In 1993, He started his musical career as the singer in Planet Waves, a group which released only one album, Brutal Awakenings before splitting up due to internal conflicts. He then turned to a solo career, releasing the debut solo album Cottonfish Tales. In 1999, he had an international hit with the single Glorious, which later featured on the album Liebling, which has been used in a number of advertisements including Volvo, Nutella and Vauxhall. Deadly Happy, his third solo album, was released in 2002, and Mr Johnson, Your Room Is On Fire was released in 2005. 2007 he gave out a greatest hits CD called The Collector.
Bio from the poet site written by Unbry, Mysty and Bending:
March 22nd, 1970 - Lund, Southern Sweden: a wonderful baby starts to let the world hear his phenomenal voice: his name is JON ERIK ANDREAS JOHNSON. His mummy is called Marie, his daddy Gigge; they're both jazz musicians. He also has an older brother called Olof who's now a lawyer. Since they were children, the Johnson brothers have travelled throughout the world with their parents, always in a tour: "I've grown up on the stage, surrounded by instruments, scores and dressing-rooms sometimes not decent. [...] I was the group's mascot and to joke or because I liked it, I always ended up with taking a microphone in my hands, often on daddy's knees..." Music becomes a natural yearning for Andreas: as a kid he used to fall asleep listening to his mother singing jazz songs instead of traditional lullabies, believe it or not! In his early teens he moves with his family in a Stockholm suburb: "There was not so much to do, I only had three choices: sport, drugs or music and I chose the last!". He starts joining small bands and making his first experiences; his first band Silver Arrow made its debut in an assembly-hall at school "It was my first gig ever, It ended up with that I and the two guitarists went up and played without drummer. The guitarists were so nervous that they played with their back against the public". But his parents disagree with him having seen many friends quitting their musical career pretty soon. "So you don't want me to be in the music world? I'll prove you wrong!"
Andreas releases his first album with Planet Waves, "Brutal Awakenings", published by EMI only in Scandinavia. The band seems to take inspiration from Bob Dylan, and also the title is the same of a Dylan's album (Andreas will later confess that they didn't actually know anything about that album!). Between 1993 and 1995 love brings him with the band to New York, where he finds his first personal inspirations for his songs; back in Stockholm the band splits up "We didn’t come to agree. It became a total conflict. Also physical confrontations, fights".
Under the American influence Andreas releases, again with EMI and only in Scandinavia, his first solo album, "Cottonfish Tales". And here problems begin, he fight with EMI because they don't give him enough freedom, he takes a period off in Berlin and in this magic city the new album "Liebling" starts to breathe in only 2-3 months.
The album is dedicated to Debbie Starlight, mysterious inspiring muse, dead before her time but somehow still present in his songs' sounds. Italy brings inspiration too: he spends a couple of weeks in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, and, inspired by green Tuscanian hills, he writes 8 songs, 3 included in the album (the last three). As a final gift he gets a new contract with another recording house, WEA. Tales say that when Andreas went to WEA he brought with him three sample songs in DAT format, but the player jammed right at the proof moment; he took a guitar and decided to make a live performance, with an acoustic version of "The Games We Play": the editor was immediately crazy about it and signed the contract the same day! The POET's talent strikes back!
After the album conclusion, comes the single choice: for about two weeks Andreas and his band try to choose a song to be released as a single, but everyone has his own favourite and the choice is not easy; in the end the album opening song is chosen: "Glorious". In Gothenburg, during the first months of 1999, in an old dismissed gas container, Karl-Johan Larsson directs the video of "Glorious"; in interviews Andreas always says that it was "quite frightful: I was 80 metres above the ground and we were even without permissions!". The song is published just before summer, but it doesn't reach immediate success: "This song is too distressing for summertime" the POET says. But during autumn it becomes the biggest success of the season: it reaches the third place in Italian singles chart and also the fourth place in the "difficult" English chart, which is a quite good result for a debut single! Andreas receives two nominees for the Swedish Grammy Awards, as best single and best video for 1999. Critics unanimously recognise that "Glorious" is "the most beautiful song of the last decade". Concerts in Germany, England, Spain and Sweden are always sold out.
..At the end of 1999 the new single, "The Games We Play", is published in Sweden, reaching 7th place in the chart. Unsatisfied with the video shot in Praga, Andreas decides to shoot a new version during the weekend 4-5 march 2000, with the same director of "Glorious", Karl-Johan Larsson, and again in Gothenburg waiting for the new single to be published in the rest of Europe on May 15..
..In Autumn 2000 “People” video was ready and directed by Karl-Johan Larsson too in Kiev/Ukraina. At our advise the best video of our POET..
..After a long European tour from 1999 till Autumn 2000 till the presentation of the best hip hop MTV Europe Award, a long working period gets him ready to conquer the world..
...15/12/01 he is ready to enter in all charts with the new single Shine. A little taste coming from the new album Deadly Happy, third work of the Swedish singer songwriter, that will be released in Europe between March and April...
.. No one will ever stop the POET)
The Games We Play
Andreas Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's what you want to see
Some sensuality,
When you cry, I just can't prove you wrong
No I just play along
I guess it turns you on...
