There has become more of a disconnect between what artists are writing about (and singing about), and what is happening in the world around them. In the 80s, 70s, and 60s, there were quite a few songs that were relevant NOT just to the very human things that we experience, and long to experience, and sometimes don’t experience such as love or relationships. But I think there are other things and bigger questions that we are facing across the world that I would like to see people expressing through the form of music. There must be support for artists wanting to reflect the world around them in what they are writing about what they are performing.
The above response, in combination with the streak of environmental activism that has come to define Clark Datchler’s personal evolution constitutes a thinly veiled hint at what was likely to be a dominant theme (from a lyrical perspective) on the new album “Wide Awake”. On this album, the duo trades (largely, but not completely) Johnny Hates Jazz-esque melancholy for social commentary without sacrificing commercial viability and accessibility of the music – and fortunately, it works!
The album has a very clear Side A/Side B demarcation with the first five tracks (Vinyl enthusiasts are likely to enjoy this thematic split) being devoted largely to social commentary while the second half is a mixed bag of melancholy, optimism, and escapism. The album opens with the 70s-esque downtempo lead single “Spirit of love”. The song is a desperate call for what we need (i.e. the spirit of love) at this very moment as many of us try to grapple with the various facets and implications of the Covid19 pandemic and the crippling sense of hopelessness that it has left. That being said, the song does not adequately prepare the listeners for the highlights to follow.
On the achingly beautiful “Love the Light”, lead singer Clark Datchler sings about how mankind is paving the way for environmental devastation and the extinction of animal species with the following lines:
I hate the way the powerful
Profit from the vulnerable
They rule the world with sticks and stones
And build their mansions out of bones
I wanna cry each time I hear
Another species disappear
I wanna scream I wanna shout
It feels like time is running out
The song’s most sublime moment is the harmonica solo (that follows the second chorus) that drifts gently in an electronic soundscape. It benefits from being decidedly modern but with a vintage polish.
On the groovy mid-tempo “Greater good”, Clark Datchler appears to be lampooning myopic, self-centered and arrogant leaders (Well it’s a crazy time and that’s a fact, The world is full of egomaniacs, They wanna be the biggest and the best, To pass the test they will damn the rest). In reality, “Greater good” is a commentary on how a self-focused individuality has eclipsed a spirit of togetherness as we tackle the problems that we face as a society. Stylistically, this song would have fit seamlessly on the “Turn Back the clock” album. Thematically, it is most apt for the present as the world is witnessing the impact that leadership styles and a culture of selfishness have on the trajectory of countries tackling the turmoil that has come to define the year 2020.
If the first four tracks on the album paint a picture of the precarious times that we are in, “Wide Awake” is the emphatic call to action (and hence makes an apt title track for the album) aimed at forcing us out of our perennial state of self-absorption and complacence. “Wide awake”, with its saxophone embellishments and light string arrangements has a timeless feel to it and makes for an appropriate ending to the album’s “Side A”.
The highlights of the album’s “Side B” could NOT be more different. The down-tempo “No mistakes” opens with an aha-esque keyboard melody and questions whether or not we have any free will as it applies to our ability to be architects of the paths that our personal relationships follow. It is most reminiscent of Johnny Hates Jazz’s comeback single “Magnetized” in spirit if not in terms of its tempo. In contrast, the stylistic deviant of the album “Don’t stop the music” unquestionably demands inclusion on party playlists. In a non-pandemic world, this unapologetically escapist Future Soul track would have been my pick for the album’s lead single if I had been the primary decision maker for the singles strategy for the “Wide awake” album. This just could be the pop song of 2020. Listeners will not be able to resist dancing in their living rooms to this incredibly poptastic track that showcases Clark Datchler as a fountain of youth and producer Mike Nocito as a man who shows no signs of losing his studio mojo.
A stellar legacy can be a boon and a curse. That being said, “Wide awake” is the artistic manifestation of a band that has successfully extricated themselves from the shackles of the past and feels empowered to make the album they wanted to make. It is unclear whether or not Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito felt this level of liberation while writing and recording the “Magnetized” album. I imagine they were cognizant of the extent to which they had to retain the defining elements of their debut album “Turn back the clock” while also accurately reflecting the extent to which they had evolved musically. “Wide awake” is likely to make fans believe that the duo felt no such pressure this time and that they were better off for it.
“Wide awake” is also a sign of a band unafraid of pushing thematic boundaries as they address inconvenient truths through the lyrics of the songs on the first half of the album. Hopefully, this serves as an inspiration to modern music acts that feel like they need to conform to a cookie cutter template (both in a thematic and stylistic sense). Furthermore, it ought to drive in the point that commercial viability and lyrical depth do NOT have to be mutually exclusive in the context of pop music. With the lyrical ambition of Clark Datchler and the studio wizardry of Mike Nocito wrapped in ear candy, “Wide awake” just might be the album of 2020. I can barely wait to see where the next chapter of this band’s musical journey takes them.
