Joanna – Kool & The Gang | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#2) & R&B & Adult Contemporary (#2); 1984
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Few bands make a successful transition from one genre of music to another. However, Kool & The Gang moved from being an instrumental jazz combo to a funk-soul vocal group, and the new Funky Stuff sound of the Gang brought them a R&B #5 in 1973. Funky‘s follow-up, Jungle Boogie, quickly crossed them over to pop, too.
Then a further move – toward a more mainstream sound in the late 1970’s – resulted in monster hits such as Ladies Night and Celebration. The Kool hit train ran low on steam for the next three years until yet another shift, this time towards adult contemporary, got it back on track with Joanna.
Although two other songs were in the running for the lead-off single honors from K&TG’s new album, audience response to Joanna at three Radio City Music Hall concerts was so enthusiastic, the guys gave it the nod instead.
Joanna was a monster, where as Straight Ahead, one of the songs beat out by Joanna, failed to reach to Hot 100 when it was finally released.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Kool & The Gang
Lyrics Written by:
- Robert Earl Bell
- Ronald Nathan Bell
- James Bonnefond
- George Melvin Brown
- James “J.T.” Taylor
- Claydes Charles Smith
- Clifford Adams
- Curtis “Fitz” Williams
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).