Johnny's musical career began in the early 80s after forming the band Phaze with his older brother, Joey. The band underwent reform and he started drumming with the band Killerhit in 1983 at the age of 17. Sharing vocal duties with Joey, the four-piece act hit the East Coast club circuit with an enormous amount of success, earning enough by 1987 to purchase their own lighting rig, truck and tour bus (purchased from Jimmy Buffett).
Re-locating to Hollywood, Killerhit hooked up with Poison's Bret Michaels. The singer gave them his former publicist Debra Rosner's number who instantly became the band's manager. Realizing the need for a front man, Johnny vacated the drum stool for center stage, Las Vegas native Derek Cava taking his place behind the drum kit. Soon after the band switched names to the more appropriate one Brunette. The band broke The Doors and Van Halen's single-weekend attendance records on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood CA and became regionally successful throughout the U.S. They were signed by Capitol Records but the deal unfortunately fell through when the record company went under.
The Gioelis immediately went on to form a new and powerful hard rock band, Hardline - then brought in Journey guitarist Neal Schon as well as Todd Jensen, former bassist for David Lee Roth, and drummer Deen Castronovo, who later went on to join Journey. Hardline's first album Double Eclipse released in 1992, and they had already been opening shows on tour with Van Halen and Mr. Big. Double Eclipse is still recognized as one of the top melodic hard rock albums of the era. Their first releases Hot Cherie and Takin' Me Down can be heard on the FM airwaves today. As with many bands of the late 80s and early 90s, they largely disappeared for some time as the grunge music movement swept the U.S.. But in 2002 Johnny reinvigorated the band and Hardline returned with another album, "II" and at this time guitarist Neal Schon had been replaced by guitarist Josh Ramos, formerly of The Storm.
Since 1998, Johnny has also been the vocalist for the Axel Rudi Pell band. Axel Rudi Pell is a German guitar player who began in a German band called Steeler. These days Axel's band tours in Europe, drawing in faithful fans and performing at the Wacken Open Air festival on a yearly basis. They will be attending the 2009 Wacken Open Air, the 20th anniversary of the festival. Albums that Johnny has appeared on include: Oceans of Time (1998), The Ballads II, The Masquerade Ball (2000)(one of his favorites), Shadow Zone, Knights Live (DVD), Kings and Queens, The Ballads III, Mystica, Diamonds Unlocked, and Tales of the Crown (2008).
Johnny has also been working for some time with video game composer and musician Jun Senoue and has delivered his vocals in the Sons Of Angels CD, Thrill Of The Feel, released in 2000. He is currently in the band Crush 40, where he sang several songs in recent Sonic the Hedgehog games, such as the theme tune Sonic Heroes, a bright, melodic song and in contrast What I'm Made Of, a distinctly dark, energetic hard rock song with metal sensibilities for the final struggle of the game. He was also the vocalist for the songs Open Your Heart, the main theme of Sonic Adventure (Though it was originally recorded with a different vocalist), Live and Learn, the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2, I Am... All Of Me, the main theme of Shadow the Hedgehog, and Never Turn Back, the ending theme from the same game. His latest work with Senoue is a cover of Runblebee's Seven Rings in Hand, which was featured exclusively on the currently japan-only CD True Blue: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog. He also wrote the chorus lyrics for the Sonic the Hedgehog Next-Gen game main theme "His World". As well as writing the chorus for the main theme (Performed by Matty Lewis and Ali Tabatabaee), he also recorded a version of the song with Crush 40 (featured as a bonus track on the games official soundtrack).
Now just this April 17, 2009 the long awaited third Hardline album has released, entitled Leaving The End Open. The current line up is Johnny Gioeli (vocals), Michael T. Ross (keyboards), Josh Ramos (guitar), Jamie Brown (bass) and Atma Anur (drums). In a recent interview, Johnny says this album is coming from a very good place and he loved writing and recording it. The songs are written by Johnny Gioeli and Josh Ramos with the exception of "In This Moment" which Johnny wrote himself. He also thanked Serafino at Frontiers Records for his enduring support for a third Hardline album. Hardline will be touring in Europe and Johnny says he and the guys really want to do some shows in the U.S., saying "I would love to do some shows in my own homeland.....the fans here are so awesome."
The song listing for Leaving the End Open is: Voices, Falling Free, Start Again, Pieces of Puzzles, Bittersweet, She Sleeps in Madness, In This Moment, Give In To This Love, Before This, Hole in My Head, and Leaving the End Open.