Last, but not least, we had the opportunity to interview Clark Datchler, the band’s lead singer to discuss “Wide Awake”. Here it is:
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A few years prior to the announcement of Wide Awake, I had been quite the fan of both Turn Back the Clock and Magnetized (but especially the latter), so when this was announced, I was genuinely curious as to how JHJ were going to add to an already strong catalog of music.
First, my initial reaction to ‘Spirit of Love’ was remarkably similar to my feelings when I first heard ‘Magnetized’ – and my first reaction to ‘Magnetized’ is quite a hard one to repeat. Then, upon the first snippet of ‘Greater Good’ in the album teaser video, I picked out Turn Back the Clock vibes INSTANTLY. That’s how convinced I was that JHJ were indeed going to repeat the allure of Magnetized. And they did.
The tracks that continue to stand out to me ever since my initial listen are the aforementioned ‘Greater Good’ along with ‘No Mistakes’ and ‘Free,’ while more recently I’ve gravitated towards ‘Love the Light’ and ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ – I resonate with the latter deeply.
Funny enough, I had no idea Thornalley was involved behind the scenes of this until very, VERY recently.
Wide Awake is a sentimental album for me, mainly due to my creation of a drawing for the ‘Spirit of Love’ video that actually appears towards the end (to be exact, the 3:05 mark). When Clark announced they were taking submissions for the video, I knew I had to jump to the challenge. Bear in mind the title ‘Spirit of love’ was the only intel I got as to what vibe I should follow. But with my personality, that was the only vibe I knew how to follow, so I rushed to the back of my parents’ office and did a cute little doodle with some hiliters and a sharpie. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I submitted it not thinking much of it. Then the première came around and there it was, in its full glory! As I’d just left high school at the time, and JHJ defined my freshman year, looking back I think it was a nice gesture to thank them for being part of an important time in my life. (Funny enough, Wide Awake came out right at the start of my freshman year of undergrad, so I can say they’ve been in my life for two freshman years :P) Sadly, the original drawing does not survive as it was thrown away shortly after, but I wish I’d kept it especially since that is a moment I will always cherish, and it’s the pinnacle of my music fandom.
I eagerly await when Clark does journey songs again, I greatly regret missing out on them 🙁
@Sammie: You are spot on that “Greater Good” gives off “Turn back the clock” era vibes. Stylistically speaking, it could have been a track on that album. The aha-esque “No Mistakes” and “Love the light” (especially the harmonica solo) are achingly beautiful. But the song that has become quite a gateway track to those NOT familiar with JHJ is “Don’t stop music”. The number of radio listeners of ours that are discovering JHJ through this song is nuts. I am still baffled that this was not released as a single or given the music video treatment. Apparently, the band has only started adding this song to their concert setlists.
Thornalley was actually involved on the bulk of the album. I was surprised that he did that given his not-so-great feelings about the “Tall Stories” album. I figured he would not have wanted to revisit anything JHJ-related despite the fact that one of his first songwriting successes was with “Listen” from the “Turn back the clock” album. You do know he was slated to be the initial lead singer of JHJ right? Calvin and Mike recruited Clark only after Phil Thornalley got pulled into work on Robbie Nevil’s album (which featured the Billboard top 10 hit “Cest la vie”.
I am amazed that you did the drawing for “Spirit of love” just based on the title of the track. That is difficult since you had no context to work with. I knew it was a downtempo track since I heard it live in 2018 at the 30th anniversary concert for “Turn back the clock” at the “Indigo O2” in London (flew there for a few days from New York since I could NOT miss the opportunity). It’s also the first and only time I’ve met Clark and Mike in person. Here is a little highlights reel of that concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXFbZBR-t2M
I am guessing you know that JHJ just got done recording a new single right? I hope they tour in the US next year. Guessing you are based in the US?
Yes, originally from Cal but now spending most of my days in the far sunnier climate of Arizona.
Nostalgia is a huge piece of my life, and the “Magnetized generation” is probably the most-reminisced era in my history. Makes sense considering that was the phase I indulged in Turn Back the Clock!
Comebacks are also a big deal for me especially since the turn of the decade, as demonstrated with my involved anticipation (a.k.a hyping) of “Wide Awake.” With that in mind, I’ve just found out about the comeback that’s on the horizon and once things get official I’ll jump on the hype train…no matter who I’m into at that time!
@Sammie: A 22-year old 80s music American anglophile living in Arizona has to be rarity/novelty of sorts – that is very cool. I just have to wonder if you are the odd one out (nothing wrong with that), musically speaking, in your circle of friends. I really hope Johnny Hates Jazz drops an entire album next year. More importantly, I hope they tour the US. This is the country where the “Shattered Dreams” single charted the highest. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts – and I believe it was held off the top spot by George Michael. I envy the journey of discovery you are on. There is so much great stuff left and it is possible that some of your best moments of musical serendipity are ahead of you. What I would give to experience those same prospects! Thank you once again for the detailed comment and giving us a sense of the human behind the listener/fan!
