"Johnny, Johnny" is a 1985 song recorded by the French singer Jeanne Mas. It was her second single from her debut album, Jeanne Mas, on which it features as the second track. Released in February 1985, the song became a hit in France, topping the singles chart for about one month.
| "Johnny, Johnny" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jeanne Mas | ||||
| from the album Jeanne Mas | ||||
| B-side | "Lisa" | |||
| Released | February 1985 (original version) 2005 (remix) | |||
| Recorded | France | |||
| Genre | Synthpop, pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:05 | |||
| Label | EMI, Pathé Marconi | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Romano Musumarra Jeanne Mas | |||
| Producer(s) | Romano Musumarra | |||
| Jeanne Mas singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
.jpg) 2005 remix | ||||
Background and writing
edit"Johnny, Johnny" was written and produced by Romano Musumarra, who also composed successful songs in the 1980s for many artists such as Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Elsa Lunghini, Demis Roussos and Céline Dion.[1]
The song, which deals with a man named Johnny who bears very badly a break-up, was recorded in French-language, but also in English-language and Spanish-language.
The song is characterized by "melodious and sweet synthetic notes, with a rhythmical bass and lively percussion". Its structure is similar to that of Jeanne Mas' previous hit, "Toute première fois".[2] The song was re-issued in 2005 in a remixed version, but passed unnoticed.
Critical reception
editA review in Pan-European magazine Music & Media deemed "Johnny, Johnny" a "based disco track [which] deserves to chart elsewhere".[3]
Chart performance
editOn the French SNEP Singles Chart, "Johnny, Johnny" debuted at number eight on the chart edition of 2 March 1985, climbed to number one in its fifth week and stayed at the top for four weeks, alternating with Al Corley's "Square Rooms". After that, it dropped to number six and almost kept on falling. It remained for 14 weeks in the top ten and 23 weeks on the chart (top 50).[4] Mas thus became the first female artist to reach number one on the new SNEP French Singles Chart.[5] "Johnny, Johnny" was also much played on French radios, topping both the FM and the AM stations charts. As for Mas' previous single "Toute première fois", it achieved Gold status awarded by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, the French certifier, for over 500,000 units.[6] The 2005 version failed to reach the top 100.
On the European Hot 100, "Johnny, Johnny" entered at number 34 on 11 March 1985 and reached a peak of number 25 four weeks later.[7] On the European Airplay Top 50, it debuted at number 30 on 4 February 1985, peaked at number 13 in its 13th week[8] and charted for a total of 19 weeks.
Official versions
edit- Single version – 4:05
- Album version – 4:25
- English version – 4:21
- Spanish version – 4:11
- Extended version – 6:30
- New club mix – 6:22
- Radio edit (2005) – 3:26
- Bounce mix edit (2005) – 3:15
- Remix 2 edit (2005) – 3:19
- Club mix (2005) – 5:18
- Bounce mix (2005) – 6:18
Track listings
edit
|
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[6] | Gold | 500,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Charts
edit| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (European Airplay Top 50)[8] | 13 |
| Europe (European Hot 100)[7] | 25 |
| France (Airplay Chart [AM Stations])[9] | 1 |
| France (Airplay Chart [FM Stations])[10] | 1 |
| France (SNEP)[11] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Romano Musumarra's compositions / productions Lescharts.com (Retrieved 21 April 2008)
- ^ Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit. tubes (in French). Alinea Bis. p. 37. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.)
- ^ "Local Talent to Watch" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 2, no. 17. 29 April 1985. p. 20. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 27 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Johnny, Johnny", in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 20 April 2008)
- ^ Alex P. King, Hit-parade, 20 ans de tubes, 2005, Pascal Ed., p. 8 (ISBN 978-2350190099) Vingt ans de tubes[permanent dead link] (Retrieved 23 April 2008)
- ^ a b "French single certifications – Jeanne Mas – Johnny, Johnny" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 2 May 2022. Select JEANNE MAS and click OK.
- ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 2, no. 14. 8 April 1985. p. 7. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 27 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 2, no. 17. 29 April 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 27 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "European Playlist Reports – Media Control France Radios Périphériques (AM Stations)" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 2, no. 8. 25 February 1985. p. 4. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 27 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "European Playlist Reports – Media Control France (Radios FM)" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 2, no. 6. 11 February 1985. p. 4. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 27 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Jeanne Mas – Johnny, Johnny" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 May 2022.