In late 1982, MSB released what would be their final album for EMI: "You Can't Fight Fashion". The single, "My Town", had made it to 29 on Billboard Magazine's charts, sales were good, and the band was on tour, when EMI stunned the band by offering them an 'extension', rather than a contract renewal with a long-term financial committment. When Michael confidently 'called their bluff', their label pulled the plug, halting promotion and tour-backing immediately.
Although it was a financial blow that staggered the band, they gamely continued performing venues in the Northern Ohio and Midwest circuit, producing two independent releases, 1983's "Inside Moves", and "Fourth And Ten" in 1984 (recorded live at Blossom Music Center--a two nighter that saw the venue's all-time attendance records shattered), before formally disbanding in late 1986, shortly after performing nine 'farewell' concerts at Cleveland's Front Row...
"...We broke up not because we didn't like each other, but because we couldn't survive. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was like a group divorce," Michael Stanley would later recall, to Cleveland Magazine in a July, 1994 interview.
"After we did the last show with the band in December, 1987 (the Front Row Club "farewell" shows), I didn't touch a guitar for six months," Michael Stanley said in a 1992 interview, "...I wanted to walk away from it for awhile. I thought, 'Yeah, I'll stop for a little bit, come back and it'll be like turning on the faucet.' It was the total opposite. It was like writer's block for a long, long time."
In late 1991, the 'block' fell away...
Not surprisingly, Michael's 'post-MSB' years found him still working in the Cleveland-area entertainment spotlight: he served as co-host of WJW-Channel 8's "Cleveland Tonight" and "P.M. Magazine", 'til they were canceled, and later as a weekly featured reporter for TV8's "First Look". It was only natural he'd find music calling him again, and he overlapped his television career with a new one in radio broadcasting--as afternoon disc jockey and on-air personality at Cleveland's WNCX 98.5...
Coming Up For Air...
In December, 1991, during a Las Vegas vacation, Michael suffered a heart attack. The near-tragedy resulted in Michael's re-evaluation of his life and career, and, with renewed determination and perspective, he began building a life of balance, exploring new interests while rediscovering old ones. He 'settled in', buying Chagrin Falls acreage, and lent his support to a number of good causes and charitable projects. Former Ohio native and MSB-fan, Razor & Tie Records' Cliff Chenfield, had contacted him, and the 'compilation' release they had discussed, "Right Back At Ya", was released in February, 1992, leading to a following decision to 're-issue' the entire Michael Stanley catalog. Michael remarked, in a 1994 Cleveland Magazine interview, "After a six-year drought, we had eight albums out one year and four the next. I finally got to have a copy of everything we'd done."
In 1993, Michael reunited with Jonah Koslen, Bob Pelander and Jennifer Lee (an area singer whose vocals had contributed to many MSB studio projects and concert appearances) to form The Ghost Poets. With the MSB reissues selling so well, Cliff Chenfield decided to release the group's eponymously-titled "The Ghost Poets" through Razor & Tie Records in 1994. Sales that followed were good, but local airplay was difficult--a Cleveland 'blackout' had resulted, as many radio stations viewed Michael Stanley--WNCX's highly-visible personality--as a competitor. The Ghost Poets continued to perform for a little over a year after the release, when a decision was made to disband the effort, and move on...
Following the quiet disbanding of The Ghost Poets, Michael went into the studio with another set of former MSB bandmates--including Bob Pelander, drummer Tommy Dobeck, bassist Michael Gismondi and guitarist Danny Powers--and recorded his first 'solo' endeavor since 1973's "Friends & Legends".
"Coming Up For Air", a quiet, intensely emotional and introspective album that centered around the title track--Stanley's chilling reliving of his recent heart attack--was released through Intersound Music (now Platinum Entertainment) on February 27, 1996.
"Though declaring a 1994 Blossom 'MSB reunion' concert as the 'final' one, Michael Stanley continued to perform with several long-time friends and former band members in and around the Cleveland area, billed as 'Michael Stanley & Friends'. Not surprisingly, his solo work led him to a decidedly 'acoustic' approach: in April, 1997, a two-nighter at Akron's Tangiers was duly recorded, and released by Razor & Tie Records as "Live In Tangiers: The Acoustic Shows" on June 3, 1998...
The release was received warmly by his fans and new converts alike, and the following 2 years were ones spent engaged in work on his next studio release. On June 6, 2000, of "Eighteen Down": elegantly titled (as an eighteenth album -- nineteen if one includes his debut endeavor with Silk, "Smooth As Raw Silk" -- spanning a musical career of over three decades) and brimming with new songs that both rocked with heartland spirit and embraced an oftimes-reflective maturity. Again, many familiar names joined Michael Stanley in the creation of that effort.
Now, and on "The Ground" with "The Farrago Sessions"...
The following year saw Michael maintaining a busy schedule of work at WNCX, 'Friends' appearances and creative time in the studio mulling his next move. All was right in the world...
September 11, 2001, changed a lot of lives, and Michael was no exception. Tragedy has long inspired art, perhaps as a memorial to loss, grief and change. And, in the process, we are tutored as to what is really 'right in the world', and made stronger by the realization. It was a muse that would lead Stanley to pen new material that reflected this, to cherish family and embrace friends.
By now, "Michael Stanley & The Resonators" had become the band's performing moniker, and they were pleasing their loyal MSB fans while winning over new ones, with a set list of old favorites and clever covers interspersed with fresh originals...
Not long after, a gumbo of Cleveland talent began rocking the Northcoast music scene as "The Midlife Chryslers", composed of musical alumni of the Resonators, MSB, The TopKats, My Old School, Jonah Koslen and the Gentleman Rockers, Wish You Were Here and more...
