Once the frontwoman of UK band Blue Zone, which saw modest success with their single "Jackie", she became a major international star beginning with her guest vocal stint on Coldcut's record People Hold On.
Stansfield is probably best known for her first UK #1 single, All Around the World (1989), which also peaked at #3 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the following year. Other worldwide hits from her debut solo album Affection include This is the Right Time (featuring a house music-styled production by Coldcut with Mark Saunders), Live Together, What Did I Do To You? and You Can't Deny It. "All Around the World" was the second song by a white female soloist to hit #1 on the Billboard R&B chart (the first being "Ooo La La La" by Teena Marie in 1988). "You Can't Deny It" also topped that chart. Affection went platinum in the U.S., and sold a total of five million copies worldwide.
In 1990, Stansfield was among a handful of high-profile artists to participate in the Red Hot + Blue charity album, which honored the songwriting career of Cole Porter, and benefitted AIDS research at a time when funding from government agencies was insufficient for those in need. She was given the chance to show her swing and jazz chops on the song "Down in the Depths" (video), which was one of a few throwback renditions to appear on the album. This likely won her the female lead in the independent film Swing (1999), for which soundtrack she also performed most of the songs. Thus began an illustrious and respected tradition of Stansfield offering jazz and torch songs to outside projects (she also sang I've Got the World on a String in the original movie soundtrack of 2003's Mona Lisa Smile).
In 1992, Stansfield won a BRIT Award as best British female solo artist. Her second album Real Love did not quite live up to the success of Affection, despite selling very well. However, it did spawn four Top 40 singles on the European charts: Change, All Woman, Time to Make You Mine and Set Your Loving Free. "Change" has since become one of her signature classics, and still receives regular air-play to this day. "All Woman" became Stansfield's third #1 single on the Billboard R&B chart, and due to the success of that song, the album went gold in the U.S. Filled with pathos and emotion, it is "kitchen sink soul", from the viewpoint of a woman taken for granted. Like "All Around the World", many critics initially believed that it had been performed by a black singer.
Stansfield continued recording disco-influenced soul throughout the 1990s. Her third album So Natural (1993) spawned three Top 40 European singles including the title track So Natural, In All the Right Places and Little Bit of Heaven, but the album was never released in the U.S. She had continued success throughout Europe, but her popularity in America had diminished.
sidenote: "In All The Right Places" was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Indecent Proposal (1993), for which Stansfield was shortlisted as the lead that eventually went to Demi Moore. You can catch her talking about it in this YouTube interview clip (@ 1:30).
Her self-titled fourth album Lisa Stansfield (1997) was a hit in Europe with two Top Ten singles - People Hold On (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Mix) (a re-released dance mix by The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and The Real Thing, and the Top 40 track Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (a remake of the late Barry White's 1973 hit). Upon being released in the U.S., the album scored some mainstream attention, but fared much better in the dance clubs where remixes were very successful; an astonishing four singles - "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", Never Gonna Fall, I'm Leavin', and "People Hold On" reached #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. It charted modestly, peaking at #30 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #55 on the Billboard 200. Subsequently, The Remix Album was released due to revived interest in Stansfield within the dance community. The music video for "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (video) was an eye-catcher featuring her strolling nude down a city street, acquiring a few items of clothing along the way. VH1 featured the clip and even gave it the Pop-Up Video treatment. During the promotion for the single, Stansfield appeared on the RuPaul Show, but inexplicably, did not sing the song (or any others, for that matter).
Her 2001 album Face Up was less successful, barely charting through a lack of publicity, but featured the singles Let's Just Call It Love and 8-3-1, which found her experimenting with newer styles of R&B such as 2-step while continuing with her established sound. Stansfield's husband, Ian Devaney, delivered an arrangement for the ballad How Could You?, which displayed his love of Burt Bacharach's legacy. Only one single was officially released in the UK.
Following the release of Face Up, a 2-CD greatest hits collection titled Biography: The Greatest Hits was released in 2003, which sold well in the UK and Europe. Stansfield then parted ways with Arista/BMG, ending an 18-year association with the label.
