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.
Rock Bottom
Michael Schenker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twenty one, a long one,
And you can see the numbers run
Now you look so peaceful, lyin' there asleep
With the wings of God above you
Before the spirits meet
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
Shadow work is closin' in above the lamps in your street
Lucifer goes walkin' down free to meet
Minutes pass so slowly by the, hands on your clock
Heaven don't open when you knock
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
With all darkness closin' in
Will the light reveal your soul
One sweet kiss on your clay cold lips
I'll know sleep you'll never know
Where do we go, where do we go
Where do we go from here
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
The lyrics to Michael Schenker's song "Rock Bottom" are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. The first verse refers to a person's increasing age, with "Seventeen a nature's queen" meaning youth and innocence, and "Twenty one, a long one, And you can see the numbers run" referring to the passing of time. The second verse talks about the inevitability of death, with "Now you look so peaceful, lyin' there asleep, With the wings of God above you, Before the spirits meet." The chorus repeats the phrase "Rock bottom" multiple times, which can be interpreted as hitting rock bottom or reaching the end.
The third verse mentions shadow work closing in, possibly a reference to the shadow self or subconscious, and Lucifer walking free. The fourth verse refers to time passing slowly before death, with "Heaven don't open when you knock." The final verse is a reflection on death and wondering where we go when we die.
Overall, the lyrics to "Rock Bottom" can be interpreted as a reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death. The repetitive "Rock bottom" chorus creates a sense of finality and the idea that one has hit rock bottom or reached the end.
Line by Line Meaning
Seventeen a nature's queen, know what I mean
At the young age of 17, she possessed remarkable beauty and grace, as if she was a part of nature itself
Twenty one, a long one, And you can see the numbers run
By the time she was 21, her life had been long and arduous, her experiences making her seem much older than her actual age
Now you look so peaceful, lyin' there asleep With the wings of God above you Before the spirits meet
In death, you look blissfully peaceful, with an aura of divinity about you, as if you are about to meet your maker
Shadow work is closin' in above the lamps in your street Lucifer goes walkin' down free to meet
As death approaches, the darkness creeps in and the devil himself seems to be roaming the streets, waiting for his next victim
Minutes pass so slowly by the, hands on your clock Heaven don't open when you knock
Time seems to come to a standstill as you wait for salvation, but even when you seek divine intervention, it may not always be forthcoming
With all darkness closin' in Will the light reveal your soul One sweet kiss on your clay cold lips I'll know sleep you'll never know
As death approaches, one wonders whether they will find light or darkness, whether their soul will be revealed. The singer seems to want to join the dead, with a desire to never wake up
Where do we go, where do we go Where do we go from here
When faced with death, one is unsure of where they will go next
Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom
The repeated phrase seems to emphasize the despair and hopeless situation of the circumstances being described in the song
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, HELENE BLUE MUSIQUE LTD
Written by: MICHAEL SCHENKER, PHILLIP JOHN MOGG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@guitarboogie2
He's the Beethoven of Heavy Metal. No senseless shredding with 100 notes per second, but all tasteful leads Can't wait to see him perform live again ....!
@lifegoeson2422
guitarboogie2
I totally agree man you said it
@mjsmith1965
This is nothing less than a MASTERPIECE! Michael at his best.
@darktoadone5068
Schenker always brings the fire when he plays, this song is on the double live UFO album, the favorite live album for me.
@ohnemich4225
This is the most powerful live record of this song. Blew me away!!
@robertwhitcomb6105
Check it 2012 Augsburg Germany.
@joseluisjuradodelcastillo3154
Sorry, but here is his best solo and the most powerful live recording of "Rock Bottom": https://youtu.be/n0OatiI5XcE
@brianlatchford2984
Strangers in the night album by ufo has to be the best of Michael Schecker live great album !
@glimmertwin1548
So true! On Strangers they loved and felt the song, right here they only played it. Something like that.
@jairoaldana8336
"Strangers in the Night" de los mejores conciertos de Rock en toda la historia