He also recorded several solo albums, the most notable example of which was Slaughter on 10th Avenue, which reached #9 on the UK Albums Chart. Ronson played with various bands after his time with Bowie. He was named the 64th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone.
Michael Ronson was born in Beverley Road, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, in 1946, then moved to Greatfield, Hull. As a child he was trained classically to play piano, recorder, violin, and (later) the harmonium. He initially wanted to be a cellist, but moved to guitar upon discovering the music of Duane Eddy, whose sound on the bass notes of his guitar sounded to Ronson similar to that of the cello.[3] He joined his first band, The Mariners, in November 1963, when he was just 17. His stage debut with The Mariners was in support of the Keith Herd Band at Brough Village Hall, a gig for which the band traveled 35 miles and got paid 10 shillings (50p). While Ronson was working with The Mariners, another local Hull group – The Crestas – recruited him on the advice of The Mariners' bassist John Griffiths. With Ronson on board the Crestas gained a solid reputation, making regular appearances at local halls: Mondays at the Halfway House in Hull, Thursdays at the Ferryboat Hotel, Fridays at the Regal Ballroom in Beverley, and Sundays at the Duke of Cumberland in North Ferriby.
In 1965, Ronson left The Crestas to try his luck in London. He took a part time job as a mechanic, and before long, he teamed up with a band called The Voice, replacing Miller Anderson. Soon afterward, Crestas' drummer Dave Bradfield made the trip down to London when the Voice's drummer left. After playing just a few dates with the group, Ronson and Bradfield returned from a weekend in Hull to find their gear piled at their flat and a note explaining that the rest of the group had gone to The Bahamas. Ronson stayed in London and teamed up briefly with a soul band called The Wanted, before eventually returning to Hull.
In 1966, Ronson joined Hull's top local band, The Rats, joining singer Benny Marshall, bassist Geoff Appleby, and drummer Jim Simpson (who was subsequently replaced by Clive Taylor and then John Cambridge). The group played the local circuit, and made a few unsuccessful trips to London and Paris.
In 1967 The Rats recorded the one-off psychedelic track, "The Rise And Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone" at Fairview Studios in Hull, and can be heard on the 2008 release Front Room Masters – Fairview Studios 1966–1973.[5] 1968 saw the band change their name briefly to Treacle and book another recording session at Fairview Studios in 1969, before reverting to their original name. Around this time, Ronson was recommended by Rick Kemp to play guitar on Michael Chapman's Fully Qualified Survivor album.[4]
When John Cambridge left The Rats to join his former Hullaballoos bandmate Mick Wayne in Junior's Eyes, he was replaced by Mick "Woody" Woodmansey. In November 1969, the band recorded a final session at Fairview, taping "Telephone Blues" and "Early in Spring".
In March 1970, during the recording sessions for Elton John's album Tumbleweed Connection, Ronson played guitar on the track "Madman Across the Water". This song however was not included in the original release. The recording featuring Ronson was released on the 1992 compilation album, Rare Masters, and the 1995 reissue of Tumbleweed Connection.
Early in 1970, Cambridge came back to Hull in search of Ronson, intent upon recruiting him for a new David Bowie backing band called The Hype. He found Ronson marking out a rugby pitch, one of his duties as a Parks Department gardener for Hull City Council. Having failed in his earlier attempts in London, Ronson was reluctant, but eventually agreed to accompany Cambridge to a meeting with Bowie. Two days later, on 5 February, Ronson made his debut with Bowie on John Peel's national BBC Radio 1 show.
The Hype played their first gig at The Roundhouse on 22 February with a line-up that included Bowie, Ronson, Cambridge, and producer/bassist Tony Visconti. The group dressed up in superhero costumes, with Bowie as Rainbowman, Visconti as Hypeman, Ronson as Gangsterman, and Cambridge as Cowboyman. Also on the bill that day were Bachdenkel, The Groundhogs and Caravan. The following day they performed at the Streatham Arms in London under the pseudonym of 'Harry The Butcher'. They also performed on 28 February at the Basildon Arts Lab experimental music club at the Basildon Arts Centre in Essex, billed as 'David Bowie's New Electric Band'. Also on the bill were High Tide, Overson and Iron Butterfly. Strawbs were due to perform but were replaced by Bowie's New Electric Band. John Cambridge departed on 30 March, again replaced by Woody Woodmansey. In April 1970, Ronson, Woodmansey, and Visconti commenced recording Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World album.
