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'm Gone
Michael Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ever present memory of another face
I tried to make you love me,
How could I be so blind
To think I'd be the one to change your mind
And if I'm gone before you start
Well you can find me in your heart
I've waited for you too long
And if I can't hold on, I'm gone
When you came to me,
I said love will find a way
For every heart that leaves,
Another heart will stay
But I guess you couldn't see
Past the shadows in the night
It seems the time for us just wasn't right
And if I'm gone before you start
Well you can find me in your heart
Who can say if it's right or wrong
I've waited for you too long
And I can't hold on, I'm gone
And if I'm gone before you start
Well you can find me in your heart
Who can say if it's right or wrong
I've waited for you too long
And I can't hold on, I'm gone
Gone, gone, gone
I can't hold on
Gone
The song "I'm Gone," by Michael Johnson, is a sad and introspective ballad about a failed relationship. The lyrics speak of a lover who tried to win over his partner's heart, but ultimately failed to do so. The song's first verse shows the initial optimism and love that the singer feels for his significant other. However, as the relationship progresses, he realizes that his partner is still haunted by the memory of a past lover. Despite his best efforts to win her heart, he comes to accept that he cannot change her mind.
The chorus represents the singer's resignation to the fact that the relationship is ending. He acknowledges that he has waited too long for his partner to reciprocate his love and that he cannot hold on anymore. The line "Who can say if it's right or wrong" conveys the sense of ambiguity and uncertainty around the relationship's end. It is evident that the singer is deeply hurt, but he reconciles with the fact that he has done everything he could and that, in the end, he cannot force his partner to love him.
In conclusion, "I'm Gone" is a touching and emotional song about a failed relationship. It speaks of the conflicting emotions that one feels when trying to win someone's love and the pain of realizing that it may not be possible.
Line by Line Meaning
When you came to me, you said love could not erase
When we started our relationship, you told me that it would not be possible for love to erase your memories of someone else.
The ever present memory of another face
You had memories of someone else that were always present in your mind.
I tried to make you love me,
I made an effort to win your love.
How could I be so blind
But I was too blinded by my own feelings to see the truth.
To think I'd be the one to change your mind
I mistakenly believed that I could change your mind about your feelings for someone else.
And if I'm gone before you start
If I am no longer here when you come to realize your true feelings,
Well you can find me in your heart
you will always remember me somewhere in your heart.
Who can say if it's right or wrong
No one can say for sure whether it is right or wrong.
I've waited for you too long
I have waited for you for a very long time.
And if I can't hold on, I'm gone
But if I am no longer able to hold on to you, I will have to leave.
When you came to me,
When we first met,
I said love will find a way
I told you that love can overcome any obstacles.
For every heart that leaves,
For every heart that leaves a relationship,
Another heart will stay
there is always someone else who will stay and take their place.
But I guess you couldn't see
But it seems that you were not able to see
Past the shadows in the night
past the fears or doubts that we both had.
It seems the time for us just wasn't right
It seems that the timing was not right for us to be together.
Gone, gone, gone
Now I am gone, forever.
I can't hold on
I cannot continue to hold on to you.
Gone
I have left.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRIS WEBBY, ELLIOT GLEAVE, OLIVER DENE JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Otis Carter
Bought this on cassette in 1987.
Wonderful.
Jon D Upshaw
Righteously.
💥🙏🏾👏🏿
p A
RIP Michael, you were taken a little too soon! But you are never gone for me! (hope they didn't play this at his funeral)
Prime Analog Records
What feel on the bass! This guy is amazing!! Obviously a fretless bass! Sick!
Glenn Waddell
So underrated. Some of the songs on this CD did get airplay. Too bad stations like that don't exist anymore. It's all teenage pop and bad country
The Vinyl Guru
Yes!!!! This is s o underrated! Thank you for the upload honey!!! V vor victory, victor.
Victor Vintage
Omg, I didn't remember I upload this song some years ago lol. Glad you like it! I have this vinyl of 1983 and it's just one of the best Westcoast/AOR records of all times! Pure 80's California sound!
Hugs from Peru, vinyl girl!
Newberg
Thank you! 😃
Armando Gomez
Bad azz