Released: November 16, 1973

Songwriter: Bertolt Brecht Herbert Hartig Kurt Weill

Producer: Arif Mardin Barry Manilow

I was young, I was just sixteen then
When you came up from Burma one day
And you told me to pack up my suitcase
And I did, and you took me away
I said, "Do you work nice and steady
Or do you go sailing and roving out to sea?"
And you said, "I have a job on the railroad
And baby, how swell it's all gonna be."
You said a lot, Johnny. It was all lies
You sure had me fooled, right from the start
I hate you when you laugh at me like that
Take that pipe out of your mouth, Johnny

Surabaya Johnny. Is it really the end?
SurabayaJohnny. Will the hurt ever mend?
Surabaya Johnny. Ooh, I burn at your touch
You got no heart, Johnny, but oh, I love you so much

Thought at first you were kind and gentle
'til I packed up and went off with you
And it lasted two weeks until one day
You laughed at me and hit me too
You dragged me all over the city
Up the river and down to the sea
Now I look at myself in the mirror
And some old woman looks back at me
You didn't want love, Johnny, you wanted money
I gave you all I had. You wanted more
Oh, don't look at me that way
I'm only trying to talk to you
Wipe that grin off your face, Johnny
Surabaya Johnny. Is it really the end?
SurabayaJohnny. Will the pain never mend?
Surabaya Johnny. How I burn at your touch
You got no heart, Johnny, but oh, I love you so much

When we met I forgot to ask you
Why they called you that funny name
But in every hotel on the seacoast
I found out, and I loved you all the same
I'm tired. I'm worn out
The sea's pounding in my ears
And I reach out my arms to hold you
You're not here and who even cares?
You got no heart, Johnny. You're just no good
You going now? Oh, tell me why
I love you after all, Johnny, like that very first day
Don't laugh at me no more, Johnny

Surabaya Johnny. Is it really the end?
SurabayaJohnny. Will the hurt ever mend?
Surabaya Johnny. Oh, I burn at your touch
You got no heart, Johnny, but oh, I love you
I love you, I love you so much

Bette Midler

Bette Midler is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, comedienne and actress. Named in honor of Bette Davis, Midler’s career began performing off-broadway until she developed the stage persona The Divine Miss M while singing at the world-famous Continental Baths gay bathhouse. A pre-fame Barry Manilow, the venue’s in-house piano player, produced her Grammy-nominated debut album which scored three US top 40 singles including the Grammy-nominated “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Midler took home the Best New Artist Grammy that year, her first of three career wins.

Throughout the 1970s, Midler found further success with music, Broadway, television and film. The Rose, Midler’s 1979 acting debut, earned her both Oscar and Academy Award nominations, and its namesake song won her a Golden Globe and another Grammy – also giving Midler her first success overseas.

The early 1980s proved less successful for Midler with four under-performing singles and a box office flop with the film Jinxed. However, the second half of the decade would prove far more fruitful with a handful of very successful films including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune and Beaches, the latter featuring a chart-topping cover of “Wind Beneath My Wings” that won Midler her third Grammy and is considered one of the greatest songs in American film history.