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.
Oceans
Johan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’ve been living on my own
Waiting for you
I’ve been helpless since you’ve gone
Getting tired of being alone
Keep thinking of you
Cannot sleep, you never call
Into you
So if you’re lonely
Then I will swim the ocean
Pull me underwater
Find me crawling on the ocean floor
If you need me
Then I will cross the ocean
To walk upon the water
The tides will bring me to the ocean shore
If you want me
Why don’t you give a sign?
You live in a different world
And all the seas that want to cheat from me
Getting close but I can’t reach you
There’s a giant gap between us –
Can’t you see?
I can’t take it anymore
I’ll never make it to your door –
I might drown
But if you’re lonely
Then I will swim the ocean
Pull me underwater
Find me crawling on the ocean floor
If you need me
Then I will cross the ocean
Walk upon the water
The tides will bring me to the ocean shore
If you want me –
(Do you want me?)
I don’t need no time
I believe in time
Healing wounds that fall from the past –
Leaves us cold
I believe you’re mine
I believe I’m fine
Then again, I’m lost without you now
Gotta get to you somehow
Before I drown
I can’t take it anymore
I’ll never make it to your door –
I might drown
But if you’re lonely
Then I will swim the ocean
Pull me underwater
Find me crawling on the ocean floor
If you need me
Then I will cross the ocean
To walk upon the water
The tides will bring me to the ocean shore
If you want me –
(But do you want me?)
The lyrics to Johan's song "Oceans" express the feeling of longing and desperation in a relationship that is struggling. The singer has been hanging on and living on their own, waiting for their partner who left them feeling helpless and alone. The singer cannot stop thinking about their partner and is struggling to sleep because they never call. Despite feeling like they might drown, the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to be with their partner, even crossing oceans or walking on water.
The lyrics speak to the universal feeling of wanting to be with someone who seems out of reach. The singer is aware of the distance between them and their partner, but they are still willing to make the journey if there is a chance of being together. This song is an anthem for anyone who has ever felt like they would do anything for love, even if it means swimming oceans or crossing the sea to be with someone.
The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's willingness to do anything to be with their partner, even if they are not sure if their partner wants them back. The song's emotional impact comes from the singer's vulnerability and honesty about their feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I’ve been hanging on so long
I have been waiting for you for a long time.
I’ve been living on my own
I have been living alone without you.
Waiting for you
I have been waiting for you to come back.
I’ve been helpless since you’ve gone
Since you left, I feel completely helpless.
Getting tired of being alone
I am growing weary of being alone.
Keep thinking of you
I can’t stop thinking about you.
Cannot sleep, you never call
I can’t fall asleep when you don’t call me.
Can’t believe how deep I’ve fallen – into you
I can't believe how much I have fallen in love with you.
So if you’re lonely Then I will swim the ocean Pull me underwater Find me crawling on the ocean floor
If you feel lonely, I will do anything to be with you, even if it means going to the deepest parts of the ocean.
If you need me Then I will cross the ocean To walk upon the water The tides will bring me to the ocean shore
If you need me, I will go to great lengths to be with you, even if it means crossing the ocean by walking on water.
If you want me Why don’t you give a sign?
If you want me, please let me know, so I can be with you.
You live in a different world And all the seas that want to cheat from me Getting close but I can’t reach you There’s a giant gap between us – Can’t you see?
You live in a different world than me and even though I try to be close to you, there is still a huge gap between us that I cannot seem to bridge.
I can’t take it anymore I’ll never make it to your door – I might drown
I can't handle this anymore and I won't be able to reach you, and it feels like I am drowning.
I don’t need no time I believe in time Healing wounds that fall from the past – Leaves us cold
I don't need time to heal my wounds or wait for you, because time itself can heal the pain we have from our past.
I believe you’re mine I believe I’m fine Then again, I’m lost without you now Gotta get to you somehow Before I drown
I believe that you are meant to be mine and I’ll be fine with you, but now that you’re gone, I have to find a way to get to you before I sink deeper into my despair.
But if you’re lonely Then I will swim the ocean Pull me underwater Find me crawling on the ocean floor If you need me Then I will cross the ocean To walk upon the water The tides will bring me to the ocean shore If you want me – (But do you want me?)
If you ever feel lonely or need me, I will swim across the ocean and even walk on water to be with you, but I need to know if you want me for who I am.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACCO DE GREEUW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@summerheart3278
This used to be one of my favorite bands many years ago, It's nice to know that someone from latinamerica knows Johan, besides me. I'm from Mèxico. Great journey of yours.
@bilgog508
Een van de beste Nederlandse nummers ooit
@wb4993
Waarschijnlijk het beste popnummer dat er in NL is gemaakt...
@onursarkaya143
This song should've been a soundtrack of a movie about a young guy who is full of hope
@azurepai5916
Omg ik ben jaren op zoek geweest naar de titel en artiest van dit nummer. Zo blij dat ik het nu weet ♥
@331victor
Heerlijk nummer van een prachtige band
@patrickgoudriaan9760
Te weinig reacties, voor zo'n mooi nummer.
@xnverlxchtduxsternxs1936
Mee eens
@dili.
taa liseli olduğum dönemden itibaren arada girip hortlattığım, muazzam şarkı,umarım sonsuza kadar böyle bana özel kalır💚.
@kingmickey666
Geweldig! Heel mooi nummer. Ik probeer dit nummer op m'n gitaar te spelen maar kan de akkoorden maar niet vinden.