There are at least three artists called Johan.

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.

You Know
Johan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know this day won't last forever
Move on and you'll forget
Tomorrow's packed with new endeavors
Get on with life she said

All I ever cared about
Thought I'd never do without
Seems a faded memory

Remnant from the past

You know my love we'll be together
For what is still to come
When time gets rough we'll make it better
You know where we came from

All I ever cared about
Thought I'd never do without
Seems a faded memory
Remnant from the past

I guess I've lingered far too long
To get it straight with you again
Could never be the one you wanted to

You know this day won't last forever
Get on with life she said

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Johan's song "You Know" speak about moving on from the past and embracing the present and future. The opening lines suggest that the present phase of life won't last forever and that it's crucial to move forward.

The chorus beautifully encapsulates the theme of the song. It talks about the memories that we hold dear and how they often start to fade with time. Nevertheless, the sentiments and feelings attached to them still linger on. The song reassures the listener that even though something appears to be fading away, it does not mean that it is entirely lost. The future holds a promise of more beautiful moments that we can cherish.

The last verse suggests that the singer has been clutching onto something or someone from the past, but now it's time to let go. It's likely that he cannot keep holding on to the past and that he wishes to make a fresh start. The song ends with a powerful reminder that we should keep moving forward, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Overall, the song's message is one of hope and moving on, even though it may be challenging at times. It encourages people to cherish memories, but also to embrace the present and look forward to the future.

Line by Line Meaning

You know this day won't last forever
You're aware that bad times and difficulties will eventually subside

Move on and you'll forget
By moving on, you'll eventually forget the pain and sorrow you're experiencing

Tomorrow's packed with new endeavors
There are new opportunities and experiences waiting for you in the future

Get on with life she said
Someone encouraged you to continue living your life despite your struggles

All I ever cared about
Everything I valued highly

Thought I'd never do without
Believed that I would never lose or be without these important things

Seems a faded memory
Now, it appears like a distant, blur in my mind

Remnant from the past
Only a small piece of something that no longer exists

You know my love we'll be together
You have faith that our love will last and we will remain together

For what is still to come
For the future still ahead of us

When time gets rough we'll make it better
We will weather the hard times and emerge from them stronger than ever