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.
Dancin
Michael Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The girl won't stay at home forever
It's time you treat her right
The lady wants to got out
Dancin' tonight, under the lights
You'd better romance her tonight,
She wants to go dancin'
So don't be late, that moon is rising
All that neon's hypnotizin'
Don't wait around too long
She'll find someone to take her
Dancin' tonight, under the lights
You'd better romance her tonight,
She wants to go dancin'
She takes you someplace
Where the blues don't last
And colors change beneath the floor
She tells the band to play her something fast
She's holding out her hand
Don't blow your only chance to take her
Dancin' tonight, under the lights
You'd better romance her tonight,
She wants to go dancin'
The lyrics to Michael Johnson’s song “Dancin’ Tonight” tell the story of a man who is urging someone else to take action and treat the woman they're interested in right. He warns them that the woman won’t stay home forever and that it's time to take her out and show her a good time. The man believes that it's now or never and that their window of opportunity will close if they don't act soon. He advises that they must not be late, and that they should not wait around too long or they'll lose the chance to be with the woman they want.
The song's chorus emphasizes the woman's desire to dance tonight, under the lights. He urges the singer to romance her, as it seems that dancing is the means by which she will feel loved and appreciated. The singer's actions are essential, as he must not blow his only chance to take her dancing. The woman takes him to a place where the blues don't last, and colors change beneath the floor. She tells the band to play something fast, and she's holding out her hand, inviting him to dance.
In summary, the song's message is clear - if he doesn't act now, the window of opportunity for romance will soon close, and he will lose his chance with the woman he desires. The song's upbeat tempo matches the sense of urgency in the lyrics, urging us all to seize the moment before it’s too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't waste time, it's now or never
Time is precious and you should act now before it's too late
The girl won't stay at home forever
The girl wants to go out and have fun, you shouldn't keep her confined at home
It's time you treat her right
You've been neglecting her, treat her with respect and show her a good time
The lady wants to got out
The woman wants to go out on a date or have some fun, you should take her out
Dancin' tonight, under the lights
The woman wants to go out dancing and have a good time
You'd better romance her tonight,
You need to show her attention and affection, sweep her off her feet
So don't be late, that moon is rising
Don't wait too long, there's no time to waste, it's getting late
All that neon's hypnotizin'
The lights and atmosphere are captivating and mesmerizing
Don't wait around too long
Take action and don't procrastinate, or she might find somebody else
She'll find someone to take her
If you're not proactive, she'll find somebody else to take her out
She takes you someplace
She's taking you to a special place
Where the blues don't last
It's a place where happiness and joy prevail over sadness
And colors change beneath the floor
The dancefloor's lights and effects create a magical and dynamic atmosphere
She tells the band to play her something fast
She wants to dance quickly and energetically
She's holding out her hand
She's waiting for you to take her hand and dance with her
Don't blow your only chance to take her
You have only one opportunity to impress her and take her out, so make it count
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL LA BOUNTY, MICHAEL JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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