Although there are only two members in the band they have a lot of energy, both live and on recordings. Ossi plays powerful drums and John prefers to play an acoustic guitar which further characterizes their sound.
Engelbert and Bonde first met when they were 12 and 15 years old, respectively, and started playing together as a duo in 2004. They recorded their first album after only five months as a band, and with only three live shows to their credit. Their self-titled first album was released in January 2005 by a small Swedish indie label; it was rereleased in September 2006 by V2 Music with an additional three tracks.
Their second album, All They Ever Wanted, had its Scandinavian and Western European release in April 2008, followed by a Japanese release in 2009.
Johnossi has toured extensively in Sweden and Western Europe, both alone and with other Swedish bands such as The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Mando Diao and Sibling Sense. They also toured the US in 2007 with Shout Out Louds. In 2009, they made their first appearances in Japan, supporting The Hives.
In June 2010, the band supported Green Day at Ullevi in their home country.[1]
In 2016 "Into The Wild" was used in the USA Network remake of Eyewitness as the opening song.
Musical style
Their music is characterized by a full guitar sound supported by Engelbert's unorthodox guitar rig and myriad effects pedals, and Bonde's straightforward beats; studio releases often feature colorful percussion accents on instruments such as tambourine, woodblock, guiro, and chimes. A variety of musical styles appear in their work, from hard rock, to blues riffs, post-punk, and even gloom-pop, though lyrical themes are almost uniformly personal and slightly angsty.
They have toured extensively since their first album - both as headliner and together with The Soundtrack of Our Lives.
Johnossi now have two music videos available for viewing on their website: http://www.johnossi.com
18 Karat Gold
Johnossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The bleeding hole in her heart
That's made from circumstances at home
Cus they kept pulling her hair
So they choked her words
She don't sleep at night, afraid to turn out the light
And she's home
But she don't sleep at night, afraid to turn out the light
Cause they kept pulling her hair
Wouldn't leave her alone
But if only I could read her mind
And release that stone
In her heart where the sadness grows
I'd operate with this knife
And cut a big fat giant hole
To fill with gold and light
But there's an endless battle to be won
And me I ain't a man with an educated mind
And soon, you won't have the strength to carry on
So you scream about it in the night
Ohh in the night....
In the night....
Ohh in the night....
My 18 karat gold, it fills a dirty hole
A dirty bleeding hole in my heart
You people think it's made from circumstances at home
Well if someone ever should be pulling your hair
Then I guess you should leave them alone
And now you want me to read your mind
And release that stone
That stone in your heart where the sadness grows
You know I, I'd operate with this knife
And cut a big fat giant hole to fill.
Fill with gold and light
But there's an endless battle to be won
Me I ain't a man with an educated mind
And soon, you won't have the strength to carry on
So you scream about it in the night
Next endless battle to be won
I ain't a man with an educated mind
And you won't have the strength to carry on
So you scream about it in the night
Ohh in the night....
Ohh in the night....
In the night....
"18 Karat Gold" by Johnossi is a poignant and emotional song about the struggles of a person who has been subjected to domestic violence. The lyrics convey the pain and suffering felt by the victim, whose heart has been torn apart by the circumstances at home. The metaphorical 'hole' in her heart cannot be filled by material possessions, symbolized by the 18 karat gold, despite it being a valuable and precious commodity. The violence inflicted on her by those close to her has left her afraid and unable to sleep, which is why she screams out about it in the night.
The singer of the song expresses his desire to help the victim and ease her pain. He wishes he could read her mind and understand the extent of her trauma, so he could somehow heal the wound in her heart. He even goes as far as to say that he would operate on her heart with a knife to create a space for gold and light to fill in, metaphorically indicating that he wants to replace the darkness with positivity and happiness. However, he also acknowledges the fact that he is not an expert and cannot comprehend the complexity of the situation.
This song shines a light on the devastating consequences of domestic abuse and highlights the importance of empathizing and supporting victims instead of jumping to conclusions or blaming them for their situation. The haunting melody and raw lyrics create a powerful impact and urge listeners to be more aware and empathetic towards those who may be going through similar situations.
Line by Line Meaning
18 karat gold wouldn't fill the hole
Materialistic possession won't fix the emotional void
The bleeding hole in her heart
The emotional pain that she is experiencing
That's made from circumstances at home
Caused by the environment at her living space
Cus they kept pulling her hair
Due to physical abuse inflicted upon her
So they choked her words
She was not allowed to express her feelings and opinions freely
She don't sleep at night, afraid to turn out the light
Fearful to be alone in the dark due to the traumatic experiences
And she's home
The only place she can seek refuge but also where the abuse occurs
My 18 karat gold, it fills a dirty hole
Materialistic possession fills my emotional void
A dirty bleeding hole in my heart
The emotional pain that I am experiencing
You people think it's made from circumstances at home
Others attribute it to external factors, when it is an internal issue
Well if someone ever should be pulling your hair
Don't tolerate physical abuse from anyone
Then I guess you should leave them alone
It's better to leave the abuser than to stay
And now you want me to read your mind
Expecting someone else to understand your issues without communicating them
And release that stone
To release the emotional burden and pain that's been internalized
That stone in your heart where the sadness grows
The weight of sadness is heavy and resides within the individual
I'd operate with this knife
Metaphorically cutting open the heart to heal the sadness
And cut a big fat giant hole to fill.
Creating space for positivity and growth
But there's an endless battle to be won
Emotional healing is a continuous struggle
Me I ain't a man with an educated mind
Lack of education doesn't determine one's empathy and understanding
And soon, you won't have the strength to carry on
The weight of the pain can be too much to bear sometimes
So you scream about it in the night
Sometimes the only outlet for the pain is to cry out loud
Ohh in the night....
The emotional struggle is most pronounced in moments of solitude
In the night....
A repetition of an emotionally tumultuous time
Contributed by Alice H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rockabillytommy59
Fortfarande helt magisk låt och video
@gaberud
Hörde denna låten på radion på väg hem från jobbet igår.Såå jävla bra! Kommer att gå varm här hos mig ett bra tag framöver.
@teddytejohjohansson8811
Johnossi ska vara med i Så Mycket Bättre detta år.
Jag hoppas att någon av dom andra artisterna som är med i år gör en tolkning på denna låt.
@RobertoKrawalli
still one of my fav songs, johnossi <3
@SmallerDrums
I love the song and the video! One of the best songs of 2008!
@Dominik-vq8ku
This song makes me feel like me third time Heroin. Love it!
@Avreliy7
Level God
@Hotelguest
This is about a girl who got bullied through her youth, and about a guy that wants all of her heart but she is too afraid to trust him no matter what. Guys, be nice!
@saramigonitun
❤
@christianbodenstein6696
Das lied fickt mich erfolgreich seit 2008. Mehrmals täglich