The games we play
The hearts we break
We live through this...
The games we play
Do right, it's getting critical
Are we to cynical...
Could use a miracle...
The games we play
The shows we give
My heart you break
I live through this...
The games we play
The games we play
The rules we make
Like secret codes, we can't escape
The games we play
The games we play...
You say there really is no doubt
We just can't do without...
The games we play
The shows we give
The hearts we break
We live through this
The games we play
The games we play
The rules we bend
With lovers lust, we will defend
The games we play...
The games we play...
You say it's solid poetry...
Andreas Johnson's song The Games We Play is a reflective piece about the emotional games that people play in relationships. The lyrics explore the themes of love, lust, and the manipulation that often come into play in intimate relationships. The opening lines, "You say it's solid poetry, it's what you want to see, some sensuality, when you cry, I just can't prove you wrong, no, I just play along, I guess it turns you on," depict the sense of helplessness that can arise when one partner chooses to ignore the negative aspects of a relationship to keep the other partner happy. The lyrics suggest that some people enjoy playing mind games in relationships, and this can have a profound impact on the other partner, who just goes along with it.
The chorus of the song, "The games we play, the shows we give, the hearts we break, we live through this," highlights the destructive aspects of such relationships. It seems that both parties involved are well aware of the destructive nature of the games they play, but nevertheless, they continue to play them. The lyrics also suggest that the rules of the game, though arbitrary, are inescapable, and their consequences, although hurtful, are inevitable. The listeners are encouraged to contemplate the blurred lines between love and emotional manipulation and the price of emotional intimacy.
In the second stanza, the lyrics portray a sense of desperation, "Do right, it's getting critical, are we too cynical, could use a miracle." Here, the singer seems to be searching for a way out of the emotional trap but is finding it hard to break free from the games they play. Nevertheless, the lyrics do not offer any resolution. Instead, the song ends on a note of resignation, acceptance even, that the games they play are a part of the dynamic of the relationship, "You say it's solid poetry, and there is no doubt, we just can't do without..."
Line by Line Meaning
You say it's solid poetry
You believe that what we have is a perfect, beautiful connection.
It's what you want to see
Some sensuality,
When you cry, I just can't prove you wrong
No I just play along
I guess it turns you on...
You want to see me as something sensual and desirable, and even when you cry and I can't change your mind, I simply play the role you want me to because it excites you.
The games we play
The shows we give
The hearts we break
We live through this...
The games we play
Our relationship involves a lot of playing around and acting, with each of us taking turns breaking the other's heart, but we continue to go through the cycle because we're addicted to it.
Do right, it's getting critical
Are we to cynical...
Could use a miracle...
Our situation is getting worse as we continue to play games. Maybe we're too jaded and need some kind of divine intervention to break out of it.
The games we play
The shows we give
My heart you break
I live through this...
The games we play
We continue to play our roles, with you breaking my heart over and over again. But despite the pain, I keep going along with it because it's become a habit for us.
The games we play
The rules we make
Like secret codes, we can't escape
The games we play
The games we play...
Our relationship is defined by the complicated roles we play and rules we create, which are like secret codes that we're unable to break free from. We're trapped in this cycle of playing games with each other.
You say there really is no doubt
We just can't do without...
You believe that we're meant to continue playing these games with each other and that we can't imagine being in a relationship without the constant drama and heartbreak. It's become an integral part of our connection.
The games we play
The shows we give
The hearts we break
We live through this
The games we play
We continue to go through the same cycle of games, shows, and broken hearts, but we keep living through it because we can't seem to let go of this toxic relationship.
The games we play
The rules we bend
With lovers lust, we will defend
The games we play...
The games we play...
We're willing to bend the rules and defend our behavior because we're consumed by a passionate, lustful love that we can't seem to shake. We're stuck in the same cycle of playing games with each other, and it seems like it's never going to end.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: ANDREAS JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@louisecrouch7724
June 2021, just beautiful
@lotti68
Andreas have a very special voice and the songs go directly in my heart....it´s happiness....I´m so lucky! It´s because of You Andreas!You´re a wonderful musician and a very nice person....and your place...a star...! Keep on going, AJ! Love...Lottis
@Vandalah
He's simply extraordinary !!!! I Loooovvee him so!
@susannalofberg8188
I also like Andreases songs..I first fell in love to song: Glorious !!!
@cheekwiz
sstill listening in 2014.this song is magic
@psychepsyhe882
HE IS MY ANOTHER HERO!!! I LOVE THIS SONG!!! ;) with love Annie
@Marab00
Andreas is soo good that it can not be described :D
@JosieCamara
"The games we play" was the second single on the album Liebling from 1999. This song was written and first sung by Andreas Johnson. At least that is what is what it says in the album cover I bought in 1999. - Kurt Nilsen did not release anything before he won Pop Idol in 2003.
@ghiacciaio85
Great song, great video
@Germanau2
@cassadyblack, this song is from 1999, lyrics and music written by Andreas Johnson. Kurt Nilsen made a cover years later.