Early career:
Both Datchler and Nocito were born into musical families. Datchler's father, Fred, was a member of two chart-topping bands from the 1950s. The Stargazers had the distinction of being the first British band to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. As part of the Polkadots, Fred Datchler sang backing vocals for The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and Petula Clark. Nocito hails from an American family based in Europe with the United States armed forces. His mother was a singer in a close-harmony group called The Cactus Kids, performing for troops throughout Northern Europe.
Having been a singer, guitarist, and keyboard player in numerous bands as a teenager, Datchler released his first single on the London independent record label, Bluebird Records at the age of 17, backed by members of reggae band Aswad. He went on to work with Rusty Egan of Visage, fusing electronic music with soul, and performed often on the London club scene. He was subsequently signed to Warner Brothers Music as a songwriter and moved to Los Angeles.
Nocito was a guitarist in school bands, having grown up alongside friend and fellow record producer Phil Thornalley, as well as members of Katrina and the Waves. He became a recording engineer and worked with Pink Floyd, The Police, The Cure, Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins.
The two met in 1982 at RAK Studios in London. Datchler had just become the lead singer in the band Hot Club, alongside the third and final original JHJ member Calvin Hayes. The line-up also included bass player Glen Matlock and guitarist James Stevenson. In 1983, Hot Club released a single on RAK Records and performed at London's Marquee Club, a performance that impressed RAK head (and Hayes' father), Mickie Most. He decided to sign Datchler to the label as a solo artist. It was Most who suggested that Datchler works with Nocito, who was an engineer at RAK Studios at the time. Over the next four years, the two worked together on Datchler's solo recordings. Most also guided Datchler, producing several of his recordings in the mid-1980s.
Original tenure:
In April 1986, Datchler, Nocito, and Hayes released the first Johnny Hates Jazz single, "Me and My Foolish Heart", on RAK Records. It was not a commercial success, but gained substantial airplay and was Sounds magazine's record of the week.
Datchler began writing new songs, which included "Shattered Dreams." JHJ then performed a showcase at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and was subsequently signed to Virgin Records. "Shattered Dreams" was released in March 1987 and became a top-five hit in the UK throughout mainland Europe and Asia, and reached No. 2 in Japan. Three other worldwide hits, “I Don't Want to Be a Hero,“ ”Turn Back the Clock (featuring Kim Wilde on backing vocals), and “Heart of Gold” followed it. In 1988, "Shattered Dreams" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, and climbed to No. 4 in Canada. That same year, their album, Turn Back the Clock, entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1, selling four million copies.
At the end of 1987, JHJ made two music videos with director David Fincher. The videos were for the US releases of "Shattered Dreams" and "Heart of Gold." Datchler left the band at the end of 1988.
Hayes and Nocito continued the band and replaced Datchler with their friend Phil Thornalley, a Grammy Award-nominated engineer and record producer and a former bass player for The Cure. The new line-up released a second album, Tall Stories, in 1991. However, the album was unsuccessful and the band dissolved the next year.
Post-break-up:
Datchler moved to Amsterdam at the end of the 1980s and focused on his solo work, recording the albums Raindance and Fishing for Souls. Returning to the UK, he based himself at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios near Bath throughout the 1990s. In 2000, he moved to the US and created a solar-powered home and studio, where he recorded much of his most recent album, Tomorrow. Throughout this time, he studied the philosophy of indigenous people and became environmentally active. In 2008, he received a GreenTec Award (formerly the Clean Tech Media Awards) in Berlin.
Following the dissolution of Johnny Hates Jazz, Nocito based himself in Cambridge, England, and produced the Katrina and the Waves single "Love Shine a Light," winner of the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest and a top-10 hit throughout Europe. He also produced and wrote for Hepburn, Gina G, and Orson, and continued to work extensively with Katrina and the Waves.
New era:
Datchler and Nocito met again in 2009 after Datchler wrote a song called "Magnetized," which he felt would be ideal for Johnny Hates Jazz. Soon after, they decided to record a new album. Datchler moved back to the UK and wrote the rest of the songs for the project. At the same time, the original line-up of Datchler, Nocito, and Hayes performed live at various international festivals. However, after several shows in 2010, Hayes left the band before the recording of the new album commenced.
That same year, Datchler received a BMI award for "Shattered Dreams" in recognition of receiving over 3.2 million broadcast performances of the song in the US alone.
