Adam Lambert’s (not so) Ordinary World

New Music

American singer and songwriter Adam Lambert rose to fame in 2009 after finishing as runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol. His debut album “For Your Entertainment” contained several singles, including “Whataya Want from Me“, for which he received a Grammy nomination for “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.”

Alongside his solo career Adam Lambert has been collaborating with rock band Queen as lead vocalist for “Queen + Adam Lambert” since 2011.

Adam’s new solo album, “High Drama” is due for release next month and will contain his cover version of the 1993 “Duran Duran” classic “Ordinary World” which is new this week on RadiJohan.

RadiJohan Top 10 on 07 January 2023

Top 10
TWLWArtistTitle
10NewBishop BriggsSuperhuman
9NewLoneriderCross The Border
810Grace DaviesBreathe
78Lewis CapaldiPointless
67Cats In Space1,000,000 Miles
52Generation RadioWhy Are You Calling Me Now
49Tuk Smith & The Restless HeartsEverybody Loves You When You’re Dead
35Dermot KennedyKiss Me
21The Lightning SeedsEmily Smiles
14Dea MatronaRed Button

Watch this week’s Top 10 by clicking the play button below.

Don McLean’s American Pie Goes Gold

Flashback

On 3 January 1972 Don McLean received a Gold record for his song “American Pie.” Recorded and released in 1971 on the album of the same name, the single was number 1 in the USA for four weeks in 1972. The song also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand while, in the UK, it reached number 2. American Pie’s repeated phrase “the day the music died” refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. In 1991 Don McLean, a man with an evident sense of humour, was quoted saying:

 “So when people ask me what American Pie means, I tell them it means I don’t ever have to work again if I don’t want to.” 

Cara Mia (My Beloved)

Flashback

Written by the Italian composer “Mantovani,” “Cara Mia,” which means “My Beloved,” was a huge UK hit for British singer “David Whitfield” in 1954. Mantovani’s string orchestra played on his version. It made the charts in the United States and the UK was the first record to spend ten consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Jay and the Americans”recorded  “Cara Mia” on their 1965 LP Blockbusters. It became an international Top 5 hit and reached number 1 in Canada. Their version was re-released in 1980 when it topped the charts in The Netherlands.

Introducing The Amazons

New Music

The Amazons are a British four piece rock band formed in 2014. Their self-titled 2017 debut album rose to number 8 on the UK Albums Chart. They’ve been described as an indie rock group known for crafting catchy and melodic arena rock anthems suitable for singing along. Their third album, “How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me,” was released in September 2022 and has been described by critics as having numerous genre influences including Country Rock, Americana and Indie Pop. The single, “How Will I Know” is new this week on RadiJohan.

Sam Ryder – Comforting the Brokenhearted

New Music

British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder began singing when he was a child and was inspired to pursue a career in music after seeing the Canadian rock band “Sum 41” live in concert when he was 11 years old. He represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song “Space Man” finishing first in the jury vote, and second overall. His recently released debut album, There’s Nothing but Space, Man!, received generally positive reviews and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Sam says his new single, All The Way Over, is “a song for anybody on a journey to the other side of loss, grief or heartache.” It’s new this week on RadiJohan.

RadiJohan Top 10 on 27 December 2022

Top 10
TWLWArtistTitle
10NewGrace DaviesBreathe
9NewTuk Smith & The Restless HeartsEverybody Loves You When You’re Dead
810Lewis CapaldiPointless
79Cats In Space1,000,000 Miles
64Simple MindsSolstice Kiss
56Dermot KennedyKiss Me
45Dea MatronaRed Button
33David PaichWillibelongtoyou
22Generation RadioWhy Are You Calling Me Now
11The Lightning SeedsEmily Smiles

Watch this week’s Top 10 by clicking the play button below.

A Brief Introduction to Maria Mena

New Music

Arguably a much underrated artist, Maria Mena is a Norwegian singer named after the character “Maria” in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. Her father played in several bands in Oslo, which influenced her to write and record her own music.To date she has released seven studio albums. Internationally she is best known for songs like You’re the Only One, Just Hold Me and All This Time which charted in multiple countries. Earlier this year Maria auditioned for a role in the Norwegian TV series Etterglød (Afterglow). She was not cast but offered to record a song for the soundtrack. That song, called It Was Love, is new this week on RadiJohan.

Roulette spins the Wheel of Fortune once more

New Music

Swedish rock band “Roulette” formed in 1985 in “Sundsvall” and quickly became one of the most popular bands in their hometown. They had a couple of hits on local radio stations and played in pubs and festivals around Sweden. A bumpy ride followed their Swedish breakthrough and it appears a lack of promotional support ultimately lead to a hiatus.”

In 2008 Roulette released a “best of” album called Better Late Than Never before returning in 2019 with new material on the album Now! which received many great reviews. Recently the band headlined “Scandirock Melodic” in Gothenburg, and played at “Sabaton Open Air” receiving a 9/10 review for their live performance.

Roulette’s latest single Ready For Friday Night, an up-tempo rocker, is new this week on RadiJohan.

You can dance if you want to…

Flashback

The Safety Dance is a song released in 1982 by Canadian band “Men Without Hats.” Lead singer “Ivan Doroschuk” has explained that it was a protest song against bouncers who prohibited dancers from “pogo-ing” to 1980’s new wave music in clubs when disco was declining and new wave was coming onto the music scene. Ivan wrote The Safety Dance after he had been kicked out of a club for pogo dancing. The song became a top 10 hit in numerous countries, was a number 1 in South Africa and has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.