She became fed up with school and went to the US as an exchange student. She took up skiing as a hobby and is now a semi-professional snowboard artist. She competed and travelled around the US, and at one point she came in 5th and 6th place in a championship in 1996. Eventually she went back to Sweden in 2001, finished high school and started working at various jobs.
Her singing talents started when she was a teenager and became a singer of coverband @groove and moved to Karlstad.
But her big break started when she heard about the first season of Popstars in Sweden and decided to give it a go. She succeeded in the final and Ana, Jenny Karolina, Kristina Bergfoth, Malin Catharina Olsson and Susanna Emily Anna Patoleta formed the band Excellence. They were a huge success, sold many albums and completed a sold out tour.
However, [artist[Excellence[/artist] wasn't Ana's style of music and left the band. She continued her music career as a solo artist. In the autumn of 2003, she released "The Way I Am" on the radio and it developed into a radio hit in Sweden and Germany and it gave her a nomination for the 2004 NRJ Awards in Stockholm. She released her debut album Cuz I Can in 2004 soon after. This album was only released in Sweden.
She was approached by the head of Colombia Tristar during a cruise and was invited to contribute a song to the soundtrack of Spider-Man 2. The song was called "We Are" and it became the first single to come off the soundtrack and was released worldwide. It became a big hit and she released the album The Way I Am. The album was followed by the singles Don't Cry For Pain and Coz I Can
Ana recorded a new album in the mean time which was released in 2006. The first single, " Days Of Summer", was released in July 2006. The album, Little Angel (October 2006), was preceded by the second single called "Exception", which is the theme song to the Swedish thriller movie Exit. Johnsson also recorded a song with Finnish rockband Bleak for the soundtrack for the Finnish-Chinese film Jadesoturi (Jade Warrior) called "Fate". It became one of the most played songs on the radio in Finland and got the NRJ award for Best Nordic Song in 2007. "Catch Me If You Can", the album's third single, also was the official theme for the 2007 Alpine World Ski Championships. In February 2007 Johnsson released the album in Japan resulting into sales over 20,000.
Exception
Ana Johnsson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who can't afford a conscience clean and morals too
You can't undo what can't be undone
I can't rewind and so I run
Exception, yeah, you are my exception
Exception, yeah, you are my exception
Exception
You came to me with confidence, I saw the devil smile
You said hey here's your second chance, redemption for a life
A heart-shaped magic lucky charm
My gift to you will keep me warm
Exception, yeah, you are my exception
If I could be your angel flying through a desert storm
A soothing calm oasis
You would always be my one exception
I had an inner vision, attacking from behind
A backstabbing illusion, no smoke without a fire
You told the truth, I lived a lie
There's nothing I won't sacrifice
Exception, yeah, you are my exception
Exception, yeah,
If I could be your angel flying through a desert storm
A soothing calm oasis
You would always be my one exception
In this song, Ana Johnsson sings about a person who is an exception in her life. She starts off by stating that pride is only for a privileged few who don't have a conscience or morals. She realizes that some things cannot be undone and that she can't rewind time, so she decides to run away. This speaks to the idea that sometimes we make mistakes and it's hard to face the consequences, so we try to escape them.
The chorus focuses on the person who is her exception, implying that they are someone who she trusts and relies on. They appear to have given her a second chance at life and offered her a lucky charm to help her on her journey. This could be interpreted as the person being a savior or protector in her life.
The second verse reveals a betrayal, where Ana had an inner vision and discovered that someone had been dishonest with her. However, despite this, she is willing to sacrifice anything for this exception in her life. Overall, the song represents the idea of finding someone who is exceptional and trustworthy in an imperfect world.
Line by Line Meaning
Pride is for the privileged, pride is for a few
Only privileged people can truly afford to be proud, as they don't have to worry about the consequences of their actions or morality
Who can't afford a conscience clean and morals too
Those without a clear conscience or strong morals cannot afford to be truly proud, as their actions may catch up to them eventually
You can't undo what can't be undone
Certain actions, once taken, cannot be reversed, and their consequences must be faced
I can't rewind and so I run
When faced with the consequences of one's actions, it may be tempting to run away and avoid facing them head-on
You came to me with confidence, I saw the devil smile
Although someone may come to you with confidence and charm, it's always possible that their true intentions are less than pure
You said hey here's your second chance, redemption for a life
Sometimes someone may offer you a second chance or a way to redeem yourself, but the offer may not be entirely genuine
A heart-shaped magic lucky charm
The gift or offer may seem enticing or magical, but it may not be what it appears to be
My gift to you will keep me warm
The gift or offer may be motivated by the giver's own desires or needs, rather than being purely selfless
I had an inner vision, attacking from behind
Sometimes we may have a sense of foreboding or intuition about a situation or person, even if we can't quite put our finger on it
A backstabbing illusion, no smoke without a fire
If something seems too good to be true or too perfect, it's always possible that there is something wrong or deceptive about it
You told the truth, I lived a lie
In many situations, it may be easier or more tempting to live a lie than to face the harsh truth
There's nothing I won't sacrifice
When faced with the consequences of one's actions, sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to make things right
If I could be your angel flying through a desert storm, A soothing calm oasis, You would always be my one exception
If there is someone we truly care for, we may be willing to do whatever it takes to help and protect them, even in the toughest of circumstances
Exception, yeah, you are my exception
The person being addressed is special and stands out from everyone else
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DILBAHAR DEMIRBAG, ANA JOHNSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RoxyWrites
Love this. Discovered this song last year while watching Exit (2006) with Mads Mikkelsen. Both the singer and the actor should be more celebrated.
@TheMurdoch24
Who's a learner runner here? One of the best running choons ever!
13.1! yeaaaaah! you are my exception!!!
@kingofIbiza
The count(1502) on this song is really a "great" example of a Music industry who kills real talent.. This girl is truly something extra. Fantastic production by the way.
@gorilla8739
Great song and a beautiful woman.
@Iirisfan
ana s2
@UNBEK4NNTE
fur?
@luciusirving5926
The intro reminds me of Garbage somehow.