Johnny Logan (singer)
Encyclopedia
Johnny Logan is an Australian-born Irish
singer and composer. He is regarded as "Mister Eurovision", having participated in the Eurovision Song Contest
many times since the 1970s, and, since 1992, has been the most successful artist in Eurovision history.
Logan has won the international contest on three occasions representing Ireland, twice as a performer (1980
and 1987
) and twice as a composer (1987 and 1992
). He also composed the second placed entry in 1984
.
near Melbourne
, Australia
. His father was an Irish tenor
, Patrick O'Hagan, who performed three times for three different U.S. presidents
at the White House
, for John F. Kennedy
, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon
. The family moved back to Ireland
when Johnny was three years old. He learned the guitar
and began composing his own songs by the age of thirteen. On leaving school he apprenticed as an electrician, while performing in folk and blues clubs. His earliest claim to fame was starring as Adam in the 1977 Irish musical "Adam and Eve".
Having adopted the stage name "Johnny Logan" after the main character of the film Johnny Guitar
, he released his first single in 1978 and took part in the National Song Contest in 1979.
song "What's Another Year". Representing Ireland in the Netherlands
, Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 19. The song became a hit all over Europe and reached number one in the UK.
Owing to a mix-up, two follow up singles were released almost simultaneously; "Save Me" and "In London". With confusion by radio stations over which to play, both singles flopped. Another single released in late 1980, a cover of a recent Cliff Richard
song, "Give A Little Bit More" was a more concerted effort and although it narrowly missed the chart, the momentum from Eurovision was now lost. Logan blames his lack of success in the UK on poor management and his inexperience.
In early 1983, Logan attempted a comeback in the UK with the song "Becoming Electric" with a new sound and image and promotional push, but was unsuccessful and again in 1986 when he rebranded himself Logan with the song "Stab in the Back".
Logan was actually classed as a One-hit Wonder with "What's Another Year" in the UK until his second Eurovision winning song was released, seven years later.
. The song won the contest and again, Logan had a major European hit with the song and reached number two in the UK (although it outsold "What's Another Year"). Keen to continue this success, Logan released a cover of the 10cc
song "I'm Not In Love
", produced by Paul Hardcastle
as a follow-up, and an album. Both single and album made the UK charts but were not significant enough to sustain a continued chart career.
The following year, Logan released his next single, "Heartland" which became a hit in the Irish charts and from then on, concentrated on his career in Ireland and Europe.
entry for Linda Martin
, "Terminal 3
" (which finished in second place), Logan repeated the collaboration in 1992
when he gave Martin another of his songs, "Why Me". The song became the Irish entry at the finals in Sweden. The song took the title and cemented Logan as the most successful artist in Eurovision history with three wins.
Author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History that Logan is the only lead singer to have sung two winning entries and one of only five authors/composers (all men) to have written/composed two winning songs.
s and 19 albums. He has continued his love of participating in musical theatre
, having toured Norway
with Which Witch, an opera-musical originating in that country. In 2002 Logan took part in the UK television quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks
as a team panelist in a Eurovision-special.
In October 2005, "Hold Me Now" was voted as the third most popular song in Eurovision history at the 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. "What's Another Year" was also nominated amongst the 14 finalists. Logan has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. "Hold Me Now" is also a global million-seller. "Hold Me Now" has been adopted by fans of Bohemian F.C.
(Bohemians) as their anthem and it is sung primarily at away games.
In 2007, Logan advertised McDonald's
Eurosaver menu in Ireland. In 2007, he sang "A State of Happiness", advertising the Dutch
Center Parcs
. In 2009 and 2010, he performed in the celtic rock opera Excalibur
, and continues to do so in 2011. He mentioned on TTV on RTÉ Two that he was considering writing a song for Ireland in Eurovision Song Contest 2010
.
