C'mon/Jo-Anna Says

"C'mon"/"Jo-Anna Says"
Single by Per Gessle
from the album Son of a Plumber
Released4 November 2005 (2005-11-04)
RecordedNovember 2004 – September 2005
StudioThe Aerosol Grey Machine, Vallarum, Scania
Length
  • 2:58 ("C'mon")
  • 3:23 ("Jo-Anna Says")
Label
Songwriter(s)Per Gessle
Producer(s)
Per Gessle singles chronology
"Tycker om när du tar på mej"
(2003) 		"C'mon" / "Jo-Anna Says"
(2005) 		"Hey Mr. DJ (Won't You Play Another Love Song)"
(2006)

"C'mon"/"Jo-Anna Says" is a double A-side single released by Swedish musician Per Gessle as the first single from his Son of a Plumber album. Issued on 4 November 2005, the single was a top five hit on the Swedish Singles Chart, and was one of the best-selling singles of the year in the country. "C'mon" is a glam rock song, while music journalists compared "Jo-Anna Says" to the psychedelic pop work of The Beatles. The artwork for the cover was shot by Anton Corbijn.

Composition and style

"C'mon" is a glam rock song, and is the first track in Gessle's discography to feature him singing in falsetto throughout.[1] His then-eight year old son was involved in the song's composition. His son, who was learning to play guitar at the time,[2] entered Gessle's home studio and began imitating his singing and guitar playing while the song was being composed. Gessle said: "I thought that sounded so sweet, so I recorded it."[3]

Gessle compared "Jo-Anna Says" to the early solo work of Paul McCartney. Despite describing himself as "more of a Lennon guy actually", he said he appreciated McCartney's early 1970s solo material.[1] In 2014, Gessle described "Jo-Anna Says" as "a really cool song. It's got a classic pop touch to it which I like." The track was composed when Gessle was driving with his family in the south of Sweden, saying the "melody just popped up in my head". He noted Roxette songs "Vulnerable" (from 1994's Crash! Boom! Bang!) and "7Twenty7" (from 1999's Have a Nice Day) were written in a similar fashion. He said "when songs come to you that easily, they're always gonna be good", and that he "felt really early on that this is gonna be one of the major tracks on the album."[4]

Release and promotion

The single was released in Sweden on 4 November 2005,[5] with the cover photograph taken by Anton Corbijn.[6] Gessle said it was "almost impossible" to decide which track to issue as the first single from Son of a Plumber, explaining that there was no individual song that "directly represents the record." As a result, he chose to release "C'mon" and "Jo-Anna Says" as a double A-side. "C'mon" was chosen because he said the song "doesn't sound like it's me", while "Jo-Anna Says" was chosen because "well, if you throw up on 'C'mon', you might like it instead."[1] Music journalists compared the latter track to the psychedelic pop work of The Beatles.[7][8]

"Jo-Anna Says" was one of three demos Gessle recorded for the Son of a Plumber album,[9] and its demo appeared as a free download on his official website in 2006.[3] Gessle performed the song at Swedish sports award ceremony Fotbollsgalan on 14 November 2005.[10]

Commercial performance

The single spent seventeen weeks on the Swedish Singles Chart, peaking at number five for two weeks.[11] It was one of the best-selling singles of 2005 in the country.[12]

Track listing

  • Swedish CD single (0946 346484 2–4)
  1. "C'mon" – 2:58
  2. "Jo-Anna Says" – 3:23

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the CD single liner notes.[6]

Recorded and mixed by Christoffer Lundquist, Clarence Öfwerman and Per Gessle at Aerosol Grey Machine, Vallarum, Scania between November 2004 and September 2005.

  • Kjell Andersson – cover design
  • Anton Corbijn – cover photography
  • Per Gessle – composition, vocals, instrumentation and production
  • Lennart Haglund – assistant engineer
  • Jens Jansson – drums
  • Helena Josefsson – vocals
  • Christoffer Lundquist – vocals, instrumentation, engineer and production
  • Clarence Öfwerman – vocals, instrumentation and production
  • Pär Wickholm – cover design

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b c Bjurman, Per (10 November 2023). "Så tycker Gessle om låtarna på nya skivan" ["How Gessle thinks about the songs on the new album"]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  2. ^ Nunstedt, Anders (16 November 2005). "Jag är rädd att folk ska tröttna på mig" ["I'm afraid people will get tired of me"]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Interview mit Per Gessle" ["Interview with Per Gessle"]. Swiss Hitparade (in German). Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ^ Gessle, Per (2014). "Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 2, Disc 2 – 08: "Jo-Anna Says" (Conversation with Sven Lindström)". The Per Gessle Archives (A Lifetime Of Songwriting) (Audio commentary). Lindström, Sven. Stockholm, Sweden: Elevator Entertainment. 334 43503.
  5. ^ "C'mon - Single – Album av Per Gessle". Apple Music. 4 November 2005. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b Gessle, Per (2005). "Booklet". C'mon / Jo-Anna Says (CD liner notes). Son of a Plumber. Elevator Entertainment · Capitol Records. 0946 3 46484 2–4.
  7. ^ Welander, Fredrik (16 December 2005). "Son Of A Plumber "Son Of A Plumber"". dagensskiva.com (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  8. ^ Nilsén, Rolf (6 December 2006). "Per Gessle - Son of a plumber". Norrbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  9. ^ Gradvall, Jan (10 June 2006). "I huvudet på Per Gessle" ["In the head of Per Gessle"]. gradvall.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  10. ^ Nunstedt, Anders (16 November 2005). "Jag är rädd att folk ska tröttna på mig" ["I'm afraid people will get tired of me"]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Son of a Plumber – C'mon / Jo-Anna Says". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Årslista Singlar, 2005" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2023.