Jay-Jay Johanson was born Jäje Johansson on 11 October 1969 in Trollhättan, Västra Götaland. His debut album, Whiskey, was released in August 1996. Recorded at Break My Heart Studios in the Stockholm archipelago, the album was characterized by its jazzy vocals over trippy, film noir arrangements.
In 1998, Johanson released Tattoo, taking a step into a more richly textured, poetic ambience. Johansson's third album, Poison, was released in April 2000 and went straight into the French charts at number four. The album featured contributions from Cocteau Twins founder and guitarist Robin Guthrie. The same year Johanson also composed the soundtrack to French director Ilan Duran Cohen's film La Confusion des Genres, and in 2001, Johanson emerged with "Cosmodrome", a sound-and-image installation first exhibited in the French city of Dijon. This art-piece has travelled around the world and was last shown at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
Antenna was released in 2002, recorded with assistance from German experimental electronic group Funkstörung. 2004 marked the release of the compilation Prologue, meant for the American market. It was followed by Rush in 2005, an album partly produced by French producer Jean-Pierre Ensuque.
Johanson co-wrote and contributed vocals to The Knife's 2006 song "Marble House".[1] In the spring of 2006, he called together the musicians he had worked with on the three first albums, and January 2007 saw the release of their collaborative effort The Long Term Physical Effects Are Not Yet Known. A tour in promotion of the album kicked off in China and continued to more than thirty cities around the world.
Johanson's eighth studio album Spellbound was released on 2 May 2011.[2] "Dilemma" was released as the album's lead single on 11 March 2011.[3]
On 3 March 2017, "You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone" was released via iTunes as the first single from Johanson's upcoming album Bury The Hatchet, due 15 September 2017 on 29 Music. [4]
Suicide is Painless
Jay-Jay Johanson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The visions of the things to be
The pains that are withheld from me
I realise and I can see
Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
But I can take or leave it if I please
The game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna loose it anyway
But losing cards are some days late
So this is all I have to say
The sword of time will pierce our skin
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works it's way on in
The pain grows stronger watch it grin
A brave man once requested me
To answer questions that I keep
"is it to be or not to be"
And I reply "oh why ask me ? "
And you can do the same thing if you please
In Jay-Jay Johanson's song "Suicide Is Painless," we can see a bleak view of life through the eyes of someone who is struggling. The first verse describes a person who sees the future and the pain that comes with it. This person is aware of the suffering that is to come and is considering suicide as a way out. The chorus seems to suggest that suicide is a viable option for this person, as it is painless and brings about many changes. The singer is aware that they have a choice in the matter but is undecided on what to do.
The second verse talks about the game of life being hard to play, and the singer acknowledges that they will lose eventually. However, the losing cards sometimes come late, which means that there is still time left to live. The last two lines of the verse seem to be the singer's way of saying that they have nothing else to add to the discussion as they are preoccupied with their own thoughts.
The third verse talks about the inevitability of death and how it doesn't hurt when it first happens. However, as time goes on, the pain grows and becomes unbearable. The last two lines of the verse refer to Shakespeare's famous line "to be or not to be" from Hamlet, questioning the meaning of life and whether it's worth living. The singer's response is somewhat dismissive, as if to say that it doesn't matter what they think.
Overall, the song seems to be about someone who is struggling with the hardships of life and is considering suicide as a way out. While the song does not promote or condone suicide, it presents a bleak view of life and the choices that people sometimes make.
Line by Line Meaning
Through early morning fog I see
As I wake up, my mind is foggy and unclear but I have a sense of what's to come.
The visions of the things to be
I have a sense of what is going to happen in the future.
The pains that are withheld from me
I am shielded from the pain that is to come in my life.
I realise and I can see
I am aware of the challenges and pain in life but I am choosing to keep going.
Suicide is painless
The act of ending one's life may seem easy, but it's not a true solution.
It brings on many changes
Death affects the lives of those left behind, causing many changes and consequences.
But I can take or leave it if I please
I have the choice to end my own life, but it's not a choice I want to make.
The game of life is hard to play
Living life is difficult and sometimes feels like a game with no clear rules or strategies.
I'm gonna lose it anyway
Eventually, I will die and lose the game of life.
But losing cards are some days late
Sometimes, death comes later than expected and we have to continue living with pain and challenges.
So this is all I have to say
In the face of the hardships of life and potential for pain, there's not much more to say except to keep moving forward.
The sword of time will pierce our skin
The passage of time is inevitable, and it will bring pain and challenges with it.
It doesn't hurt when it begins
The pain of life's challenges may not always be felt right away, but it will come eventually.
But as it works it's way on in
The pain of life's challenges will grow over time.
The pain grows stronger watch it grin
As the pain of life grows, it can feel like it's taking pleasure in causing us suffering.
A brave man once requested me
Someone once asked me a difficult question.
To answer questions that I keep
They wanted me to address my own inner questions and conflicts.
"Is it to be or not to be"
The question was whether to continue living or end my own life.
And I reply "oh why ask me ? "
I am not in a position to advise on this question as I struggle with it myself.
And you can do the same thing if you please
Ultimately, every person has the choice to continue living or end their own life, but it's not a decision to be taken lightly.
Contributed by Riley R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.