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
Dancing In The Dark
Michael Stanley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I haven't got lines for just a minute or two
Something easy crosses my mind, when I recall
When love was new
You went your way and I went mine
And our lives seldom cross but when they do
Can't help rememberin' all of the times
When love was new
We were dancing in the dark
(Dancing in the dark)
Just a couple of fools
Holding you close and
Breaking all the rules
Doesn't everything get covered by those first love's blues
I'm not lonely and my life's quite complete
And my lady is sweet, the children are fat
Just in passing, you cross my mind and I look up
All about the time...
When we were dancing in the dark
(Dancing in the dark)
Just a couple of fools
Holding you close and
Breaking all the rules
Doesn't everything get covered by those first love's blues
Something about the past was quite amusing
You can change it any way with ease
As I'm sitting here and thinking of you
Do you know what I really need?
When we were dancing in the dark
(Dancing in the dark)
Just a couple of fools
Holding you close and
Breaking all the rules
Doesn't everything get covered by those first love's blues
Everything gets covered by those first love's blues.
The Michael Stanley Band’s “Dancing in the Dark” is a reflective ballad that looks back on a past romance, and the power of that memory to evoke strong emotions even as life moves forward. The opening verses find the singer with time to himself and a wandering mind, conjuring memories of a love of the past. They recall the ease of the relationship, when love was new and uncomplicated. Even though the two have gone their separate ways in life, their shared history means that thoughts of the other linger, and each encounter inevitably brings up memories of these heady early days of the romance.
The chorus of the song features the iconic lines “We were dancing in the dark/Just a couple of fools/Holding you close and breaking all the rules/Doesn't everything get covered by those first love's blues.” Here, the singer remembers the passionate moments with their erstwhile love, as well as the sense of abandon that came with early love, and the desire to ignore social conventions so as to be closer to one another. The lyrics suggest a reluctance to relinquish the hold of these memories on the present, and hint at the encroaching feeling that these intense experiences of the past influenced the outcomes of later relationships in the singer’s life.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am with some time on my hands
I find myself with free time and nothing to do.
And I haven't got lines for just a minute or two
I don't have anything particular in mind to do.
Something easy crosses my mind, when I recall
I remember something simple and pleasant.
When love was new
It was a time when love was new and fresh.
You went your way and I went mine
We went in different directions in our lives.
And our lives seldom cross but when they do
We don't see each other often, but occasionally we do.
Can't help rememberin' all of the times
I can't help but recall all of our past experiences.
When love was new
When love was new
When love was new and fresh was a significant time for us.
We were dancing in the dark
(Dancing in the dark)
Just a couple of fools
Holding you close and
Breaking all the rules
Doesn't everything get covered by those first love's blues
We used to dance and be intimate with each other, disregarding the rules of society. Our first love's blues have influenced much of our decisions.
I'm not lonely and my life's quite complete
And my lady is sweet, the children are fat
I am content and happy with my life, sharing it with a kind woman, and raising healthy kids.
Just in passing, you cross my mind and I look up
All about the time...
I occasionally think of you and pause, reminiscing about our past experiences together.
Something about the past was quite amusing
You can change it any way with ease
I find aspects of our past relationship and circumstances to be funny, even though they can be easily distorted.
As I'm sitting here and thinking of you
Do you know what I really need?
I am pondering about what I still desire from our past relationship, even now that it's over.
Everything gets covered by those first love's blues.
The blues and emotions of our first love still influence and overlay up our current circumstances and memories.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind