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
Open Your Heart
Jill Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
long before we met I believed
the greatest love was there for me
and when I'd found it was mine to keep
I would never let it go
I would hold it so hard but I did not know
that time would cast a spell
on us
I remember how we used to talk
we said we'd never be apart
what happened to the love we had
how can something so good feel so bad
I'd forever talk to you but son my words would turn into
into something you don't want to hear
Open your heart
and let me know you want me here
show me that you really care
that our love comes first
and I'll open my heart
I'll give you every piece of me
you know I'll love you through eternety
and I always will
I always will
Let me tell you one thing you need to hear
If I lose my voice if it disappear
it would mean the world to me but my life would still go on you see
If I loose you now for real I can't imagine how it would make me feel
Our love was everything to me
Open your heart
and let me know you want me here
show me that you really care
and that our love comes first
and I'll open my heart
I'll give you every breath of me
you know I'll love you through eternety
and I always will
oh remember me,
like I remember you
Oh, let's go back
to when our love was new
'cus I still want you
I want you closer to me
It's not lost
oh baby can't you see
The lyrics to Jill Johnson's song Open Your Heart tell the story of a love that started with a dream and developed into a deep connection. The singer expresses her desire for the love to last forever, but acknowledges that time has had a negative impact on the relationship. The couple used to talk about never being apart, but now the singer is afraid that her words will turn into something her partner does not want to hear. Despite this, she pleads with her partner to open their heart and show that they want her to stay. She promises to love them through eternity and always remember them.
The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and fear, as well as a desire for connection and commitment. The use of imagery such as "casting a spell" and "losing her voice" adds depth to the emotions expressed. The chorus is a powerful plea for openness and honesty in the relationship, with the singer offering her love in return. The song could be interpreted as a call for communication and effort in a struggling relationship, or as a reflection on the importance of holding onto love in the face of challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw you in my thoughts and dreams
Even before meeting you, I imagined being with you
long before we met I believed
I had faith that we were meant to be together
the greatest love was there for me
I knew I had yet to experience my biggest love story
and when I'd found it was mine to keep
When I finally found it, I vowed to cherish and not let it go
I would never let it go
I was determined to never lose the love that we have
I would hold it so hard but I did not know
I was so scared of losing you that I held on so tight without knowing how time can affect us
that time would cast a spell
Time can change things and make the once strong feelings fade away
on us
Our relationship was not immune to the effects of time either
I remember how we used to talk
I cherish those moments of us conversing, dreaming and creating plans together
we said we'd never be apart
We vowed never to experience a moment in life apart from each other
what happened to the love we had
I am confused about what happened to the love we had for each other
how can something so good feel so bad
It is difficult to accept that what was once the greatest thing now feels awful
I'd forever talk to you but son my words would turn into
Even when I try to talk to you about us, you stop listening and become unresponsive
into something you don't want to hear
My words do not resonate with you anymore, they mean nothing to you
Open your heart
I want you to open up to me honestly
and let me know you want me here
I want to be sure that you still want me in your life
show me that you really care
I need some proof that what we have is still important to you
that our love comes first
I want our love to be a priority in your life
and I'll open my heart
If you do that, I promise to open myself up to you
I'll give you every piece of me
I am willing to give my all to you, openly and passionately
you know I'll love you through eternity
My love for you is timeless and forever
and I always will
Nothing can change how I feel about you right now and forever
Let me tell you one thing you need to hear
There is something that I feel you need to be told clearly
If I lose my voice if it disappears
If I cannot speak anymore, what I'm about to say means everything to me
it would mean the world to me but my life would still go on you see
I would care so deeply but I would not let it stop me from moving forward
If I lose you now for real I can't imagine how it would make me feel
The thought of losing you makes me shiver, I cannot even imagine how painful it would be
Our love was everything to me
You were the most important thing in my life, our love meant everything to me
oh remember me,
I am asking you to remember all that we have been through
like I remember you
Just like I have memories of you etched in my mind
Oh, let's go back
I am requesting that we go back to where we started This relationship
to when our love was new
to the time when we first started being in love with each other
'cus I still want you
Because despite everything, I still want you in my life.
I want you closer to me
I want us to be more connected and intimate than ever before
It's not lost
I do not want believe that what we had is lost
oh baby can't you see
I need you to realise how I feel and what I'm begging for
Writer(s): TOMMY ERIK NILSSON, TOBIAS FROBERG, JILL JOHNSON
Contributed by William B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.