Drive
Johnny Gioeli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Johnny Gioeli, Eric Gadrix, Alessandro Del Vecchio
JUST A DREAM AT ELEVEN
I CAN HEAR THE SOUND IN MY HEAD
I CAN SEE MYSELF STANDING
I CAN FEEL THE LIGHT ON MY FACE
I WILL BRING IT TO LIGHT
I WILL BRING IT TO LIFE THAT'S ME
SO TURN IT UP AND WE'LL MAKE OUR WAY
PUT THE WIINDOWS DOWN AND YA HEAR ME SING
COME ON AND DRIVE
TAKE YOU AWAY
LEAVE THAT SHIT FOR ANOTHER DAY
COME ON AND DRIVE
FEEL YOU'RE ALIVE
LET THE WIND BLOW BY
LET THE WIND BLOW BY
I NEED I NEED MY DRIVE
EVERYDAY IS A BATTLE
I DON'T WANT THE INBOX TO RULE ME
UNPLUG FROM IT AND BE FREE
SO TURN IT UP AND WE'LL MAKE OUR WAY
PUT THE WIINDOWS DOWN AND YA HEAR ME SING
COME ON AND DRIVE
TAKE YOU AWAY
LEAVE THAT SHIT FOR ANOTHER DAY
COME ON AND DRIVE
FEEL YOU'RE ALIVE
LET THE WIND BLOW BY
LET THE WIND BLOW BY
I NEED I NEED MY DRIVE
WHEN NOBODY CHANGES
WHEN NOBODY CARES
I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW
I MAKE MUSIC MY AIR
The song "Drive" by Johnny Gioeli is all about finding freedom, letting go of stress and living in the moment. It starts with the line "just a dream at eleven" which could mean the idea of being free and driving being just a dream when he was younger. The idea of wanting more and standing up for oneself is mentioned with the lyrics "wanting all and more, I can see myself standing." The driving element of the song is a metaphor for life and taking control of it. Gioeli is telling the listener to turn it up, put the windows down and just drive. Meaning, do not worry about the trivial things in life but rather focus on living for the moment, feeling alive and feeling free. The line "let the wind blow by" could mean to let go of all the stress and anxiety and just let it go like the wind. It is a way of saying that one should not worry about the small things in life, but rather focus on the bigger picture.
The chorus of this song is particularly catchy and encourages the listener to join in with the words "Come on and drive, take you away, leave that shit for another day" which means to leave your troubles and worries behind and just live in the moment. The lyric "I need my drive" means that this is necessary for the living of a good life. The song also touches upon the idea of being disconnected from the digital world ("I don't want the inbox to rule me") and the importance of unplugging and being free.
Overall, this song is a call for people to take charge of their own life, focus on living in the moment, and not worry about the small stuff in life.
Line by Line Meaning
JUST A DREAM AT ELEVEN
As a child, I had the fantasy of being a musician.
I CAN HEAR THE SOUND IN MY HEAD
I can imagine the perfect music I want to create.
WANTING ALL AND MORE
I desire to achieve greatness and exceed expectations.
I CAN SEE MYSELF STANDING
I visualize myself on stage, performing for a crowd.
I CAN FEEL THE LIGHT ON MY FACE
I can feel the spotlight shining on me, illuminating my face.
I WILL BRING IT TO LIGHT
I will make my dream a reality and share my music with the world.
I WILL BRING IT TO LIFE THAT'S ME
Creating music is my passion and purpose in life.
SO TURN IT UP AND WE'LL MAKE OUR WAY
Let's play this music loud and confidently move forward together towards our goals.
PUT THE WINDOWS DOWN AND YA HEAR ME SING
Let's enjoy the ride and express ourselves by singing along with the music.
COME ON AND DRIVE
Let's escape from our troubles by driving away and enjoying the moment.
TAKE YOU AWAY
I want to give you a break from the stresses of life and take you on a musical journey.
LEAVE THAT SHIT FOR ANOTHER DAY
Let's forget about our worries and focus on enjoying the present moment.
FEEL YOU'RE ALIVE
When you listen to my music, I want you to feel a surge of vitality and energy.
LET THE WIND BLOW BY
Let's get lost in the freedom of driving, feeling the wind blowing by and forgetting about everything else.
I NEED I NEED MY DRIVE
Creating music is not just a hobby for me, it's a part of who I am and essential for my well-being.
EVERYDAY IS A BATTLE
Every day I am fighting to find the time and inspiration to create music amidst the demands of life.
I DON'T WANT THE INBOX TO RULE ME
I refuse to let the constant stream of emails and notifications take control of my life and creativity.
UNPLUG FROM IT AND BE FREE
To create music, I need to unplug from the digital world and find freedom in my mind.
WHEN NOBODY CHANGES
When society stagnates and fails to evolve, I find inspiration in creating new music.
WHEN NOBODY CARES
Even when others may not appreciate my music, I will continue to create it simply because it brings me joy.
I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW
When I need inspiration, I find it by simply looking out of the window.
I MAKE MUSIC MY AIR
Creating music is as essential to me as breathing. It's a vital part of my existence.
Lyrics Β© HINGE NECK PUBLISHING
Written by: Alessandro Del Vecchio, Eric Gadrix, Johnny Gioeli
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BiggusWeeabus
He is also the vocalist of Crush 40, right? this guy rocks!
Linx 028
Plus Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell
EnDavio
Johnny never disappoints. In just one year, we got a new Crush 40 song for Team Sonic Racing, a collaboration with Deen Castronovo, and now this album. What more can we ask for?
Slippy
He sounds like he could sing music for a video game featuring relatively swift cartoon animals
Rai Rose
Just one? I think he could do around 5.
Tom Anderson
Good lord is Johnny in fine voice or what? This whole album is incredible and rings with a spirit of hope throughout! Well done Johnny! I have played this album 10 times all the way through and it just gets better. Melodic Rock at it's finest, great production and killer song writing.
Steven DeGroot
Love Jonny's voice. He needs to do more with Deen Castronovo
djcincinnati
Absolutely!!
Edson Oliveira
I also think so !
danoguitar
Yes!