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.
I'll Always Love You
Michael Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seems I really miss you after all
Time won't let me keep these sad thoughts to myself
I'd just like to let you know, I wish I'd never let you go
And I'll always love you
Deep inside this heart of mine
I do love you
And if you ever change your mind
I'll still, I will love you
I wish you'd never left me but love's a mystery
You can break a heart so easily
Oh the days and nights reveal how much I feel for you
Time has come for me to see how much your love has meant to me
And I'll always love you
And if you ever change your mind
I'll still, I will love you
Time like a river keeps on rolling right on by
Nothing left for me to do
So I watch the river rise
And I'll always love you
Deep inside this heart of mine
I do love you
And I'll always need you
And if you ever change your mind
I'll still, I will
And I'll still, I will love you
The lyrics of Michael Johnson's "I'll Always Love You" express the feelings of a person who is deeply in love. The song starts with the singer standing by their window and listening for their loved one's call. They reminisce about how much they miss their lover and regret letting them go. The passage of time has not made it any easier for them to keep their sad feelings to themselves.
The lyrics continue to express a sense of longing and devotion towards their loved one. They express that they will always love and need their lover, deep inside their heart. The singer recognizes that love is a mystery and is aware that hearts can be broken easily. They realize that their love for their partner has only grown with time and that they were ignorant of its depth before. The last part of the song shows the singer resigned to the fact that time waits for no one, and they cannot change what has happened. But they still profess their love, stating that if their loved one ever decides to return, they will be waiting with open arms.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing by my window, listening for your call
I am standing by the window, waiting for you to call me, because I miss you so much.
Seems I really miss you after all
It appears that I really miss you now, despite everything that has happened between us.
Time won't let me keep these sad thoughts to myself
I can't keep these sad thoughts to myself because time keeps moving forward, and I need to express myself.
I'd just like to let you know, I wish I'd never let you go
I want you to know that I regret letting you go and wish that I had never done so.
And I'll always love you
I will always love you, no matter what happens.
Deep inside this heart of mine
My love for you is deep inside my heart and will never fade away.
I do love you
I truly love you with all of my heart.
And I'll always need you
I will always need you in my life, because you are such an important part of it.
And if you ever change your mind
If you ever change your mind and want to come back to me, I will be here waiting for you.
I'll still, I will love you
No matter what happens, I will still love you and never stop loving you.
I wish you'd never left me but love's a mystery
I wish you had never left me, but I know that love is a mystery and we can't always control our feelings.
You can break a heart so easily
It is easy to break someone's heart, and my heart has been broken since you left.
Oh the days and nights reveal how much I feel for you
The passing of time has shown me how much I truly feel for you, and how much I miss you.
Time has come for me to see how much your love has meant to me
I have come to realize just how much your love has meant to me, and how much I need it in my life.
Time like a river keeps on rolling right on by
Time keeps moving forward like a river, without any regard for what has happened in the past.
Nothing left for me to do
There is nothing left for me to do but wait for you to come back.
So I watch the river rise
I watch the river rise, symbolizing the passing of time and my inability to change what has happened in the past.
And I'll still, I will love you
No matter how much time passes, I will still love you with all of my heart.
Lyrics © KAREN SCHAUBEN PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION
Written by: Eric Kaz, Tom Snow
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