This week in 1959 Cliff Richard scored his first number one hit in the UK and several other countries. Living Doll became the best selling single of the year in the UK. A new version of the song was recorded in 1986 in aid of British charity Comic Relief. Cliff Richard, together with “The Young Ones” from the British sitcom(edy) of the same name, topped the charts again with (a slightly different version of) Living Doll.
British Rock band “Cats in Space” formed in 2015. They are described as an original classic rock band that will transport you back to the days of 70s Classic Rock (Think loud guitars, walls of soaring multi tracked vocal harmonies, grandiose pianos, and huge singable choruses). Until recently Cats In Space had released five studio albums (including a Christmas collection), a live album and a best-of collection. Album number six, Kickstart The Sun, has now been released and the first single, Poke The Witch, is new this week on RadiJohan.
This week in 1985 The 5th Dire Straits studio album, Brothers in Arms, rose to number one in the U.S. The album was a worldwide smash and is one of the best selling albums in history.
Dutch singer-songwriter Ilse DeLange started her career when she was 8 years old as a lip-syncing artist winning several competitions. She signed a recording contract in 1994 and released her debut album four years later. She gained worldwide attention in 2014 when she took part in that year’s Eurovision Song Contest as part of country music act “The Common Linnets” with Dutch singer Waylon. Their entry Calm After The Storm was a huge success and finished as runner-up. To date Ilse has released 10 solo studio albums. Her new single Willing is out now. She says on Instagram that “Willing is a song about never losing the spirit to try again, to dive in…to always be willing to keep an open heart and to give it all you got, over and over and over again!” Willing is new this week on RadiJohan.
| TW | LW | Artist | Title |
| 10 | 7 | Night Traveler | Blue Eyes |
| 9 | New | The Clarisse Sisters | Gravity |
| 8 | New | The Sherlocks | Wake Up |
| 7 | New | Echosmith | Hang Around |
| 6 | 1 | Sweet | Defender |
| 5 | 6 | James LaBrie | Am I Right |
| 4 | 5 | Alan Parsons ft David Pack & Joe Bonamassa | I Won’t Be Led Astray |
| 3 | 4 | Chicago | If This is Goodbye |
| 2 | 2 | The New Shining | Alien |
| 1 | 3 | Gilbert O’Sullivan ft KT Tunstall | Take Love |
Watch this week’s RadiJohan Top 10 by clicking play below.
The Floaters were an R&B group formed in 1976. Float On was their only hit. it became one of the biggest singles of the 1977 in the USA peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK and New Zealand it topped the chart. Group member James Mitchell got the idea for this song when it came to him in a dream. He jumped out of bed and hummed the tune into a tape recorder so he would remember it. The idea for the lyrics was to spotlight each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name and astrological sign. The song was adapted in the early 1990s to advertise Cadbury’s Creme Eggs.
“Noiseworks” were formed in 1986 and became one of the standout Australian rock bands in the 80’s and 90’s with hit singles like No Lies, Take Me Back, Hot Chilli Woman and Touch. They disbanded in 1992. Their New Zealand born lead singer, Jon Stevens, attempted a reunion in 1999 but then joined INXS instead. However Noiseworks did reform in 2016 and have just released the lead single from their new studio album which is due out in October. Heart & Soul is new this week on RadiJohan.
“Amaranthe” is a Swedish Metal band. Their superb ballad Endlessly ranked at number two on the RadiJohan end of year chart for 2017. Their most recent album Manifest, released in 2020, included a track which has become a favorite at Amaranthe’s live concerts. The band “felt that it truly deserved its own spotlight as a single together with a video.” Crystalline is new this week on RadiJohan.
Boston, the self-titled debut album by “Boston” was released on this day in 1976 and ranks as one of the best-selling debut albums in history. It has been referred to as a landmark in ’70s rock. The album spawned three singles, “More Than a Feeling”, “Long Time”, and “Peace of Mind”, all of which made the U.S. singles chart. “More Than a Feeling” is ranked No. 212 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
The Genesis of “Generation Radio” occurred in 2020 with members from Chicago, Journey, and Rascal Flatts joining together with a vision to fuse the styles of their bands and bring melodic rock back to life. Since then a few other musicians have joined the project including one of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. Generation Radio’s self-titled debut album was released earlier this month and the single “Angels” is new this week on RadiJohan.