It was during this storm of creative activity that Michael somehow found the time to hit the studio and begin work on "The Ground", released on October 21, 2003. The momentum continued, and an inspired collection of Michael's personal favorites, "The Farrago Sessions", resulted, dropping late summer, 2006. Featuring such gems as "I Wish It Would Rain", a medley-fied pair of classics, "Withi-Tai-To" and "Sweet Jane", and a dozen other goodies, "The Farrago Sessions" is Michael's first-ever "cover" set, but, judging by the favorable response, won't be the last...
Michael continues to man the airwaves as afternoon 'drive-time' personality at Cleveland's popular WNCX, while performing with "The Resonators" and "Midlife Chryslers" throughout Ohio...
The pace shows no signs of letting up...
------------------------------
Michael Stanley passed away on March 4, 2021 - RIP:
https://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?n=michael-stanley-gee&pid=197948363&fhid=10879
All I Ever Wanted
Michael Stanley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here I am, last of the romantics
Everytime, I get caught in the sway
I'm just a fool, for a love song
But I wouldn't have it any other way
The white boys and the
The heartbreak kids
kept dreaming
Through the thick flat light
of a midwest night
The Detroit station
came screaming...
(CHORUS:)
And all I ever wanted--all you got to do
is, Baby, just don't say goodnight
till the man gets around
to our song
Turn up the radio--till this
one's through
I got what I wanted--all I ever
wanted was you...
Take your time--Make your mind up
Don't say yes if you really don't know
'Cause I can hold on just a little longer
And the night is still young, so let's go...
You hold it all
in your hands tonight
with your sweet
surrender sighs
French kisses
'neath the streetlight--
You never win if
you never try...
(CHORUS)
(BRIDGE:)
Tell me, baby, what you want me to do
Tell me what you want me to be
You can make my dreams come true
if you only say to me...
(CHORUS)
I got what I wanted--all I ever wanted was you
I got what I wanted--all I ever wanted was you
I got what I wanted--all I ever wanted was you...
--words & music by Michael Stanley
In Michael Stanley's song "All I Ever Wanted," the artist describes himself as the last of the romantics, a hopeless fool for love songs, and someone who wouldn't have it any other way. He refers to himself as a fool because he gets caught in the sway of love songs, a trap that he willingly submits to. The reference to the "white boys and black girls" singing shows the power of music to bring people of different backgrounds and races together. He remembers the "heartbreak kids" dreaming and the Detroit station screaming, indicating his nostalgia for the good old days.
In the chorus, Stanley sings that all he ever wanted is for his love interest not to say goodnight until the man gets around to their love song. He implores his lover to turn up the radio until the song is over, indicating that he wants to hold onto the moment that the song creates. Stanley urges his love interest to take her time and make up her mind, not to say yes if she doesn't mean it, indicating that he is willing to wait for her because he believes the night is still young.
In the bridge, Stanley asks his lover what she wants him to do, what she wants him to be, and tells her that she can make his dreams come true if she only says the words. The lyrics in the bridge show Stanley's vulnerability and his willingness to be whatever his lover wants him to be to make her happy.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am, last of the romantics
I consider myself to be one of the final remaining people who believes in and has a strong desire for romance.
Everytime, I get caught in the sway
Whenever I hear a love song or see someone in love, it pulls me in and makes me feel like I'm part of it.
I'm just a fool, for a love song
I can't help but fall for a good love song, even though it may make me look foolish.
But I wouldn't have it any other way
Despite how it may seem, I wouldn't want to change and not love romantic songs.
The white boys and the
black girls sang
The heartbreak kids
kept dreaming
Through the thick flat light
of a midwest night
The Detroit station
came screaming...
People of all races and backgrounds were united by their love of music, particularly those songs about heartbreak and love, which they kept listening to and dreaming about through the dull and unchanging view of the Midwest night. Suddenly, the bright and lively music from Detroit's station interrupted their night.
And all I ever wanted--all you got to do
is, Baby, just don't say goodnight
till the man gets around
to our song
Turn up the radio--till this
one's through
I got what I wanted--all I ever
wanted was you...
All I asked for and wanted was for you to listen and enjoy our song together without having to say goodbye until it was over. Turn up the radio and let's just enjoy this moment together. I wanted nothing more than to be with you and now that we're here, it's all I ever needed.
Take your time--Make your mind up
Don't say yes if you really don't know
'Cause I can hold on just a little longer
And the night is still young, so let's go...
Take your time to decide if you want to be with me, I won't pressure you into an answer you're not sure of. But also know that I'm willing to wait for you and take things slow. The night has just begun, we have all the time in the world.
You hold it all
in your hands tonight
with your sweet
surrender sighs
French kisses
'neath the streetlight--
You never win if
you never try...
Everything rests in your hands tonight, and I can feel it in the way you let out those sweet sighs of surrender when we kiss under the streetlight.He who never tries will never win.
(CHORUS)
The chorus repeats the earlier line about wanting nothing more than to be with their loved one and to listen and enjoy their song together.
(BRIDGE:)
Tell me, baby, what you want me to do
Tell me what you want me to be
You can make my dreams come true
if you only say to me...
I'm willing to do anything for you, just tell me what you need from me and who you need me to be. If you're willing to tell me, I promise I will try my best to make it possible and make all of my dreams come true.
(CHORUS)
The chorus repeats the earlier line about wanting nothing more than to be with their loved one and to listen and enjoy their song together.
I got what I wanted--all I ever wanted was you
I got what I wanted--all I ever wanted was you
I got what I wanted--all I ever wanted was you...
The song ends with a repetition of the line about finally getting what they wanted, which was to be with their loved one and share their song with them.
Contributed by Kaitlyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.