During the sessions for The Man Who Sold The World, the trio of Ronson, Visconti, and Woodmansey – still under The Hype moniker – signed to Vertigo Records. The group recruited Benny Marshall from The Rats as vocalist, and entered the studio to record an album. By the time a single appeared, The Hype had been renamed Ronno. "4th Hour of My Sleep" was released on Vertigo to an indifferent reception in January 1971. The song was written by Tucker Zimmerman. The B-side was a Ronson/Marshall composition called "Powers of Darkness". The Ronno album was never completed.
Bowie's backing ensemble, which now included Trevor Bolder who had replaced Visconti on bass guitar and keyboardist Rick Wakeman, were used in the recording of Hunky Dory. The departure of Visconti also meant that Ronson, with Bowie, took over the arrangements, whilst Ken Scott co-produced with Bowie. Hunky Dory was perhaps their most collaborative album, which the sleeve notes acknowledged.
It was this band, minus Wakeman, that became known as The Spiders From Mars from the title of the next Bowie album. Again, Ronson was a key part of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, providing string arrangements and various instrumentation, as well as playing lead guitar. Ronson and Bowie achieved some notoriety over the concerts promoting this album, when Bowie would simulate fellatio on Ronson's guitar as he played. Ronson's guitar and arranging during the Spiders from Mars era provided much of the underpinning for later punk rock musicians. In 1972 Ronson provided a strings-and-brass arrangement for the song "Sea Diver" on the Bowie-produced All The Young Dudes album for Mott The Hoople, and co-produced Lou Reed's album Transformer with Bowie, playing lead guitar and piano on the song "Perfect Day". Again with Bowie, he re-recorded and produced the track "The Man Who Sold The World" for Lulu, released as a single in the UK, and played on a few tracks on the Dana Gillespie album Weren't Born a Man.
Ronson appeared on the 1972 country rock album Bustin' Out by Pure Prairie League, where he undertook string ensemble arrangements and contributed guitar and vocals on several tracks most notably "Angel #9" which reappeared on his solo LP "Play Don't Worry."
His guitar work was next heard on Bowie's Aladdin Sane and 1973's covers album Pin Ups. However, he was absent from the subsequent Diamond Dogs album.
Bowie said in a 1994 interview that "Mick was the perfect foil for the Ziggy character. He was very much a salt-of-the-earth type, the blunt northerner with a defiantly masculine personality, so that what you got was the old-fashioned Yin and Yang thing. As a rock duo, I thought we were every bit as good as Mick and Keith or Axl and Slash. Ziggy and Mick were the personification of that rock n roll dualism."
After leaving Bowie's entourage after the "Farewell Concert" in 1973, Ronson released three solo albums. His solo debut Slaughter on 10th Avenue, featured a version of Elvis Presley's, "Love Me Tender", as well as Ronson's most famous solo track, "Only After Dark". In addition, his sister, Margaret (Maggi) Ronson, provided the backing vocals for the set. Between this and the 1975 follow-up, Ronson had a short-lived stint with Mott the Hoople.He then became a long-time collaborator with Mott's former leader Ian Hunter, commencing with the album Ian Hunter(UK #21) and featuring the UK Singles Chart #14 hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", including a spell touring as the Hunter Ronson Band. In 1980, the live album Welcome to the Club was released, including a couple of Ronson contributions, although it also contained a few studio-based tracks – one of which was a Hunter/Ronson composition.
In 1974, Ronson secured the #2 spot from a reader's poll in Creem magazine as the best guitarist that year (with Jimmy Page taking first place, and Eric Clapton in third place after Ronson.
Ronson contributed guitar to the title track of the 1976 David Cassidy release Getting It in the Street.
Roger Daltrey employed Ronson's guitar on his 1977 solo release One of the Boys.
In 1979 Ronson and Hunter produced and played on the Ellen Foley debut album, Night Out, with "We Belong To The Night" and the hit single "What's a Matter Baby."
In 1982, Ronson worked with John Mellencamp on his American Fool album, and in particular the song "Jack & Diane". Both "Jack & Diane" and American Fool topped their respective US Billboard charts.
In 1990, Ronson again collaborated with Hunter on the album Yui Orta, this time getting joint credit, as "Hunter/Ronson". In 1993, he again appeared on a Bowie album, Black Tie White Noise, playing on the track "I Feel Free", originally recorded by Cream. Ronson and Bowie had already covered this track live twenty years earlier, whilst touring as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
His second and third solo albums were Play Don't Worry in 1975, and Heaven and Hull in 1994. The latter set was only partly completed at the time of Ronson's death, and was released posthumously. Artists involved with the album included John Mellencamp, Joe Elliott, Ian Hunter, David Bowie, Chrissie Hynde, and Martin Chambers.
