Plenty of yacht rock songs delivered good vibes. But that’s not all this laid-back genre proved capable of providing. Every now and again, an artist would come along and tap into a smooth, soft-rock vibe while also projecting bottomless sorrow. Michael Johnson did just that with the hit 1978 single “Bluer Than Blue”. He connected with a rising songwriter and found the pathos in a character futilely trying to put a brave face on a broken heart.
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Johnson’ Journey
By the time Michael Johnson enjoyed his biggest hit single, he already had carved out a varied, far-flung career in music. Born in Colorado, Johnson was winning talent contests when he was still a teenager. But he followed a somewhat peripatetic path to stardom from that point.
That included a stint in Spain, where he learned classical guitar to add to his instrumental repertoire. He briefly served in a group with none other than John Denver. And he took a theater role at one point as well.
Finally, in the 70s, he started pointing towards a career as a solo act. He released three albums on smaller labels from 1973 to 1977, before finally attracting a major label. What did the trick? A short demo that he put together. One of the songs on that demo: “Bluer Than Blue”.
“Blue” Period
Randy Goodrum penned “Bluer Than Blue” for Johnson to record. Johnson couldn’t have possibly known that he was connecting with a guy who was about to become one of the most successful writers-for-hire of that time period. Just a month after “Bluer Than Blue” arrived on The Michael Johnson Album, Goodrum’s “You Needed Me”, recorded by Anne Murray, came out. That song topped the US charts.
In terms of “Bluer Than Blue”, the song came adorned with subtle strings. But it also featured a lilting bass line and some flickering guitar on the periphery. Those elements kept the song from getting too sappy, as did Johnson’s bluesy vocal performance.
The artist felt good about the finished product, but he also doubted whether the song could make a massive impact. Johnson worried that the subject of the song perhaps tracked a little bit long in the tooth for young folks listening on pop radio. He was thankfully off base about that notion. “Bluer Than Blue” worked its way to no. 12 on the pop charts in 1978.
Behind the Lyrics of “Bluer Than Blue”
“Bluer Than Blue” finds the narrator in deep denial for much of the song. He tries to find the bright side in his lover having left him. Among the benefits he cites, more reading and sleeping, copious closet space, the freedom to stay out at all hours, and control over the television. “I really should be glad,” he insists.
But that chorus keeps showing up to let us in on his true state, which isn’t pretty. “But I’m bluer than blue, sadder than sad / You’re the only light this empty room has ever had.”
In the middle eight, all his protestations to the contrary can’t hide the truth: “But the nights will sure be colder.”
Michael Johnson scored a few more minor pop hits and then segued into a country career. Randy Goodrum developed into one of the most versatile songwriters around, penning smashes for a wildly diverse roster of artists, including Steve Perry, Chicago, and DeBarge. Together, they gave us “Bluer Than Blue”, one of the more affecting heartbreakers of the prime era of yacht rock.
Photo of Michael Johnson via “Bluer Than Blue” YouTube music video
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