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.
I don't live today
Michael Schenker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I just can't say.
Will I live tomorrow?
Well, I just can't say.
But I know for sure
I Don't Live Today.
Feel like I'm sitting at the bottom of a grave.
No sun coming through my windows,
Feel like I'm sitting at the bottom of a grave.
I wish you'd hurry up 'n' rescue me
So I can be on my mis'rable way
I Don't Live Today;
It's such a shame to waste your time away like this.
Will I live tomorrow?
Well, I just can't say.
Will I live tomorrow?
Well, I just can't say
I know for sure
I Don't Live Today.
The lyrics of "I Don't Live Today" by Michael Schenker are quite straightforward and deal with themes of uncertainty, despair, and the search for salvation. The singer in the song presents his situation in a question, inquiring about his future - will he live tomorrow? However, he quickly admits that he cannot provide an answer, highlighting the uncertainty and instability of life.
The singer then paints a bleak image of his current state, with no sunshine and a feeling of entrapment akin to the bottom of a grave. In a plea for help, the singer wishes for someone to come to his rescue and release him from his misery. The repetition of the refrain, "I Don't Live Today," emphasizes the hopelessness of his situation.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of resignation and acceptance of the singer's fate. An interesting aspect of the song is its use of heavy guitar riffs and solos to convey the dark and brooding feelings of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Will I live tomorrow?
I am unsure if I will continue existing in the future.
Well I just can't say.
I do not possess the ability to predict my own fate.
Will I live tomorrow?
Once again, I am uncertain about my future existence.
Well, I just can't say.
I still lack the power to foresee what will happen to me tomorrow.
But I know for sure
However, there is one thing I do know without a doubt
I Don't Live Today.
and that is that I am not truly living in the present moment.
No sun coming through my windows,
I experience a sense of darkness and lifelessness in my surroundings.
Feel like I'm sitting at the bottom of a grave.
My surroundings and emotional state are akin to someone buried in a pit of despair
I wish you'd hurry up 'n' rescue me
I yearn for someone to come and save me from this state of being.
So I can be on my mis'rable way
Only then can I continue on my journey, even if it is a depressing one.
It's such a shame to waste your time away like this.
The current state of my life is distressing and upsetting, as I feel as though I am wasting valuable time doing nothing worthwhile.
Contributed by Ethan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.