In 2011, Logan received some publicity over comments perceived as an attack on Jedward
, that year's Irish Eurovision entry. When the identical twins appeared on The Late Late Show
, presenter Ryan Tubridy
asked them how they felt about Logan calling them "an embarrassment to Ireland". Logan later clarified those comments: "What I said was that I find them embarrassing to watch. It's like watching two Frank Spencers in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
. It's like watching a train crash – you can't look away, but at the same time you don't want to see it". Logan subsequently refused an interview with RTÉ broadcaster Derek Mooney
as, according to Mooney, "he thought we were going to stitch him up". Logan gave an interview to Today FM
broadcaster Ray D'Arcy
instead.
Logan lives in Ashbourne, County Meath
in Ireland.
He rarely gives interviews to the Irish press due to frequent misquotes in the media.
For a fuller list of all European single releases see discography here.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
singer and composer. He is regarded as "Mister Eurovision", having participated in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
many times since the 1970s, and, since 1992, has been the most successful artist in Eurovision history.
Logan has won the international contest on three occasions representing Ireland, twice as a performer (1980
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 19 April 1980 in The Hague. The presenter was Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the nation represented...
and 1987
Eurovision Song Contest 1987
The Eurovision Song Contest 1987 was the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1987 in Brussels, Belgium after Sandra Kim's win the previous year. The presenter was Viktor Lazlo. Johnny Logan was the winner for Ireland with the song "Hold Me Now"...
) and twice as a composer (1987 and 1992
Eurovision Song Contest 1992
The Eurovision Song Contest 1992 was the 37th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1992 in Malmö, Sweden. The presenters were Lydia Cappolicchio and Harald Treutiger. Linda Martin, representing Ireland, was the winner of this Eurovision with the song Why Me?. The song was written by Johnny...
). He also composed the second placed entry in 1984
Eurovision Song Contest 1984
The Eurovision Song Contest 1984 was the 29th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 5 May 1984 in Luxembourg. The presenter was Désirée Nosbusch. Nosbusch, only 19 years old at the time, hosted the show in a lax manner, which was quite unusual for this show back then...
.
Early life and career
Logan was born in FrankstonFrankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
near Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. His father was an Irish tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, Patrick O'Hagan, who performed three times for three different U.S. presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, for John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. The family moved back to Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
when Johnny was three years old. He learned the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and began composing his own songs by the age of thirteen. On leaving school he apprenticed as an electrician, while performing in folk and blues clubs. His earliest claim to fame was starring as Adam in the 1977 Irish musical "Adam and Eve".
Having adopted the stage name "Johnny Logan" after the main character of the film Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar is a 1954 Republic Pictures Western film starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, and Scott Brady.The screenplay was based upon a novel by Roy Chanslor. Though credited to Philip Yordan, he was merely a front for the actual screenwriter, blacklistee Ben Maddow. ...
, he released his first single in 1978 and took part in the National Song Contest in 1979.
First Eurovision win
The following year, Logan entered the Eurovision Song Contest again with the Shay HealyShay Healy
Shay Healy is an Irish songwriter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for his role as host of Nighthawks, a RTÉ Television chat show of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for composing "What's Another Year", Ireland's winning entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest.-Early life:Shay...
song "What's Another Year". Representing Ireland in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 19. The song became a hit all over Europe and reached number one in the UK.
Owing to a mix-up, two follow up singles were released almost simultaneously; "Save Me" and "In London". With confusion by radio stations over which to play, both singles flopped. Another single released in late 1980, a cover of a recent Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
song, "Give A Little Bit More" was a more concerted effort and although it narrowly missed the chart, the momentum from Eurovision was now lost. Logan blames his lack of success in the UK on poor management and his inexperience.
In early 1983, Logan attempted a comeback in the UK with the song "Becoming Electric" with a new sound and image and promotional push, but was unsuccessful and again in 1986 when he rebranded himself Logan with the song "Stab in the Back".
Logan was actually classed as a One-hit Wonder with "What's Another Year" in the UK until his second Eurovision winning song was released, seven years later.
Second Eurovision win
In 1987, he decided to make another attempt at Eurovision and with his self-penned song "Hold Me Now", he represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The song won the contest and again, Logan had a major European hit with the song and reached number two in the UK (although it outsold "What's Another Year"). Keen to continue this success, Logan released a cover of the 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
song "I'm Not In Love
I'm Not in Love
"I'm Not in Love" is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack. The lyric reveals a narrator in denial about the title's ostensible theme.-The 10cc version:...
", produced by Paul Hardcastle
Paul Hardcastle
Paul Hardcastle is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.-Discography:In the early 1980s, Hardcastle played the keyboards on several singles on the Oval record label by the dance music groups Direct Drive and First Light, before going solo.He achieved some acclaim for...
as a follow-up, and an album. Both single and album made the UK charts but were not significant enough to sustain a continued chart career.
The following year, Logan released his next single, "Heartland" which became a hit in the Irish charts and from then on, concentrated on his career in Ireland and Europe.
Third Eurovision win
Having composed the Irish Eurovision Song Contest 1984Eurovision Song Contest 1984
The Eurovision Song Contest 1984 was the 29th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 5 May 1984 in Luxembourg. The presenter was Désirée Nosbusch. Nosbusch, only 19 years old at the time, hosted the show in a lax manner, which was quite unusual for this show back then...
entry for Linda Martin
Linda Martin
Linda Martin is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known in Europe as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992, with the song "Why Me?", and in Ireland as a member of the 1970s/1980s band, Chips.-Chips:Martin started off her musical career when she joined the band Chips...
, "Terminal 3
Terminal 3
"Terminal 3" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984, performed in English by Linda Martin.The song was written and composed by previous Contest winner Johnny Logan, who had won for Ireland in the 1980 Contest and would later go on to win the 1987 Contest as a performer before...
" (which finished in second place), Logan repeated the collaboration in 1992
Eurovision Song Contest 1992
The Eurovision Song Contest 1992 was the 37th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1992 in Malmö, Sweden. The presenters were Lydia Cappolicchio and Harald Treutiger. Linda Martin, representing Ireland, was the winner of this Eurovision with the song Why Me?. The song was written by Johnny...
when he gave Martin another of his songs, "Why Me". The song became the Irish entry at the finals in Sweden. The song took the title and cemented Logan as the most successful artist in Eurovision history with three wins.
Author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History that Logan is the only lead singer to have sung two winning entries and one of only five authors/composers (all men) to have written/composed two winning songs.
Recent career
Logan continues to perform and write songs. He is sometimes referred to as "Mister Eurovision" by fans of the contest and the media at large. Throughout his career, which spans four decades, Logan has released no less than 40 singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s and 19 albums. He has continued his love of participating in musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, having toured Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
with Which Witch, an opera-musical originating in that country. In 2002 Logan took part in the UK television quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
as a team panelist in a Eurovision-special.
In October 2005, "Hold Me Now" was voted as the third most popular song in Eurovision history at the 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. "What's Another Year" was also nominated amongst the 14 finalists. Logan has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. "Hold Me Now" is also a global million-seller. "Hold Me Now" has been adopted by fans of Bohemian F.C.
Bohemian F.C.
Bohemian F.C. , more commonly referred to as Bohemians, is a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history, having won the League of Ireland title 11...
(Bohemians) as their anthem and it is sung primarily at away games.
In 2007, Logan advertised McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Eurosaver menu in Ireland. In 2007, he sang "A State of Happiness", advertising the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Center Parcs
Center Parcs
Center Parcs is a European network of holiday villages incorporating a UK-based company, Center Parcs UK, which runs holiday villages in the United Kingdom and a sister enterprise, Center Parcs Europe, that operates in numerous locations in continental Europe...
. In 2009 and 2010, he performed in the celtic rock opera Excalibur
Excalibur (rock opera)
Excalibur is a three part "Celtic rock opera" written and directed by Breton folk-rock musician Alan Simon, the first part of which premiered in 1998, and was released as an album in the following year under the French title Excalibur, La légende des Celtes. Its success in France led to a second...
, and continues to do so in 2011. He mentioned on TTV on RTÉ Two that he was considering writing a song for Ireland in Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
.
In 2011, Logan received some publicity over comments perceived as an attack on Jedward
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
, that year's Irish Eurovision entry. When the identical twins appeared on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
, presenter Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...
asked them how they felt about Logan calling them "an embarrassment to Ireland". Logan later clarified those comments: "What I said was that I find them embarrassing to watch. It's like watching two Frank Spencers in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
. It's like watching a train crash – you can't look away, but at the same time you don't want to see it". Logan subsequently refused an interview with RTÉ broadcaster Derek Mooney
Derek Mooney
Derek James Mooney is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. He currently presents a weekday afternoon programme called Mooney on RTÉ Radio 1....
as, according to Mooney, "he thought we were going to stitch him up". Logan gave an interview to Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
broadcaster Ray D'Arcy
Ray D'Arcy
Raymond 'Ray' D'Arcy is an Irish television and radio presenter. He currently presents a weekday morning radio programme, The Ray D'Arcy Show, on Today FM...
instead.
Logan lives in Ashbourne, County Meath
Ashbourne, County Meath
Ashbourne, historically called Killeglan or Kildeglan , is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 20 km north of Dublin city centre and is bypassed by the M2 motorway.-History:...
in Ireland.
He rarely gives interviews to the Irish press due to frequent misquotes in the media.
Albums
- 1980: What's Another Year?
- 1987: Hold Me Now
- 1989: Mention My Name
- 1990: Love Songs
- 1992: Endless Emotion
- 1994: Living For Loving
- 1996: The Best Of Johnny Logan
- 1999: Love Is All
- 2001: Reach For Me
- 2001: Save This Christmas For Me
- 2003: We All Need Love
- 2006: The Best Of Johnny Logan 2006
- 2007: The Irish Connection (Johnny Logan and Friends)
- 2008: Irishman in America
- 2010: Nature of Love
Singles (Ireland and UK)
- 1978 - "No I Don't Want to Fall In Love"
- 1979 - Lonely Tonight
- 1980 - "What's Another Year" (IE #1) (UK #1)
- 1980 - "Save Me"
- 1980 - "In London"
- 1980 - "Give a Little Bit More (Too Much Too Soon)" (IE #25)
- 1982 - "Oriental Eyes" (IE #18)
- 1982 - "Becoming Electric" (IE #22)
- 1984 - "Heaven" (IE #20)
- 1985 - "Ginny Come Lately"
- 1985 - "Straight From the Heart"
- 1986 - "Stab In the Back"
- 1986 - "Sara SmileSara SmileCountry music singer Jimmy Wayne released a cover version in 2009, with backing vocals from Hall & Oates. This version debuted at #51 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated October 3, 2009 and serves as the title track for Wayne's third album, Sara Smile...
" - 1987 - "Hold Me Now" (IE #1) (UK #2)
- 1987 - "I'm Not In LoveI'm Not in Love"I'm Not in Love" is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack. The lyric reveals a narrator in denial about the title's ostensible theme.-The 10cc version:...
" (IE #8) (UK #51)) - 1988 - "Heartland" (IE #21)
- 1989 - "All I Ever Wanted"
- 1990 - "Lay Down Your Heart" / "One by OneOne by One (song)"One by One" is the first American and second European single by American singer-actress Cher from her twenty-second studio album, It's a Man's World. It was released on January 5, 1996 by Reprise Records and WEA...
" (IE #20) - 1991 - "How 'Bout UsHow 'Bout Us"How 'Bout Us" is a 1981 hit single recorded by R&B music group Champaign and composed by band keyboardist Dana Walden. Originally released on the band's debut album of the same name, the title track peaked at #12 on the Hot 100...
" - 2006 - "Don't Cry" (IE #25)
- 2006 - "Hold Me Now" (new version)
For a fuller list of all European single releases see discography here.