1. Johan is a Dutch … Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three artists called Johan.
1. Johan is a Dutch indie rock band, established in 1990 in the town of Hoorn, The Netherlands, by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jacob de Greeuw, who initially named the group Visions Of Johanna (after the Bob Dylan song of the same name).
The name was changed into Johan in 1996. That same year the band put out their début album, Johan, to overwhelming acclaim from the Dutch music press. The band underwent several personnel changes. De Greeuw soon was the only permanent member. Johan recorded and released three more studio albums of melodic, crafty, Beatle-esque guitar pop with English lyrics that often touched on De Greeuw's personal life. The frontman suffered several bouts of serious clinical depression, the subject of many songs on the Dutch indie classic Pergola (2001) as well as THX JHN (2006). By 2006 De Greeuw had re-located to Amsterdam and formed an Amsterdam-based line-up of the band.
The album 4 (2009) would be thought to be Johan's swan song: the band - to the surprise of many fans - decided to call it a day after a sold-out 'farewell show' at Amsterdam's Paradiso in December 2009. In 2018 they released their 5th studio album Pull Up(2018) All five of Johan's albums (particularly the first three) are regarded as Dutch indie gems, but Johan never made a mark outside of The Netherlands, which is why they are regarded by many (in spite of their domestic success and 'gold' certification for Pergola) as criminally underrated.
Frontman Jacco (or Jacob) de Greeuw is the only permanent Johan member. The first Johan line-up (the 'Hoorn line-up' of 1996) was completed by Remco Krull, Niels de Wit and Wim Kwakman.
The 'Amsterdam line-up' line-up that called it a day in late 2009 consisted of De Greeuw, Maarten Kooijman (guitar, vocals), Diets Dijkstra (guitar, bass guitar, vocals) and Jeroen Kleijn (drums).
De Greeuw's decision to call it quits was perhaps more of a surprise than his decision to re-form the band in 2018 after nine years of absence. The comeback album, Pull Up was regarded by most critics as 'just as good as the first three'. A long string of Dutch festival shows and sold out club gigs followed. The current line-up of Johan is the 'Amsterdam line-up' of 2009, with the exception of guitarist Maarten Kooijman, who penned several songs on 2009's 4. Robin Berlijn (previously in Fatal Flowers, Moke and Kane, amongst others) replaced him.
2. Johan is an American singer and music producer who, until 2010, had never seriously listened to any kind of popular music--he was fully immersed in the world of classical, as an award-winning composer and self-taught pianist. But then Johan was introduced to Kanye West's symphonic 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, while on acid at a house party in the suburban Massachusetts town where he grew up. Captivated, he immediately began teaching himself how to sing and produce contemporary songs.
In 2016, Johan became the composer for Yeethoven--a concert featuring the music of Kanye West and Beethoven juxtaposed and combined by a 50-piece orchestra. Johan's work soon caught the attention of Mike Dean and No I.D., both of whom he's worked with extensively since then on albums for Travis Scott (Astroworld), Teyana Taylor, Nas, Kanye West, Vic Mensa and others. His contributions on these records range from writing & production, to composing & singing grandiose choral atmospheres to orchestrating symphonic interludes.
Now, Johan is releasing new music of his own, featuring the same vocal and orchestral textures he contributed to these artists. They appear not as background components in his work, but as a central compositional feature--something Kanye West personally encouraged him to consider when working on Teyana Taylor's album.
Johan's songs, which he produces largely himself, explore a feeling of suburban ennui and anxiety about growing up, often viewed through a darkly humorous, self-deprecating lens.
3. Johan is also a Dutch folk/pub singer. His full name is Johan Hengeveld, 'Jij hebt de hemel verdiend' (2009) his best known song.
Life On Mars
Johan Lyrics
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Only God knows where I roam
Got no contact with the ground, communications broken down
And I hope I'll find my way cause there is life on Mars, they say
Won't you come outside in the sky so bright
Feel the air is clean of things you've never seen
Won't you come down?
Here out floating all alone, only truth to be alone
Cruising across the universe, there's no way back, no reverse
Counting every single moon, I reach my destination soon
Hope my ship knows where to go, cause there is life on Mars, you know
Won't you come outside in the sky so bright
Feel the air is free of things you've never seen
Won't you come down?
Cause there is nothing left to stay for anyway
Hundred thousand matches in a year I got myself up down to here
The lyrics of Johan's song "Life on Mars" speak of a sense of detachment, loneliness, and a search for purpose. The first stanza talks about the singer's soul being in another space, a million miles away from home, with broken communications and uncertainty about finding the way back. The lyrics suggest a person searching for answers, looking for a sense of meaning in life, and hoping to find it on Mars, which is known to support life.
The second stanza speaks of a person who is floating alone in space, surrounded by truth and with no way back, but counting every single moon to reach their destination soon. The lyrics evoke a sense of longing for connection, an urge to explore new frontiers, and a desire to leave behind the troubles of life on earth. The final and most intriguing line of the song talks about the singer having "Hundred thousand matches in a year I got myself up down to here." It is possible that it speaks of the singer's struggle to find meaning in life, with the idea that striking so many matches is a metaphor for trying again and again to find purpose.
Overall, "Life on Mars" offers a thoughtful and introspective take on the human condition, suggesting that even when we feel lost and alone, there is always hope for finding meaning and connection in life.
Line by Line Meaning
His soul is inside another space, a million miles away from home
Johan feels like he is in a different world or dimension far away from his own home
Only God knows where I roam
Johan feels lost and unsure of his destination, and only God knows where he will end up
Got no contact with the ground, communications broken down
Johan is disconnected from his roots and cannot communicate with his original home
And I hope I'll find my way cause there is life on Mars, they say
Johan hopes to find his way and move forward because there is hope that lies ahead
Won't you come outside in the sky so bright
Johan is inviting someone to join him out where the skies are clear and bright
Feel the air is clean of things you've never seen
Johan is implying that the air where he is present is pure and fresh, and the other person can witness things they have never seen before
Won't you come down?
Johan is urging the person he is talking to, to come and join him where he is present
Cause there is nothing left to stay for anyway
Johan implies that there isn't anything for the other person to stay back for, and it is better to join him where they can see new things and explore new possibilities
Here out floating all alone, only truth to be alone
Johan feels like he is floating away all alone, and the only truth he is aware of is loneliness
Cruising across the universe, there's no way back, no reverse
Johan is traveling through the vast universe where he has no control of going back or reversing his steps
Counting every single moon, I reach my destination soon
Johan is keeping a count of every moon he passes by, and he hopes he reaches his destination soon
Hope my ship knows where to go, cause there is life on Mars, you know
Johan puts his trust in the ship he is traveling with to take him to his destination, and he is hopeful that there is life on Mars
Hundred thousand matches in a year I got myself up down to here
Johan has failed innumerable times in the last year to reach his current position where he is out floating alone in space. He hopes to keep moving forward and reach his destination.
Contributed by Adrian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.