I was able to hear your message but decided to reply here because it’s less cluttered here lol. I’m greatly blessed by this conversation I inadvertently kicked into gear. I thought long and hard trying to understand your question!
Now, I was quite fascinated by what you said about “Hero.” That’s what I felt about most of “Wide Awake” as well. As someone who normally avoids songs with social commentary, I feel that if anyone is going to do those kinda songs right it’s JHJ. Like Clark mentions problems but he isn’t whiney about it, he provides a general description about the type of people bothering him instead of calling out certain individuals, and it all eventually evolves into a hopeful tone instead of remaining angry throughout. That assessment is based on Wide Awake, so I know “Hero” is an outlier in that regard. But that’s how to do socially charged songs in a way that’s accessible & easy to digest. Wide Awake demonstrated this well, most especially “Spirit of Love” and “Greater good.” What’s funny is the social imagery goes over your head – one time I thought ‘Heart of gold’ fit my personality based on only the first two lines. Welp!
I don’t really consider myself to be “removed from my generation” or “alone” in my journey at all. My connection with music is quite unheard of as well, and it’s very hard to explain much less in a truncated form so do bear with me. It’s a complex experience that’s uniquely mine; especially because we have this moment today where anyone can discover ANY music, from ANY era, of ANY genre, at the press of a button in a phenomenon I like to call the “magical power of the Internet,” which I hold responsible for not only my bizarre entry points for bands (as you know my JHJ journey LITERALLY BEGAN WITH MAGNETIZED) but all of my sudden genre changes. And especially in the past few years it’s been just one random genre switch to the next, sometimes several genres simultaneously.
The strange progression that I’ve put myself through gives me enough stimulation to last a lifetime. Because of this, I consider being the odd one out to be something beautiful, and I’m loving life because of it. Given that taste is subjective, I don’t expect anyone else to know or care about the likes of JHJ (apart from, of course, shattered dreams), but I would get all excited if, for example, something off of turn back the clock made it on stranger things and it starts trending and many people come down to my level. I consider situations like those an added bonus. Keep in mind, my taste, which I’ve often boasted as the most diverse in history, is mostly a secret and those who I am closest with only know the more generic parts of my chronology, like my general interest in 70s/80s music and my two Queen phases.
As you probably might’ve picked up on, I talk about the people I like as if they have the grandeur of [INSERT CLASSIC ROCK BAND NORMAL PEOPLE CONSIDER TO BE INFLUENTIAL HERE] because, in my mind’s eye, I imagine that they do. Let’s take JHJ for example; all it took was one exploration of their catalog and suddenly Magnetized is the Abbey Road, the standard to which everything after will be compared, etc. each phase more stimulating than the one which came before. Strangely enough, the opinion still holds even as other artists have matched their idyllic status.
@Sammie: I am glad you were able to hear the message. I hope you did not mind that approach to me responding. It was late in the day and exhaustion was getting the better of me. Hence, the voice note approach.
Clark Datchler seems to understand that social commentary needs to be in commercially viable and musically hook-laden glossy cloak. Not only does the message have to be thought-provoking but it needs to be sonically accessible. The ambition in that approach is exemplary! As a child, lyrics ALWAYS went over my head. Symbolism was always lost on me. I actually thought “Careless Whisper” by George Michael was about a guy “not wanting to dance again”. I had no idea the word “dance” was a euphemism for relationship infidelity! So don’t feel too bad about what you thought of “Heart of gold”. By the way, you should check out the jazzy version of this on the acoustic renditions of “Turn Back the Clock” (released as part of the album’s 30th anniversary edition).
I think your acknowledgement that discovery of music from ANY era or genre has become essentially frictionless – in a way that it wasn’t in yesteryear. As a child living overseas in the pre-internet era, it was NOT remotely easy. This is why music had such sanctity for me – and that reverence has lingered despite access having become significantly easier. That being said, despite what we have at our fingertips, I think the propensity towards the spirit of discovery is highly exaggerated. Most people still latch on to what our narrow musical monoculture is defined by. Herein lies a contradiction that I wish more people would innovate around. Now, as exciting as this frictionless discovery is, it comes with a downside that we will most likely see a couple of decades from now. Streaming as a source of discovery is GREAT but as a substitute for purchase of music, it is terrible for the economic viability of a musician’s career – and only a tiny fraction of these artists can make touring particularly profitable. I have explored this in this article: https://www.radiocremebrulee.com/music-industry/pop-music-fans-change-your-music-consumption-patterns-to-save-the-music-industry/
Here is a little tip to break some of your favorite artists/bands to friends. Do not try and introduce an artist/band at one time. Pick a gateway track to hook your friends. It goes a long way. On our radio medium, we get to experiment with this a lot. “Don’t stop the music” and “Magnetized” are GREAT gateway tracks for JHJ.
Last, but not least, I too share attach a god-like status and grandeur to artists/bands I like even if they do not enjoy the overdosed fanfare of someone like Taylor Swift!