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.
Drops Of Water
Michael Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singin' sad autumn melodies
There's an old summer breeze
And it's blowin away
There's a cloud in my sky
There's a girl who's been on my mind
There's a tear in my eye
Drops of water, drops of water
Falling down around my feet
There's nothing but the rain in my life
Drops of water, drops of water
Falling down around my feet
There's nothing but the rain in my life
If a star falls tonight
Let it fall and with all your might
Make a wish
That there won't be any rain in your life
Drops of water, drops of water
Falling down around my feet
There's nothing but the rain in my life
Drops of water, drops of water
Falling down around my cheeks
There's nothing but the rain in my life
The lyrics to Michael Johnson's song Drops Of Water portray an individual in a melancholic state. The imagery conjured up by the lyrics captures the despair and sadness that the singer is feeling. The song's opening verse describes an autumnal setting where a bird is singing sad melodies in a tree. The setting contrasts with the summer breeze that is blowing away. The mixed emotions of autumn and summer, coupled with the sad melody of the bird, create a sense of hopelessness.
The second verse expands on this despair with the inclusion of a girl that is on the singer's mind. She is accompanied by a tear in the singer's eye, and the suggestion that rain could fall. Both of these images are metaphorical in the sense that they represent the sadness that the singer is feeling. The chorus is repetitive, with the words "drops of water" appearing multiple times. This repetition reinforces the sense of the rain falling and nothing else being present in the singer's life.
The last verse is about making a wish on a falling star that there will be no rain in life. This verse suggests that there is hope to be had and that the rain will eventually stop. Overall, the song is about a person going through a tough time but also recognizes that one can make a wish for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a bird in my tree
I am surrounded by nature and its sounds
Singin' sad autumn melodies
The bird's song reflects the current season and atmosphere
There's an old summer breeze
The wind serves as a reminder of a distant past
And it's blowin away
But that time has passed, and I am left with the present
There's a cloud in my sky
The cloud is a sign of uncertainty and hesitation
There's a girl who's been on my mind
I am preoccupied with thoughts of someone special
There's a tear in my eye
I feel sad because of something associated with that person
And I think it could rain
The tear is symbolic of potential rainfall, or more sadness
Drops of water, drops of water
The theme of the song is the presence of rain and tears
Falling down around my feet
These drops are all-consuming and surround me
There's nothing but the rain in my life
This weather metaphor represents my current emotional state
If a star falls tonight
This moment is a chance to make a wish
Let it fall and with all your might
Embrace the opportunity to make a change
Make a wish
Hope for a better future
That there won't be any rain in your life
I long for a life without sadness or tears
Falling down around my cheeks
The rain and tears have merged into one
Contributed by Alexis F. 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