The subsequent album was titled Magnetized. Recording spanned much of 2011 and 2012 and took place at Real World Studios near Bath, Hamp Sound near Cambridge, and Angel Recording Studios in London. It featured Datchler as songwriter, vocalist, and keyboard player, and Nocito as producer and engineer. There were also string arrangements and additional keyboards from The Art of Noise's Anne Dudley, who had arranged the strings on "Turn Back The Clock." Other contributors included drummer Alex Reeves, guitarists David Rhodes, and Marcus Bonfanti, synthesizer player Pete Watson, and mix engineer Stephen W. Tayler.
The first single, "Magnetized," was released in the UK on 28 April 2013, and received widespread airplay, being A-listed for several weeks on BBC Radio 2. It was also released in Germany and achieved similar success on the radio there. The album was subsequently released on 5 May in the UK. However, Datchler collapsed in London shortly after this time and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. As a result, all promotions came to halt. It was not until the following year that he made a full recovery, but by that time, the album had lost momentum, and the band decided to focus on live work instead.
Since then, they have performed extensively in the UK, as well as in Germany and Asia. In 2017, they released a remixed version of "Magnetized" in China, as well as performed live. Subsequently, they began writing and recording material for a new album. Also, Datchler has co-written eight songs with Mike Rutherford for the Mike + the Mechanics album, Let Me Fly.
As of 2020, the band released a new single called "Spirit Of Love." This new single was released on 29 May 2020 and has a few inspirations and musical roots from the 1970s during which Datchler and Nocito grew up. Also on 29 May, Wide Awake, a new album was announced in a trailer and that it would be released on 14 August 2020. This album has spent over "two years in the making," and that it contains "... a mixture of soulful melodies, uplifting lyrics, and positive energy that is present from start to finish." On 4 June 2020, a music video was released that featured fan pictures and videos of what they loved most and the band members walking around and visiting different spots in Japan.
Don't Say It's Love
Johnny Hates Jazz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let the change
We've never needed answers
To find the way
Now all of a sudden
Like waves on a beach
Love has come crashing down
(Chorus)
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me
What you want to be
Don't say it's love, baby
If our friendship is to survive
Don't say it's love
We've shared so many secrets
Now kiss and tell
You make one move to love me
And it's farewell
'Cos somewhere there's someone
Who's waiting for you
To love you more than I could
Your heart was misunderstood
(Chorus)
Don't be a fool
You'll be alone in your confusion
If loving me is an illusion
Then let it go
Oh no no no no
Now I never counted
On ending this way
I always trusted fate
But if we are no too late
(Chorus)
...All you do is say it's love
The lyrics to Johnny Hates Jazz's song Don't Say It's Love are about a couple who have been together for years, and have always been content with their friendship. Suddenly, the feelings of love arise and the uncertainty and confusion that come with it. The verse "We've had it good for years now, don't let the change. We've never needed answers to find the way" implies that the couple has been happy with the way things have been and hope that the new romantic feelings don't disrupt their otherwise happy status. However, love starts to take over the relationship, causing problems with the lines "Now all of a sudden, like waves on a beach, love has come crashing down. The truth has been lost and found."
The chorus "Don't say it's love, baby, 'cos you are to me what you want to be. Don't say it's love, baby, if our friendship is to survive. Don't say it's love" is the singer's plea to their lover to not mistake their strong friendship for love. They believe that if they can keep things the way they have always been, they will be able to stay together without any complications. The lines "Don't be a fool, you'll be alone in your confusion. If loving me is an illusion, then let it go. Oh no no no no" emphasizes this point further by showing how the confusion about their feelings may cause them to separate instead of bringing them together.
Overall, the song is a reflection of how confusing feelings of love can be and how they can complicate otherwise healthy relationships. The lyrics suggest that choosing to remain friends might be the best way for the couple to sustain their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
We've had it good for years now
Our relationship has been good for a long time.
Don't let the change
Don't let things change.
We've never needed answers
We've never needed to define our relationship.
To find the way
To know where we stand.
Now all of a sudden
Things have changed suddenly.
Like waves on a beach
Like waves crashing on a beach, our relationship is tumultuous.
Love has come crashing down
We have fallen in love and our relationship is changing.
The truth has been lost and found
We are struggling to define our relationship and what we mean to each other.
Don't say it's love, baby
Don't call it love if it threatens our friendship.
'Cos you are to me
Because you mean a lot to me.
What you want to be
I want you to be who you are, not try to be something else for me.
If our friendship is to survive
If we want to stay friends, we can't let our new romantic feelings get in the way.
