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 Just Can't Say No To You
Michael Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a gentle lover, you're a terrible friend
I swore I'd never get this close again
But I can't seem to stop myself from falling
You wanna come see me tonight
I gotta be strong, I know it's not right
I gotta hold on, put up some kind of fight
'Cause I just can't say no to you
Though I know I'd be better off to
But my heart won't admit that it's true
And I just can't say no to you
I guess I never understood
That something so wrong could seem so good
Would I give it up even if I could
Come call and let me fall with you
'Cause I just can't say no to you
Though I know I'd be better off to
But my heart won't admit that it's true
And I just can't say no to you
Tell me when will it end
Break it off and then we're back again
'Cause I just can't say no to you
Though I know I'd be better off to
But my heart won't admit that it's true
And I just can't say no to you
The lyrics of Michael Johnson’s song “I Just Can’t Say No To You” talk about the internal struggle of a person who is unable to resist the charms of their love interest even when they know the relationship is not healthy for them. The first stanza sets the tone for the song where the singer is lamenting about the situation they find themselves in. They have fallen for someone who they describe as a terrible friend. The singer has promised themselves they would never get attached to someone like this again, but they are unable to resist the temptation to fall for this person again.
The chorus of the song reveals the dilemma the singer feels - they can’t seem to say no to the person they love. They know that it would be better for them to end the relationship and move on, but they keep giving in to their feelings. It is a struggle between their heart and their mind. The second stanza explains how the singer doesn’t understand how something that is so wrong can make them feel so good. The person they love is not good for them, but they cannot resist their charm.
The song ends with the singer questioning themselves when this cycle of love and heartbreak will end. However, they realize that they just cannot walk away from the relationship. The lyrics of the song convey the struggle between rationality and emotions in a person’s mind when they are in a relationship that is not healthy but feels irresistible.
Line by Line Meaning
Just look at this mess that I'm in
I'm in a difficult situation because of my love for you
For a gentle lover, you're a terrible friend
You're loving to me but not a good friend
I swore I'd never get this close again
I promised myself that I won't fall in love again
But I can't seem to stop myself from falling
But I can't control my feelings and I'm falling in love with you
You wanna come see me tonight
You want to meet me tonight
I gotta be strong, I know it's not right
I need to be strong and not see you as it's not correct
I gotta hold on, put up some kind of fight
I need to resist my feelings for you and fight against them
But I'm naming the time and the place again
But I'm still deciding the time and place to meet you
'Cause I just can't say no to you
Because I can't resist saying yes to you
Though I know I'd be better off to
Even though I know it's better for me to say no
But my heart won't admit that it's true
But my heart doesn't agree with my mind and is still in love with you
I guess I never understood
I never realized before
That something so wrong could seem so good
That even though it's not right, it still feels good
Would I give it up even if I could
Would I let go even if I had the chance
Come call and let me fall with you
Come see me and let me fall in love with you
Tell me when will it end
When will this cycle of loving and hurting end
Break it off and then we're back again
We break up and then end up getting back together
Contributed by William V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
rin3guy
Michael Johnson is one of the most underrated artists ever!! Thanks for sharing this.
brian keith
He has one of the most beautiful and honest voices in the industry. I can truly feel he loved this song when he recorded it.. So underrated. I wish I could re-record this today. I love most of his recordings!
carpediemfriends
My favourite Michael Johnson song....RIP sweet man and thanks for the memories
Marshall Lancaster
Gotta credit YouTube for getting his work out there. I had only a best of, but my playlists are gigantic. Thanks.
Athay Phom
Been just about a week knowing MJs songs, all are absolutely lovely😊❤️👌
Rudy Bosmans
very sad news Michael Johnson isn't anymore , he had such a beautiful songs , we gonna mis him, but the music he made stay forever.
Gabriel Hyppolite
a great song a great voice and a wonderful memory of Manhattan where i lived when this song came out...
CHRISTOPHER GRANOZIO
Originally written and sung by Parker McGee, who wrote lots of the England Dan & John Ford Coley hits. GREAT song!
Cynthia Lyman
+Glen Diaz Everyone you mention I love.
Ernesto Diaz
Friend, Im from Monterrey Mexico, I allways like this kind of songs....really I told you...in my neighborhood I was the only person who liked this kind of music........Michael Johnson, E Dan & John F C.....David Soul....Gene Cotton etc etc