#10: I Go To Pieces by Paul Janz

City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: July 1985
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #2
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #19
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “I Go To Pieces”
Lyrics: “I Go To Pieces”

In 1951 Paul Janz was born into a Mennonite family and his dad was a Mennonite minister. They lived for a few years in Three Hills, Alberta. At the age of four Janz moved with his family to Balen, Switzerland. He was raised on gospel and traditional church music and from childhood sang in a church choir. Early on he was inspired by his upbringing and started to experiment with musical arrangements by the age of ten. When he turned 13 he showed off his emerging skills on the trumpet in a Salvation Army Band. In his teen years he acquired proficiency on drums, guitar and opera with the Basel Conservatory of Music. He also ended up arranging and conducting with the Basel Symphony. He formed a group called Deliverance and based himself in Munich for much of the 70s. The group had success in Germany and scored a minor hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 called “Leaving L.A”, that peaked in the ‘States at #56.

Janz returned to Canada in 1980 and began studying philosophy at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Simultaneously, he pursued his passion for music. In 1981 he took part in the German selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Steine (Stones)”. He finished tenth behind musicians like Taco, and Peter Cornelius whose group, Enigma, had a smash international hit in 1990 called “Sadeness Pt. 1“. Meanwhile, he also got a stint with local Vancouver band, Prism, and also was writing jingles for commercials. Janz’s dream to get a record deal in North America materialized when he landed a contract with A&M Records in 1984. His debut album, High Strung, featured his first single, “I Go To Pieces”.

Paul Janz wrote “I Go To Pieces”. The song is about the impact of a sexually attractive person dancing with a guy on the dance floor. Janz sings:

And when we’re dancing face to face,
It takes me out of time and space.
In images I can’t erase,
every time I go to pieces.

The guy is hoping he and his dance partner can kindle a romance that can last.

“I Go To Pieces” peaked at #2 in Saskatoon (SK), and #6 in Regina (SK), and #19 in Vancouver (BC).

A second album in 1987, Electricity, was met with praise, but produced no reciprocal response from the buying public.

Next Janz released Renegade Romantic in 1990. His debut single, “Every Little Tear” climbed into the Top Ten to #5 on the Canadian RPM singles chart. While it didn’t chart in the USA, it spent 9 weeks on the CKLG chart in Vancouver peaking for two weeks at #19. While the song didn’t have a stellar chart run at the time, it has enjoyed being play listed as an oldie over the past several decades. The single was released as both a 45 rpm and a 12 inch single, as was common at the time. A straightforward ode to a full-hearted commitment to love someone, this uptempo tune kept people tapping their toes in the spring of 1990. A followup single was titled “Rocket To My Heart“.

In 1992 Janz turned his lyrical hand to more spiritual subject matter in his album, Trust. Janz had done missionary work in South America and the album included tunes like “Amazon Rain” which climbed into the Top 30 on the Canadian RPM singles chart. With his shifting musical direction his record label dropped him. Janz subsequently left the music industry in the mid 90’s and finished a B.A. in Philosophy at Simon Fraser University. From there he took at Masters degree in Theology at the University of Cambridge. Upon graduation he took an Associate Professorship in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. Four years later, in 2005, he was hired at King’s College in London as Lecturer in Systematic Theology. He continues to lecture, write and publish on a variety of subjects concerning theology.

July 10, 2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
Paul Janz bio, Canadian Bands.com
Paul Janz, “Steine (Stones),” Eurovision, 1981.
Deliverance, “Leaving L.A.,” 1979
Paul Janz, “I Go to Pieces,” 1985
Colin Arthur Weibe, Paul Janz – I Go To Pieces, Colin Weibe.com, May 3, 2012.
Juno Award winning recording artist, Paul Janz, trades in singing to teach philosophy at Trinity Western University, Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, August 21, 2012.

CKOM 1250-AM Saskatoon (SK) Top Ten | June 28, 1985