We've shared so many secrets
We have a long history together.
Now kiss and tell
Now that we've become romantic, we're sharing intimate details about our relationship.
You make one move to love me
You're expressing new feelings for me.
And it's farewell
If we take our relationship to the next level, we'll have to say goodbye to our friendship.
'Cos somewhere there's someone
Because there's someone out there who can love you better than I can.
Who's waiting for you
Someone who is ready and available to love you.
To love you more than I could
I can't give you the love that you deserve.
Your heart was misunderstood
I didn't realize you could fall in love with me.
Don't be a fool
Don't risk losing our friendship for a fleeting romance.
You'll be alone in your confusion
If we don't stay friends, you'll be confused and alone.
If loving me is an illusion
If our romantic relationship isn't real.
Then let it go
We should just move on from our romantic feelings and focus on our friendship.
Now I never counted
I didn't expect things to end up this way.
On ending this way
Our relationship coming to an end.
I always trusted fate
I thought fate would bring us together if it was meant to be.
But if we are no too late
If our friendship is already too damaged by our new romantic feelings.
...All you do is say it's love
If we move forward with our romantic feelings, all we'll have left is love and nothing else.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CLARK DATCHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Omega Force
We've had it good for years now
Don't let that change
We've never needed answers
To find the way
Now all of a sudden
Like waves on a beach
Love has come crashing down
The truth has been lost and found
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me what you want to be
Don't say it's love, no baby
If our friendship is to survive, don't say it's love
We've shared so many secrets
Now kiss and tell
You make one move to love me
And it's farewell
Now somewhere there's someone
Who's waiting for you
To love you more than I could
Your heart was misunderstood
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me what you want to be
Don't say it's love, no baby
If our friendship is to survive, don't say it's love
Don't be a fool
You'll be alone in your confusion
If loving me is an illusion
Then let it go, oh, no, no, no, no
Now I never counted
On ending this way
I always trusted fate
But if we are not too late
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me what you want to be
Don't say it's love, no baby
If our friendship is to survive, don't say it's love
All you do is say it's love
Baby 'cos you are to me what you want to be
Don't say it's love, no baby
If our friendship is to survive, don't say it's love
Don't say it's love, all you do is say it's love, love
Don't say it's love, don't say it's love
Dm’V’Otion&Z’enstation
We've had it good for years now
Don't let the change
We've never needed answers
To find the way
Now all of a sudden
Like waves on a beach
Love has come crashing down
The truth has been lost and found
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me
What you want to be
Don't say it's love, baby
If our friendship is to survive
Don't say it's love
We've shared so many secrets
Now kiss and tell
You make one move to love me
And it's farewell
'Cos somewhere there's someone
Who's waiting for you
To love you more than I could
Your heart was misunderstood
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me
What you want to be
Don't say it's love, baby
If our friendship is to survive
Don't say it's love
Don't be a fool
You'll be alone in your confusion
If loving me is an illusion
Then let it go
Oh no no no no
Now I never counted
On ending this way
I always trusted fate
But if we are no too late
Don't say it's love, baby
'Cos you are to me
What you want to be
Don't say it's love, baby
If our friendship is to survive
Don't say it's love
...All you do is say it's love
P T
One of the few albums I've ever listened to where there ISN'T 1 BAD track on it. Absolute timeless 80s gem Turn Back The Clock
DracoMPB
I honestly found Different Seasons kinda boring, but other than that I was still really surprised how good the album was
Duc Jai
Definitely one of the best albums of the 80s, which is a huge achievment.
Mehraz Hossain
Johnny Hates Jazz's very own Violator
Michael Chezkia
This is the most underrated band in 'history' - great band, music and can't get enough
Eugênio Morais
This song is magic. Glorious 80's. Greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷.
Thomas Russo
Its a really good tune and greetings from NY USA 🇺🇸
ЛАРИСА СЕРЕНКО
Очень красивая песня,в которой много воздуха и энергии.Я прослушала ее несколько раз подряд!Большое спасибо создателям!🥰❤️🙋
mauricio palma Torrejon
Año 1988, excelente en cuanto a la producción musical y en especial este grupo, bella musica y acordes, nada comparable con lo de ahora. Me acuerdo, la escuche cuando tenia 15 años, y han pasado 32 y sigue siendo atrayente, PERFECTO.
Federico Capone
COINCIDO, DE DONDE ERAN GRAN BRETAÑA ?????