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, βI Don't Want to Be a Hero,β βTurn Back the Clock (featuring Kim Wilde on backing vocals), and βHeart of Goldβ 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.
Heart Of Gold
Johnny Hates Jazz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to Johnny Hates Jazz's "Heart of Gold" tell the story of a girl who works as a prostitute. Despite the banality of her job and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding it, the girl remains selfless and generous, always giving her all to her customers. She doesn't seem to be interested in finding love or a conventional relationship, but rather appears to be content with the routine of her life.
What makes this song interesting is the way it explores themes of morality, love, and sacrifice in the context of prostitution. The singer seems to feel a certain amount of sympathy for the girl, and even finds something poignant in her innocence and heart of gold. However, at the same time, there is a certain sadness and melancholy that imbues the song, as if the singer recognizes the futility and emptiness of the girl's life.
The song speaks to the human desire for connection and love, and the lengths we will go to find it. However, it also highlights the profound sadness that can come with a life spent searching for love in all the wrong places.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a girl who likes her living
The girl enjoys her current lifestyle
Never tired of always giving
She likes to give to others without getting tired
Faceless men pay for the pleasure
Men without identity pay for her services
And the nights go on and on
The nights feel endless and repetitive
Walking in the street
She walks on the streets
For a handful of money
She does what she does for very little money
Love don't come cheap
Love is expensive
With a heart of gold
Despite her actions, she has a kind, untainted heart
She's indiscreet
She lacks discretion
But to me, girl, it's funny
The singer finds humor in her actions
That they pay for the love
Men actually pay for her affection
Of a girl with a pure
Despite what she does, she has a pure heart
Heart of gold
A pure, untainted heart
She ain't hungry for a lover
She doesn't need love, she has customers
When it's over, there's another
Once a customer leaves, there will always be another
Loneliness won't be a problem
Because she always has customers
There's something about her makes me cry
The singer feels emotional when he thinks of her
The light is fading from her eyes
Her spark is slowly disappearing
Memories of girlish purity
The singer remembers a time when she was pure and innocent
Where love surrenders
The singer believes that love is being sacrificed in her current situation
No, heart of gold
The singer emphasizes her pure heart
When they pay for the love
The singer questions how true the affection between her and customers is
Heart of gold
A pure, untainted heart
When they pay for the love
The singer repeats his question to emphasize his point
of a girl with a pure
The description of her heart emphasizes how incongruent it is with her actions
Heart of gold
A pure, untainted heart
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: CLARK DATCHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ross wenman
I was 28 when this song hit the charts, so long ago now, but an underated group with a great sound and ground breaking videos, great music and I love it, the good old days..
prem manku
So trueππ½
Jim Pierce
That whole album was fantastic. Lots of great songs, though extremely underrated.
gary tompkins
Without a doubt one of the greatest bands of the 80's
Shawn Hinton
Paranormal activity should have been made
Graham Parcell
One of my favourite bands from the 80's ? Seems so long ago, but as Levi's say: "Quality never goes out of fashion!"
Moon Shine
Love this song, can't beat the 80s for music πΆ
Leonardo Varini
Song of Gold!
Β‘El Zorrito Nawe! - Videos π¦
Temazo de Johnny Hates Jazz π€π»π€π»π€π»
Timothy Carr
I was 21 now I'm 52 & still love this song