Johnson was born in the small town of Alamosa, Colorado, in the south-central part of the state; he grew up in Denver. He started playing the guitar at 13. In 1963, he began attending Colorado State University to study music but his college career was truncated when he won an international talent contest two years later. First prize included a deal with Epic Records. Epic released the song "Hills", written and sung by Johnson, as a single. Johnson began extensive touring of clubs and colleges, finding a receptive audience everywhere he went.
Wishing to hone his instrumental skills, in 1966 he set off for Barcelona, Spain, to the Liceu Conservatory, studying with the eminent classical guitarists, Graciano Tarragó and Renata Tarragó. Upon his return to the States, he joined Randy Sparks in a group called the New Society and did a tour of the Orient. When the band dissolved in 1967, he signed on with the Chad Mitchell Trio for a year, spending some of that time co-writing with another member, John Denver. The group was renamed Denver, Boise & Johnson. When the trio came to an end, Johnson made a radical departure from everything he had done previously by taking on a major supporting role in the off-Broadway production of "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris." The show visited New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago over the next year; by then, Johnson was ready to return to creating and performing his own music.
In 1971, Johnson signed with Atco Records to release his first album, There Is A Breeze, which was released in 1973 and produced by Johnson, Chris Dedrick, Peter Yarrow and Phil Ramone in New York and Toronto, Canada. Feeling this first effort wasn't a true reflection of his music (despite being a huge best seller in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area), Johnson self-produced his next LP in 1975, For All You Mad Musicians, relying more on his voice and guitar for a folk feel. He followed this up with Ain't Dis Da Life, where he added a rhythm section. With each new recording and his continued touring, his popularity was increasing. It was time to make a move on the national market.
Teaming up with Brent Maher and Steve Gibson in Nashville, Tennessee, Johnson created a two-song demo consisting of "Bluer Than Blue" and "Almost Like Being in Love" (the latter song from the Broadway musical Brigadoon). EMI America took one listen and wasted no time in signing him, quickly getting The Michael Johnson Album out in 1978. The first single, "Bluer Than Blue", became Johnson's first Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1978; the song became a chart-topping single on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Almost Like Being in Love" went to No. 91 on the R&B chart while hitting the Top 5 on the AC chart and the Top 40 on the pop chart. His next EMI album, Dialogue, provided his third big hit, "This Night Won't Last Forever" and a Gold Record for European sales of "I'll Always Love You."
Johnson recorded five albums in all for EMI and in 1985 moved over to RCA Records, where he adopted a contemporary country style that stayed compatible with his soft, mellow leanings; this shift was evident in his choice of duet partners country-pop singers Juice Newton and Sylvia. Johnson's change proved successful, as he scored five Top Ten country hits from 1986 to 1989, including the chart-toppers "Give Me Wings" and "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder." After two country albums on RCA (plus two greatest hits collections), Johnson moved over to Atlantic Records in 1991, which effectively halted his commercial momentum. He recorded sporadically in the 1990s for smaller labels. In 1995, the country music group 4 Runner scored a minor hit with the single "Cain's Blood", for which Johnson co-wrote an updated version with Jack Sundrud of Poco. Johnson also proved to be a successful writer of print when he wrote "The Solo Performer" columns for the magazine Performing Songwriter from 1993 through 1998.
In August 2007, Johnson underwent successful quadruple bypass heart surgery. A charitable organization, "Friends of Michael Johnson," was temporarily set up to help defray medical expenses.
Johnson died July 2017, at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the age of 72.
Blackmail
Michael Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the maid said you weren't home
So I came around today again
No, no, I didn't want to phone
It's rather a personal thing
You'll see what I mean
Your husband might be glad to know
Blackmail, it's just a simple case of give and take
And it's blackmail, anyone can make a small mistake
And it's blackmail, it's just another case of you give and I take
Oh what a lovely house you have
It must have cost you quite a sum
With all your maids, with all your maids
And household help to get your cleaning done
All you need are some photographs to hang upon the wall
I have some here for you to see, I'm sure you'll buy them all
Blackmail, it's just a simple case of give and take
And it's blackmail, anyone can make a small mistake
And it's blackmail, it's just another case of you give and I take
Sorry for the trouble
I know you've things to do
Let's keep it short and sweet
I'm sure we'll meet again soon
Blackmail, it's just a simple case of give and take
And it's blackmail, anyone can make a small mistake
And it's blackmail, it's just another case of you give and I take
Blackmail, blackmail
The lyrics to Michael Johnson's song "Blackmail" depict a manipulative and threatening encounter between the singer and a married woman. The singer is insistent on seeing the woman despite being told she is not home by the maid. He reveals that he has information about her past which could potentially hurt her reputation, and suggests that he could keep it a secret in exchange for certain items or favors. He also comments on her luxurious house and suggests that she buy some photographs from him.
The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes the simple concept of give and take, suggesting that the singer is willing to offer something in exchange for his silence. The tone of the song is unsettling and predatory, with the singer using his leverage over the woman to his advantage.
Overall, the lyrics explore themes of power imbalance, manipulation, and vulnerability. The woman in the song is portrayed as being at the mercy of the singer's threats, and the repeated references to give and take suggest that he sees their interaction solely as a transactional relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Came here to see you yesterday
I came to visit you yesterday
But the maid said you weren't home
But the maid told me you weren't there
So I came around today again
So I came back today
No, no, I didn't want to phone
I didn't want to call you
It's rather a personal thing
This is a personal matter
You'll see what I mean
You'll understand soon
Your husband might be glad to know
Your husband might be interested to know
Your past has not been clean
You have a questionable history
Blackmail, it's just a simple case of give and take
Blackmail is a simple exchange
And it's blackmail, anyone can make a small mistake
Anyone can be blackmailed for a small mistake
And it's blackmail, it's just another case of you give and I take
It's just another instance of me taking advantage of you
Oh what a lovely house you have
Your house is beautiful
It must have cost you quite a sum
It must have been expensive
With all your maids, with all your maids
You have a lot of maids
And household help to get your cleaning done
And help with cleaning your home
All you need are some photographs to hang upon the wall
You just need some pictures to decorate your walls
I have some here for you to see, I'm sure you'll buy them all
I have some I think you'll like to buy
Sorry for the trouble
Sorry for any inconvenience
I know you've things to do
I know you're busy
Let's keep it short and sweet
Let's make this brief
I'm sure we'll meet again soon
I'm confident we'll see each other again
Blackmail, blackmail
Blackmail
Contributed by Christian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JGold
on Dialogue
first time i heard this song, i teared up. there's something about this song's melody & lyrics that grip my heart. in a beautiful way. & i still tear up when i hear this song