New Order formed in 1980 after the demise of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. Prior to his death, the members of Joy Division had agreed not to continue under the Joy Division name should any one member leave. In 1983 New Order released “Blue Monday” as a 12-inch single. Clocking in at 7:29 it made the top 10 in many countries. In New Zealand, it peaked at number 2 and spent 74 weeks (spread across three calendar years) in the top 50, while being the number one song in the 1983 year end top 100 and the number 8 song in the 1984 year end chart.
Joy Division were an English band formed in 1976 and, arguably, one of the greatest bands to come out of Manchester. Their career was however tragically cut short when their vocalist, Ian Curtis, took his own life on 18 May 1980. He had suffered from depression and had lived with severe epilepsy for some time. His death came just before the release of Joy Division’s classic single Love Will Tear Us Apart which would go on to top the singles chart in New Zealand.
Visions of Atlantis are an Austrian metal band that have been on the scene for 22 years. They are possibly the only band in existence whose drummer is the sole remaining original member. With many musicians coming and going over the years the band have gone through plenty of changes but, through the changes, have always retained the dual male/female lead. In May the band released their 8th album “Pirates” which has received many positive reviews. The single “Melancholy Angel” has been the number one song on the RadiJohan Top 10 for the past three weeks. If you haven’t heard Visions of Atlantis……. you really need to press play below now!
On this day in 1979 Robert Palmer released “Bad Case of Loving You.” From his album “Secrets” it became his biggest hit up to that time, reaching number 14 in the US Hot 100, number 2 in The Netherlands and number 1 in Canada. The song was also nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Singer-songwriter Maria Jane Smith and producer-songwriter Victor Thell met as teenagers in their hometown of Helsingborg, Sweden. Their first major international breakthrough came in November 2018, with their hit single “Forgive Me Friend”. We have featured a number of their original songs on RadiJohan in recent years. Now they’ve covered, and applied their folk twist to, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” The latest from Smith & Thell is new this week on RadiJohan.
American guitarist Carlos Santana turns 75 today. He rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. In 2015 Rolling Stone magazine listed Carlos at number 20 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards and was inducted along with his band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
| TW | LW | Artist | Title |
| 10 | New | Sweet | Defender |
| 9 | 8 | The Big Deal | Sensational |
| 8 | 9 | PG Roxette | The Loneliest Girl in the World |
| 7 | 7 | Mandy Moore | Four Moons |
| 6 | 4 | Madrugada | Help Yourself To Me |
| 5 | New | FM | The Long Road Home |
| 4 | 6 | Muse | Will of The People |
| 3 | 3 | Dorothy | A Beautiful Life |
| 2 | 2 | Def Leppard | Take What You Want |
| 1 | 1 | Visions Of Atlantis | Melancholy Angel |
Click here to watch this week’s Top 10 videos on YouTube
Caitlyn Smith is an American singer-songwriter whose debut album Starfire was released in 2018. She has written songs recorded by, among others, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Meghan Trainor and Avicii. In 2016 she was named one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “10 New Artists You Need To Know”. So if you don’t know her yet, it’s now your turn. “Dreamin’s Free,” from Caitlyn Smith’s latest album High, is new this week on RadiJohan.
“Get Down” is a song by British-Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan, from his 1973 album I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter. Released as a single, it became a number one in the UK, Ireland and (West) Germany. besides making it to the top 10 in numerous other countries. Despite the line, “You’re a bad dog baby, but I still want you around,” this song is not about an actual dog, although it has long been rumored to be. Apparently Gilbert O’Sullivan has said it’s about “an over-zealous lady,” not a poorly trained pooch.
Dion Francis DiMucci, born on 18 July 1939 and better known simply as Dion, celebrates his 83rd birthday. Dion’s biggest and best known hits include “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer.” These classics, and others, still feature on RadiJohan, along with some great songs Dion has released in more recent years, including the awesome “Song For Sam Cooke (Here In America).”