Biography
Johnson is from the small town of Ängelholm in the south western part of Sweden, but the surroundings and the media compare her with the biggest stars in the music business. By the age of four, she had decided that she wanted to become an artist. She was highly encouraged by her local choir leader.
She now lives in a hunting lodge in the Western Gothlandic woods of Sweden, but also has a home in Stockholm.
As a 12-year old, she started off as vocalist in a Country & Western band, Tomboola Band, touring in Norway and Denmark. She signed eventually with EMI-Medley in Denmark and recorded an album, produced by top producer Paul Bruun. The title-track, Sugar Tree, became a hit in Denmark. In 1996, she had her first Swedish hit with Kommer tid, kommer vår”, a duet with Jan Johansen.
In 1998, she performed Kärleken är at Melodifestivalen, winning the Swedish finals and going on to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest. This established Johnson as one of the prime Swedish artists. The success was followed by the hit album När hela världen ser på and a successful tour.
In mid 1999, Johnson went to L.A. to look for material for her second album. At home, she worked with Andreas Carlsson (ASCAP Writer of the Year 2000), who is known for several massive hits, the biggest , so far, being Celine Dion's That's the Way It Is. She also tried out a few local new-comers and the album Daughter of Eve was released in early 2000. It was very well received and Johnson was compared with some of the world's best artists.
In 2000, she received a platinum-record in Denmark for the sound-track Promise To Love from the Danish block-buster, "Eneste Ene". Later that year, Johnson started to collaborate with other songwriters such as Jenny Orenstein, Charlie Stefl, Mary Green [Biem Writer of the Year 2001]. This resulted in her receiving a Publishing contract in Nashville Tennessee. Consequently, in 2002 Johnson's album entitled "Good Girl" came to be with the help of producer Scott Bagget and some of Nashville’s top musicians. This album secured Johnson's artistic sound and style and once again she was extremely well received by the press in their reviews where she was described as an artist of International calibre.
In the Swedish finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 she qualified at fourth place (out of 32 entries) but and her song “Crazy in Love" became a hit and received a great deal of radio play and was followed by a successful tour.
Johnson's collective "Discography" CD was released in late March 2003. It contains the 20 most popular songs since her debut in 1995. This Cd went straight into the sales charts for best selling CDs in Sweden. The single “Crazy in Love” stayed at No 1 in the Swedish Top Charts (Svensktoppen) 12 weeks consecutively and No 2 for 15 weeks. "Discography" sold Gold in Sweden and Johnson also got a Grammy for this album.
The new album "Roots and Wings" was released in November 2003, recorded and produced by Amir Aly in Sweden and by Scott Baggett in Nashville, USA. "Roots and Wings" sold gold in less than two weeks and platinum a few months later. The album "Being who you are" was released in Sweden in late March 2005 and sold gold in only a few weeks. Johnson was the host of the 2005 Swedish finals of the Eurovison Song Contest in Stockholm
Amazing Grace
Jill Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
...
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come,
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.
...
When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun
Than when we've first begun
...
The lyrics to Jill Johnson's song "Amazing Grace" are a beautiful tribute to the power of grace and its transformative impact on a person's life. The opening verse reflects on the sweetness of the sound of grace, which has saved the singer from a place of brokenness and despair. There is a sense of being lost, but now having been found, and of coming out of a state of blindness to be able to see the world in a new light.
The second verse speaks to the relationship between fear and grace, and how the experience of grace has both taught the singer to fear and relieved those fears. Through the trials and challenges of life, the singer has been brought safely to the present moment through the power of grace, and trusts that grace will continue to lead them home.
The final verse imagines a future state of being in which the singer will be able to sing God's praise for eternity, with no end to the joy and awe that grace inspires. Overall, the song is a testament to the transformative power of grace, and to the way that it can bring hope, healing, and redemption to even the most broken of lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Grace is a wonderful thing that sounds sweet to my ears.
That saved a wretch like me.
Grace saved me even though I was a miserable person undeserving of it.
I once was lost, but now am found,
I used to be lost and directionless, but grace helped me find my way.
Was blind, but now I see.
Even though I was once metaphorically blind, grace helped me gain insight and understanding.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
Grace helped me understand the importance of fearing God.
And grace my fears relieved.
At the same time, grace also helped me feel comforted in the face of my fears.
How precious did that grace appear
Grace is a valuable and treasured thing that appeared to me at just the right time.
The hour I first believed.
That moment when I first believed in grace will always hold a special place in my heart.
Through many dangers, toils and snares
Despite facing numerous challenges and obstacles, grace has helped me persevere.
I have already come,
I have made progress thanks to grace.
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
Grace has helped me make it through difficult times and become better for it.
And grace will lead me home.
Grace will continue guiding me on the right path and help me find my way home.
When we've been there ten thousand years
Even after spending a long time in heaven, the joy and appreciation for grace will never fade.
Bright shining as the sun,
The joy and radiance of heaven will shine like the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Even after spending countless days in heaven, there will always be more opportunities to praise God.
Than when we've first begun
Our joy and appreciation for God's grace will never diminish, even after an eternity in heaven.
Writer(s): TRADITIONAL, MARCUS MILLER
Contributed by Liliana D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kathe Forrest
Beautiful voice and nice rendition of one of my favorite songs!