Besides Bowie and Hunter, Ronson went on to work as a musician, songwriter and record producer with many other acts including Slaughter & The Dogs (who took their name from the Ronson album Slaughter on 10th Avenue), Morrissey, The Wildhearts, The Rich Kids, Elton John, John Mellencamp, T-Bone Burnett, Dalbello, Benny Mardones, Iron City Houserockers and the Italian band Moda. He did not restrict his influence behind the recording desk to just established acts. His production work appears on albums by more obscure artists, such as Payolas, Phil Rambow and Los Illegals and The Mundanes. Ronson produced The Visible Targets, a Seattle based group, on their 1983 five track EP, "Autistic Savant".
Ronson was also a member of Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue" live band,[12] and can be seen both on and off-stage in the film of the tour.[17] He also made a connection with Roger McGuinn during this time, which led to his producing and contributing guitar and arrangements to McGuinn's 1976 solo album Cardiff Rose.
In 1982, he participated on lead guitar in a short lived band with Hilly Michaels on drums and Les Fradkin on bass guitar. One of their recordings from this group, Spare Change, appeared on the Fradkin's 2006 album, Goin' Back.
In 1987, Ronson made an appearance on a record by The Toll. Ronson played lead on the band's song, "Stand in Winter", from the album The Price of Progression.
In 1992 he produced Morrissey's album, Your Arsenal. The same year, Ronson's final high profile live performance was his appearance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. He played on "All the Young Dudes" with Bowie and Hunter; and "Heroes" with Bowie. Ronson's final recorded session was as a guest on the 1993 Wildhearts album Earth vs the Wildhearts, where he played the guitar solo on the song "My Baby is a Headfuck".
Ronson died of liver cancer on 29 April 1993 at the age of 46, survived by his wife Suzy, and his children Nicholas, Lisa (with wife, Suzi Ronson), and Joakim (with Carola Westerlund). Ronson was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His funeral was held in a Mormon chapel in London on 6 May.
In his memory, the Mick Ronson Memorial Stage was constructed in Queens Gardens in his hometown of Hull. There is also a street named after him on Bilton Grange Estate, not far from where he lived.
Throughout his career with Bowie, Ronson used a 1968 Gibson Les Paul customised "Black Beauty". In the post-Bowie era, Ronson tended towards a blue, rosewood-board Fender Telecaster; he did not, however, limit himself to these two guitars. Ronson also used Marshall 200 amps (not to be confused with a Marshall Major) that he nicknamed "The Pig". Ronson also used a MKI Tone Bender for his signature sound during the Spiders from Mars era.
Empty Bed
Mick Ronson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up, washing the sleep away
My mind, full of the games you play all the time
I, roll up a cigarette
Sit down, trying hard to forget
Your face, when you turned and left me again
Seeing your face on the wall, when it's only in a frame
It's not the same
Sleeping without you at night, not knowing if I will again
Magic mirror shines
Memories of yesterday
You wouldn't go and you couldn't stay
Deceitfully blind
To you wanting your way
Where will you go, where will you stay
Where will you stay
You wouldn't say
You wouldn't say
You've gone away
Can't help feeling sad but then I'm glad
You'll realize your heartaches today
I see your eyes
Yes the eyes that used to shine with secret tears
You know you always used to cry
I'll wait for tomorrow
Yes, I'll wait for tomorrow
Haven't I told you
Just want to hold you
You know that yesterday
You took my smallest part so carelessly away
Have all your memories gone suddenly to sleep
Your golden head
The empty bed
The empty bed and now there is another day
But where are you
What can I do?
You once said
Ours is terrestrial love
Such a feeling left along with your case
It's such a fight
'Cause every window I pass
Keeps reflecting visions of your face
Like a Spider's web
Weaving me round and round again
Will it let go, can I clear my head
There's a thousand things
Not only the empty bed
Why did you go? was it something I said?
Let me clear my head
Was I misled?
I wish I was dead
You've gone away
Can't help feeling sad but then I'm glad
You'll realize your heartaches today
I see your eyes
Yes the eyes that used to shine with secret tears
You know you always used to cry
I'll wait for tomorrow
Yes, I'll wait for tomorrow
Haven't I told you
Just want to hold you
You know that yesterday
You took my smallest part so carelessly away
Have all your memories gone suddenly to sleep
Your golden head
The empty bed
The empty bed and now that you have gone away
Where are you
What can I do?
My cigarette's gone out
It's late, no one's about
Guess I'll try
Put you right out of my mind
In "Empty Bed," Mick Ronson sings about the residual pain and confusion of a break-up. He wakes up and tries to move on from his former lover, who seems to be always playing games with his heart. He rolls up a cigarette and tries to forget her face when she left him again. Mick Ronson's lyrics are particularly poignant in the chorus of the song where he meditates on the memories of yesterday, and contemplates the future without his lover. He is left desperate, trying to find some meaning in the pain, wishing for a different outcome, and finding solace in the empty bed that lies next to him. The song's verses are marked with a feeling of hopelessness or confusion as the singer grapples with the end of his relationship.
The song's chorus features echoing backup vocals to add weight to the pain expressed in the lyrics. While the song is ultimately about heartbreak, it also touches on themes of memory, the passage of time, and the transitory nature of our emotions. The lyrics are open to interpretation and may reflect many different break-up situations. However, Mick Ronson's performance powerfully conveys the confusion and helplessness of someone going through a painful phase in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake, reaching for yesterday
I wake up every morning hoping to go back to yesterday, when you were still with me.
Up, washing the sleep away
I wash my face with water to wake myself up and forget about the dreams where you were still with me.
My mind, full of the games you play all the time
You always played games with my heart, and my mind is filled with memories of those games.
I, roll up a cigarette
I light up a cigarette to calm myself down and ease the pain of missing you.
Sit down, trying hard to forget
I sit down and try to forget you, though it's not an easy task.
Your face, when you turned and left me again
I can't stop thinking about your face when you turned and walked away from me yet again.
It's not a game
Our relationship was not just a game to me, it meant everything.
Seeing your face on the wall, when it's only in a frame
I see your picture on the wall and it hurts to know that the only place I can see you now is in a picture frame.
It's not the same
Life without you is not the same, and I feel so lost and alone.
Sleeping without you at night, not knowing if I will again
I can't sleep without you beside me, and I don't know if I'll ever have that opportunity again.
Magic mirror shines
The mirror reflects the magic of our past relationship.
Memories of yesterday
I can't help but reminisce about the good memories we shared in the past.
You wouldn't go and you couldn't stay
You were indecisive about whether to stay or leave, and that left me confused and hurt.
Deceitfully blind
You were not completely honest with me about your feelings and intentions.
To you wanting your way
You always wanted things your way without considering my feelings.
Where will you go, where will you stay
I wonder where you went and where you will be staying now that you've left.
Where will you stay
I'm so lost without you here, and I can't stop wondering where you are now.
You wouldn't say
You never told me what was going on in your mind, and that just made me feel more helpless.
You've gone away
You've left me behind and moved on, and that just breaks my heart.
Can't help feeling sad but then I'm glad
I can't stop feeling sad about you leaving, but at the same time, I'm glad you're gone because it's better to be without someone who doesn't truly love you.
You'll realize your heartaches today
One day, you will realize the pain you caused me with your actions.
I see your eyes
I can still see your eyes, the ones that used to shine with unspoken tears.
Yes the eyes that used to shine with secret tears
Your eyes used to be filled with tears, and you never told me why, but I could see the sadness in them.
You know you always used to cry
I knew you were hurting, but you never let me in.
I'll wait for tomorrow
I'll keep waiting for you to come back, even though I know it's unlikely.
Haven't I told you
Haven't I made it clear that I love you and want you back?
Just want to hold you
All I want is to hold you close and make everything right again.
You took my smallest part so carelessly away
You took a piece of my heart with you when you left, and it feels like you didn't even care.
Have all your memories gone suddenly to sleep
Do you even remember the good times we shared, or have you blocked those memories out?
Your golden head
Your beautiful golden hair that I used to love playing with.
The empty bed
Every night, I'm left with an empty bed where you used to sleep beside me.
But where are you
I don't know where you are or what you're doing, and it scares me.
What can I do?
I feel so lost and helpless, and I don't know what to do without you.
Ours is terrestrial love
Our love was supposed to be forever, but it turned out to be just like any other ordinary love.
Such a feeling left along with your case
When you left, you took all the love and happiness we had together with you.
It's such a fight
Trying to forget you is a constant battle that I'm struggling to win.
Every window I pass
I can't escape the memories of you, even when I'm out and about.
Keeps reflecting visions of your face
Every window I look into reflects your face back to me, and it's torture.
Like a Spider's web
Your memory is like a spider's web that entangles me, leaving me confused and hopeless.
Weaving me round and round again
I can't escape the web of memories that surrounds me, no matter how hard I try.
Will it let go, can I clear my head
Will I ever be able to escape the spider's web of memories, and finally be at peace?
There's a thousand things
There are so many things that remind me of you, and it's overwhelming.
Not only the empty bed
It's not just the empty bed that reminds me of you, but everything else as well.
Why did you go? was it something I said?
I can't help but wonder if it was my fault that you left, or if there was something I could have done differently.
Was I misled?
I feel like I was deceived by your actions, and that you never truly loved me.
My cigarette's gone out
My cigarette has burned out, and with it, my temporary peace of mind.
It's late, no one's about
It's late at night, and everyone else is asleep, but I'm still awake, haunted by memories of you.
Guess I'll try
I'll try to sleep and forget about you, though it will be a long and restless night.
Put you right out of my mind
I'll try to remove you from my thoughts, but it's not an easy task.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICK RONSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mtheapotheosis
Wake, reaching for yesterday
Up, washing the sleep away
My mind, full of the games you play all the time
I, roll up a cigarette
Sit down, trying hard to forget
Your face, when you turned and left me again
It's not a game
Seeing your face on the wall, when it's only in a frame
It's not the same
Sleeping without you at night, not knowing if I will again
Magic mirror shines
Memories of yesterday
You wouldn't go and you couldn't stay
Deceitfully blind
To you wanting your way
Where will you go, where will you stay
Where will you stay
You wouldn't say
You wouldn't say
You've gone away
Can't help feeling sad but then I'm glad
You'll realize your heartaches today
I see your eyes
Yes the eyes that used to shine with secret tears
You know you always used to cry
I'll wait for tomorrow
Yes, I'll wait for tomorrow
Haven't I told you
Just want to hold you
You know that yesterday
You took my smallest part so carelessly away
Have all your memories gone suddenly to sleep
Your golden head
The empty bed
The empty bed and now there is another day
But where are you
What can I do?
You once said
Ours is terrestrial love
Such a feeling left along with your case
It's such a fight
'Cause every window I pass
Keeps reflecting visions of your face
Like a Spider's web
Weaving me round and round again
Will it let go, can I clear my head
There's a thousand things
Not only the empty bed
Why did you go? was it something I said?
Let me clear my head
Was I misled?
I wish I was dead
You've gone away
Can't help feeling sad but then I'm glad
You'll realize your heartaches today
I see your eyes
Yes the eyes that used to shine with secret tears
You know you always used to cry
I'll wait for tomorrow
Yes, I'll wait for tomorrow
Haven't I told you
Just want to hold you
You know that yesterday
You took my smallest part so carelessly away
Have all your memories gone suddenly to sleep
Your golden head
The empty bed
The empty bed and now that you have gone away
Where are you
What can I do?
My cigarette's gone out
It's late, no one's about
Guess I'll try
Put you right out of my mind
@steveng.farrell4637
This is truly a beautiful song with heartbreaking lyrics. I haven't listened to this song in maybe 40 years. It has hit me hard in the gut! I first heard this song from Mick Ronson when I was an American soldier stationed in Germany back in 1975 or 1976. I even recall the lovely German girl (Maria) that I will always associate with this song. I cry for her, Mick and for my lost youth. Can I really be feeling all of those emotion here in my old age? I am with those here who recognize this man's great abilities in music.
@marcodrago1
it is a cover of an italian song from claudio baglioni. Only words are completely different "Io me ne andrei" is the title of italian song (that litterally would sound "i would go away"). So he just didn't write this song...
@stevenhaywood6027
Marco Minervini , Mick still wrote his own lyrics, and arranged the song, and sings it beautifully! On his first three solo albums he only wrote a few of the songs, the rest are covers - but very good ones!
That is okay, it would be a poor world if people could not make cover versions of songs they like!
sttgaegoaktd
@MYVIDEO632
Oh Steven!
@bobbeyderbrain
I feel your pain, Steven. It's such a beautiful, emotive song. Genius.
@stevenhaywood1195
Mick certainly had great genius indeed.
😛sttgaegoaktd
@joeylion
this song means so much to me
@MaryJaneWhatsername
I'm pretty sure I just listened to magic in it's purest form. Mick Ronson was absolutely brilliant and amazingly talented. Rest in peace, Mick. Wish I was born just a few years earlier to have been able to listen to your music while you were still with us. <3
@axoram
Amazing version of "io me ne andrei"-1973 ,of Italian singer Claudio Baglioni
@sakshattiwari6831
The most underrated singer and guitarist ever.. love you and thank you Mick!