Johnny Hates Jazz
Johnny Hates Jazz are a British band, currently consisting of Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito. The original line-up also included Calvin Hayes. Phil Thornalley replaced Datchler in 1988 for a brief period.
The band is best known for a cycle of hits in the late 1980s, the most successful being Shattered Dreams. Released in 1987 it became a top 5 hit in the UK, throughout mainland Europe and Asia, and reached number 2 in Japan. This was followed by subsequent singles: I Don’t Want To Be A Hero, Turn Back The Clock (featuring Kim Wilde on backing vocals), Heart Of Gold and Don’t Say Its Love.
In 1988, Shattered Dreams reached number 2 on the US Billboard chart, number 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, and climbed to number 4 in Canada.
That same year, their album Turn Back The Clock entered the UK charts at number 1, selling over four million copies and going triple-platinum in the process. Since then, Shattered Dreams has got on to be played over 3.5 million times on US radio alone.
Johnny Hates Jazz parted ways at the height of their success, and were to be the last electronic band to emerge in the 1980’s. However, after many years of pursuing individual projects, Clark and Mike decided to reunite in 2010, resulting in the 2013 album Magnetized. From then until now, JHJ have performed extensively throughout the World.
In 2018, the band released a 30th Anniversary edition of Turn Back The Clock, which included brand new acoustic versions of every song on the album.
As of 2020, the band released a new single called "Spirit Of Love." This new single was released on 29 May 2020 and has a few inspirations and musical roots from the 1970s during which Datchler and Nocito grew up. Also on 29 May, Wide Awake, a new album was announced in a trailer and that it would be released on 14 August 2020. This album has spent over "two years in the making," and that it contains "... a mixture of soulful melodies, uplifting lyrics, and a positive energy that is present from start to finish." On 4 June 2020, a music video was released that featured fan pictures and videos of what they loved most and the band members walking around and visiting different spots in Japan.