Michael was born in Sarstedt, Germany. He started playing in his early teens when his brother Rudolph brought home a Flying V guitar, which captured Michael's imagination. His playing style is unusual in that he seems not to use conventionally practiced guitar scales but seems instead to improvise.
Schenker joined UFO under unusual circumstances. The band left the UK to play some dates in Germany. Their guitarist at the time; Bernie Marsden, forgot his passport and was unable to make the first gig. At the venue UFO spotted Michael playing a soundcheck with the Scorpions and managed to persuade him into playing that evening's show. Despite the language barrier; he spoke no English and they spoke no German, something clearly "clicked" and Schenker brought the ellusive X factor to the band and took them to another level musically.
Schenker has had a turbulent career with UFO, often walking out mid song and causing shows to be cancelled. He is evidently as temperamental as he is gifted. Schenker says his playing with UFO is like chocolate: fantastic for a while but once you've had enough....
Clearly a musical prodigy, Schenker was one of the 1970's most inspirational guitarists, influencing later musicians such as Kirk Hammett from the band Metallica.
Michael was offered gigs with Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne but decided he wanted to play his own music and not be a hired hand in another group. In 1979, he founded the Michael Schenker Group (M.S.G). The history of the Michael Schenker Group has been strewn with personality conflicts and "incidents" between band members. In 1982, original vocalist Gary Barden was sacked in favor of Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz) who lasted one album (Assault Attack) and was fired from the band after dropping his pants in a warm-up gig before the Reading festival. Gary Barden was enticed back to the band for Reading and stayed with M.S.G. for the recording of a new studio album (Built to Destroy) and a live album (Rock Will Never Die). After the second departure of vocalist Gary Barden after the Built to Destroy album, Michael reorganized the band around himself and vocalist Robin McAuley as the McAuley Schenker Group. After three albums in that configuration, Michael and Robin parted company.
Michael next rejoined UFO for the album Walk on Water. A short tour punctuated by a fight between Michael and vocalist Phil Mogg ended the reunion.
Michael resurrected the Michael Schenker Group with all new players and recorded three decent albums and toured yearly to appreciative Schenker-heads around the United States and Europe.
Michael fell on hard times in the early 2000's after his divorce in which he lost rights to his own music, his Mercedes and his prized Flying V guitars.
Michael picked himself up and got back to the business of making and performing music. The recording of the album Arachnophobiac and the resulting two years of touring got Michael back in rocking form.
2005 brings the 25th anniversary of the Michael Schenker Group. Michael is putting together a new album of songs called Tales of Rock and Roll honoring that anniversary. Singers from each iteration of the group have been enlisted to sing on a track or two.
A new Michael Schenker Group album is as much about finding out who is left in the band as it is about the music. Devoted fans love him regardless of his personal and personnel problems.
Desert Song
Michael Schenker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And fading in the Arabian sun
You're stallion stands to watch the sun set
The women scream as the camels run
To find a mirage cool oasis
And lie beneath the palms and the sky
Spend the night, a silver moon set
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling the man
Endless is the blowing desert
And in the shipwreck some may be lost
Too hot the sand, too deep the oceans
It's just surviving whatever the cost
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling the man
We're sailing ships across the desert
And fading in the Arabian sun
You're stallion stands to watch the sun set
The women scream as the camels run
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling the man
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling, cooling the man
The lyrics to "Desert Song" by Michael Schenker Group evoke an image of a wild, untamed desert that is both beautiful and dangerous. The opening line, "We're sailing ships across the desert," suggests that the desert is endless and that the journey across it is perilous. The second line, "And fading in the Arabian sun," emphasizes the harshness of the environment and the human desire to survive in such extreme conditions. The imagery of the stallion and the camels also evokes a sense of wildness and free spirit.
The chorus, which is repeated twice, emphasizes the power of the desert in both its beauty and danger. The "heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand" is both sensual and dangerous, adding to the feeling of intensity and passion that the desert evokes. The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes the idea of the desert as a force that can be both destructive and empowering.
Overall, "Desert Song" portrays the desert as a wild, beautiful, and dangerous place that humankind must navigate with care and respect. The lyrics suggest that the desert is a place of extremes, both in its physical nature and its effect on the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
We're sailing ships across the desert
Venturing across an arid landscape in a ship-like manner
And fading in the Arabian sun
Slowly disappearing under the intense sunlight of Arabia
You're stallion stands to watch the sun set
Your horse observes the setting sun
The women scream as the camels run
The women shriek while the camels gallop
To find a mirage cool oasis
Searching for an illusory place to relax
And lie beneath the palms and the sky
Resting among the trees and the heavens
Spend the night, a silver moon set
Passing time while the moon is shining
The rising sun in the eagles eye
The sun rising as seen by an eagle
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
The warmth of a sultry woman, originating from the desert
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling the man
Burning with a passionate desire from the desert, yet quenching the thirst of the man
Endless is the blowing desert
The desert seems to never ending due to blowing sands
And in the shipwreck some may be lost
Travellers may lose their way in the extreme terrain
Too hot the sand, too deep the oceans
The sand and sea are both treacherous and difficult to conquer
It's just surviving whatever the cost
The goal is to continue existing, regardless of the sacrifices needed
We're sailing ships across the desert
Venturing across an arid landscape in a ship-like manner
And fading in the Arabian sun
Slowly disappearing under the intense sunlight of Arabia
You're stallion stands to watch the sun set
Your horse observes the setting sun
The women scream as the camels run
The women shriek while the camels gallop
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
The warmth of a sultry woman, originating from the desert
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling the man
Burning with a passionate desire from the desert, yet quenching the thirst of the man
Heat of a dusky lady, born on the sand
The warmth of a sultry woman, originating from the desert
Burnin' with desert fire, cooling, cooling the man
Burning with a passionate desire from the desert, yet quenching the thirst of the man
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GRAHAM BONNET, MICHAEL WILLI SCHENKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind