A recent song request from POB. This is the best version I have and it's in my top 10 of MJ songs. I wish he had demoed it. I'm unsure of some of the lyrics. I listened to all of the versions yesterday and changed a bunch. On March 8, 1983, Michael called me to get the lyrics. I guess he must have known I kept them all in a notebook in those days. As I read them to him, he corrected me on some but I don't know if what I had now included those corrections. (I had seasons "fogged" and Christmas "seals" - still not sure. I'll have to find that notebook!)
https://youtu.be/UkRmNryO9NQ
I've always doubted he was really calling to get the lyrics from me - he didn't forget lyrics!   He was performing at O'Shaughnessy that day, benefit for the Encore Program and put me on the guest list as I hadn't known about it - in those days you only found out about concerts if you read the newspaper. MJ did give me a recording of this concert years later and he had performed this song at the beginning of the second set but the recording was started late. Here is my database info:

New tablature from Dale: Here You Are (The Photograph) added to the Lyrics and Chords page:

https://mjblue.com/mjlyrics.html

Also added wmelander's "You've Got to be Carefully Taught" chords which he posted to this message board a couple months ago.

Three new YouTube audios will be added tomorrow!

Some of you might be interested:

I have 610 songs in my database which were performed by MJ. I have a total of 653, the others include DB&J, Mark Henley, MJ's ads, songwriters' demos. I don't have listed the songs he told me he had performed but which I had never heard or didn't have recordings of. He used to have a list on his laptop of all the songs he had performed in his long career and he once read song of them off to me once at Gustavus backstage. I NEVER thought to ask for a copy of the list. When he asked me to be his archivist, again, why didn't I think to ask for it.

This is an example of the song section of the database. (I also have sections for songwriter and venue.)

Any thoughts what I should do with this info with regards to the website? I could list every song and songwriter but it would be hard to list the venues attached to each song. (Unfortunately I don't have online SQL database knowledge.) I suppose I could simply state whether he recorded it, performed it in concert, etc.

A message was posted recently asking if I had a list of songs written by MJ. Here's what I have in my database. As far as I know, MJ contributed both to the lyrics and music. (And one song was written about me - if you don't know which one, you can guess.) I have several others on demo cassettes submitted to his publisher which I'm sure he wrote or cowrote. I should contact them.

Annie's First Rain - Michael Johnson
At the Drop of a Tear - Michael Johnson, K. Flemming
Back On Track - Michael Johnson, D. Gibson
Back to My Blues - Michael Johnson, Jack Sundrud
Better Brother - Michael Johnson & Michael Lille
Big Lippin' - Michael Johnson & J Salestrom
Breakfast Again - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
Burning My Heart at Both Ends - Jim Varsos, Michael Johnson
Cain's Blood - Michael Johnson
Central Standard Time - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
Circus - Michael Johnson, Laurie Kuehn, John Denver
Come to Me - Michael Johnson
Crying Shame - Michael Johnson, Don Schlitz, Brent Maher
Dancin' Tonight - Bill LaBounty, Michael Johnson
Distant Fire - Michael Johnson, Wayne Carson, Bill Piburn
Do It Yourself - Michael Johnson, Joanie Chappell Beeson
A Dream Within a Dream - Michael Johnson
Driving Through the Hills of Mexico - Michael Johnson
Either You or Me - Hugh Prestwood, Michael Johnson
Emilio - Michael Johnson, Tom Keaton
Farewell to Lorien - J.R.R. Tokein/ M. Johnson & M. Henley (music)
Fate At the Wheel - Michael Johnson, Mark Henley
Froggin' - Mark Henley, Michael Johnson
Got You Covered - Biff Rose, Michael Johnson (prologue & epilogue)
Gotta Learn to Love without You - Kent Robbins, Michael Johnson
Happier Days - Michael Johnson
Heather’s Money - Michael Johnson, Randy Goodrum
Hills - Michael Johnson
Home - Denny Brooks, Michael Johnson
Home Free - Michael McDonald, Michael Johnson
I Could Love You with My Eyes Closed - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
I Don’t Have a Prayer - Jim Varsos, Michael Johnson
I Just Want to Sing with You - Michael Johnson
I Need You Now - Michael Johnson, Rick Beausford
I Need Your Light - Michael Johnson, Jim Varsos
I'm Hurtin' - Michael Johnson, Bill LaBounty
I’ve Already Flown - Michael Johnson, S. Franks
It’s All Done With Mirrors - Michael Johnson, Jim Varsos
It's Still You - Michael Johnson
Jimmy - Jeff Klaser, Michael Johnson
Labor of Love - Michael Johnson, J.D. Martin
Lady on the Horse - Michael Johnson
Leave It Alone - Michael Johnson & Bill LaBounty
Leave It to a Child - Michael Johnson, Randy Sharp
The Line - Michael Johnson, Jim Varsos
Minute She's Gone - Michael Johnson, Craig Carp
Mommy, You Can Trust Me - Michael Johnson, & Martin Yarborough
Mona Ray - Leo Kottke & Michael Johnson
My Father's Shoes - Michael Johnson, Susan Longacre
My Own Satie - Leo Kottke, Michael Johnson
Never Gonna Look Back - Bill LaBounty, Michael Johnson
No One I Know - Michael Johnson, Jon Vezner
Nobody Home in My Heart - Michael Johnson, Liz Hengber
O.B. Glad - Mark Henley & Michael Johnson
Okay It’s Over - Michael Johnson, T Damphier
One Mile Apart - Lisa Aschmann, Michael Johnson, Karen Taylor-Good
Punchline - Michael Johnson, Michael Lille
Ready for the Rain - Michael Johnson, R. Orrall
Rose - Bill LaBounty, Michael Johnson
Rusty Rails - Michael Johnson, Gary Scruggs
The Same Heart - Michael Johnson, C. Carpe
She's Almost Gone - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
A Single Word - Michael Johnson, Chappell Beeson
Slow Dancin’ Ends Too Fast - Michael Johnson, C. Carpe
So So - Josef Myrow, Mack Gordon, Michael Johnson
Software - Michael Johnson, Randy Goodrum
Someone’s Out There - Michael Johnson, Jim Varsos
This Ain't the Night to Be Me - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
Time to Time - Michael Johnson, female unknown
To Feel a Friend - Michael Johnson
Way Too Blonde - Michael Johnson & WT Davidson
We’re Still Holding Hands - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
What Did I Do With You - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins
When She Smiled at Him - Michael Johnson, Chappell Beeson
Wilson Girl - Michael Johnson, Ted Sherman, Mark Henley
With You, With Me - Michael Johnson, Kent Robbins

Finally, the last two songs from the Amy & Paul tape.

Annie's First Rain by MJ
https://youtu.be/7bVPpI9C9kM

Good to Be with You by Eric Andersen
https://youtu.be/CcrE78PaQ5A

He repeats the lyrics after each song which evidently was for Amy's and Paul's benefit.

Hi Cindy,
Do you have any idea how many songs MJ wrote, recorded or not?
Do you know if anyone else performed any songs he wrote?
He said, I think in an interview, that songwriting was hard work. Makes me wonder if he typically wrote the music and the co-writer did the lyrics. Any idea?
As you can see, I have a lot of time on my hands, thus these burning questions!

Hi Cindy,
Do you have Michael's version of the above song in your treasure chest of tapes??? I've only heard him sing one line of the song and it's beautiful! If you have it, could you put on YouTube? I'd love to hear the rest of it!
Thank you!

Dale Dixon has created tablature for Bristlecone Pine and I'm a month late getting it up. Thanks for the reminder, Dale.

https://mjblue.com/mjlyrics.html

Another Amy & Paul tape song

Love City (Postcards to Duluth)
I learned I had the wrong title to this song so the youtube video will say Postcards to Duluth. This is written by Noel Paul Stookey and was on Peter, Paul & Mary's 1968 Late Again album. As he frequently did, Michael left out a couple verses and change lines around. I wish he had performed it as it's a beautiful cover.

Also, new photo in the video. Found it in my stash. Taken at the Earl of Old Town on 1/18/73. I don't know if I bought this off eBay or if MJ gave it to me. He wore that shirt in a few publicity photos.

https://youtu.be/szo6QyE8ufM

Paul and Amy tape continued.

I Shall Be Released, only a couple verses. Pretty sure he learned it off Peter, Paul & Mary's "Late Again" album, released in August 1968, further narrowing down the date of this tape to late '68 or after. Coming up, another song from this album, same tape.

This is the only Bob Dylan song I'm aware of that he sort of covered.

https://youtu.be/Vqbq75kJPK0