On 12 September 2003 legendary American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash died of complications from diabetes. He was known as “The Man In Black” not only because of a trademark all-black stage wardrobe but also because of his “outlaw” image. His lengthy career started in 1954 and saw the release of 91 albums and 170 singles. Cash continued to record until shortly before his death. In 2002 he recorded the Nine Inch Nail’s song “Hurt” for covers album American IV: The Man Comes Around. While the original song spoke of depression, Cash’s voice, lyrics, and prior reputation masterfully transformed it into a gloomy yet hopeful statement of faith and mortality. The music video’s footage of an aging music legend and his beloved spouse coping with a desperate place in their waning lives still reduces longtime fans to tears. Both barely resemble the lively entertainers that once graced stage and screen, adding a new level of sorrow to a song Johnny Cash turned into a parting statement.
Mollie McGinn and Orlaith Forsythe were school friends and formed Irish band “Dea Matrona” in 2018. We introduced the duo’s first single, Glory Glory (I Am Free), earlier this year. Since then Dea Matrona (which means “divine mother goddess” in Celtic mythology) has been touring Europe, playing festivals and supporting “The Black Eyed peas” and “Eagles of Death Metal.” Their new single is about “wanting something that you know isn’t good for you, but taking the risk anyway.” So Damn Dangerous is groovy, infectious and it’s new this week on RadiJohan.
| TW | LW | Artist | Title |
| 10 | New | Generation Radio | Angels |
| 9 | New | Goo Goo Dolls | Yeah I Like You |
| 8 | 4 | Alan Parsons ft David Pack & Joe Bonamassa | I Won’t Be Led Astray |
| 7 | 9 | The Clarisse Sisters | Gravity |
| 6 | 2 | The New Shining | Alien |
| 5 | 8 | The Sherlocks | Wake Up |
| 4 | 7 | Echosmith | Hang Around |
| 3 | 5 | James LaBrie | Am I Right |
| 2 | 3 | Chicago | If This is Goodbye |
| 1 | 1 | Gilbert O’Sullivan ft KT Tunstall | Take Love |
Watch this week’s Top 10 by clicking the play button below
Venus” is a song by Dutch band Shocking Blue, initially released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. The song topped the charts in a number of countries but not in the Netherlands where it stranded at number 2. It did however become the first song by a Dutch band to reach number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Shocking Blue’s guitarist Robbie Van Leeuwen wrote the song. The lyrics contained a typo in the line “A goddess on a mountain top”, with “goddess” written as “goddness”, which was how the band’s singer, Mariska Veres, sang it. The result was a chart topper with a misspoken first line thanks to a typo. Most listeners didn’t notice.
Billy Idol has announced the forthcoming release of his new EP. The Cage will be released on 23 September, one year after last year’s EP, The Roadside. Regarding The Cage, Billy stated in a press release:
“The last EP, we were kind of warming up to this. This EP is a lot more coming at you. Loads more guitar. And that’s a lot of fun. We were pretty fired up by the fact that we hadn’t played for a couple of years, and suddenly we were bursting on stage, and it kind of woke us up to what the next EP could be………a little more strum und drang, a little more coming at you, a little more rock ‘n’ roll, a little more f**k you! Well, a tiny bit of f**k you, anyhow. The bottom line is we had a lot of fun doing it.”
We think you’ll have fun listening to it as, 40 years on from Hot in The City, Billy sounds as good as ever. The EP’s first single and title track, The Cage, is new this week on RadiJohan.
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.