . . it still sounds good!
Just A Cup
I love this song..... from an era where musicianship was at its finest.