Stansfield signed with ZTT Records from the UK, and her 2004 release The Moment was produced by Trevor Horn, well-known for his work with Seal, Grace Jones, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, among others. The album was distributed in Europe by Edel, featuring the singles Treat Me Like a Woman (released as a double A-side with Easier) and If I Hadn't Got You, a song written by Chris Braide with ex-Squeeze songwriter Chris Difford. The album found her exploring more pop-oriented material, and focusing on lush ballads.
Despite this, as with her previous release, the album and supporting singles were not a success. At the time of the project's release, ZTT was directing large amounts of its resources into re-marketing its back catalogue, and producing the Trevor Horn concert for The Prince's Trust and its accompanying double CD Produced by Trevor Horn. The release of "Treat Me Like a Woman" was twice delayed, and the label eventually paired it with "Easier". While ZTT did erect a billboard to advertise the album in Stansfield's home area of Greater Manchester, print advertising and in-store displays were reportedly absent. Later that year ZTT dropped her from their label.
Stansfield's talents also extended into acting; she starred in the 1999 film Swing with actor Hugo Speer, and recorded covers of swing classics and a few original songs written in the style for the soundtrack. She later appeared on a London stage in The Vagina Monologues. In 2006, she guest-starred in the series Goldplated. In 2007, she starred in an episode of Marple: Ordeal by Innocence, and later joined the cast of The Edge of Love.
On June 2012, Lisa told the UK newspaper, The Sunday Mirror that she's working on her seventh studio album, her first in nine years, and that it is going to be released in spring 2013. Lisa announced in November 2012 that the album will be titled 'Seven'.
Official website: http://www.lisa-stansfield.com
Can't Dance
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take my chance now
I'm a fool
I'm a fool for love
Quick, slow, quick quick slow
Tell me, does your mother know?
That you're dancing
Where you're dancing
Two step to the side
Hide the tears behind your eyes
Cause you're dancing
Look at you dancing
You really dancing now
[Chorus:]
(I can't dance)
But I'm gonna dance tonight
(I'll take my chance)
Gonna be your fool tonight
I'm a fool for you
And a fool for love
(I don't care)
What the people say tonight
(Gonna do my hair)
And put on that dress tonight
I'm a fool for you
And a fool for love
Oh, my man, yes I am
Can't dance now
(Can't dance)
Take my chance now
(Take my chance)
I'm a fool
I'm a fool for love
Go, go, let it slide
Embarrassment step to the side
Cause you're dancing
Look at you dancing
You're merely dancing now
Check your conscience at the door
We gonna crucify the dancefloor
Now I know just why my feet are for
[Chorus]
Can't dance now
Take my chance now
I'm a fool
I'm a fool for love
Check your conscience at the door
We gonna crucify the dancefloor
Now I know just why my feet are for
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Lisa Stansfield's song "Can't Dance" narrate the story of a woman who is willing to push past her limitations just to be with her lover. The song starts with the woman shyly admitting that she cannot dance but she is willing to take the risk and dance anyway because of love. The second verse addresses the embarrassment that comes with dancing, highlighting that the woman's mother is unaware of her dancing whereabouts. However, she continues dancing, hiding her tears behind her eyes. The chorus emphasizes the woman's willingness to take a chance for love, expressing how she is willing to be a fool for love. The woman does not care about what people may say about her or what she is wearing.
The bridge of the song illustrates more confidence in the woman, telling her to check her conscience at the door and crucify the dance floor. The lyrics make it clear that she wants to give herself entirely to her lover, and although she may not be dancing perfectly, she is giving it her best shot for love. Overall, the song's message is about accepting one's vulnerabilities and limitations and taking a risk for love, even if it means looking foolish.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't dance now
I currently lack the ability to dance
Take my chance now
I'm going to try anyway and take a risk
I'm a fool
I am making a silly decision
I'm a fool for love
I make silly decisions because of my love for someone
Quick, slow, quick quick slow
Dance steps in a pattern
Tell me, does your mother know?
Asking whether someone's actions are acceptable to their family
That you're dancing
Asking whether someone's dancing is unknown to their family
Where you're dancing
Asking where someone is dancing
Two step to the side
A specific dance move
Hide the tears behind your eyes
Pretend to be happy when you're not
Look at you dancing
Observing someone's dancing
You really dancing now
Expressing surprise that someone is actually dancing
(I can't dance)
Reiterating the inability to dance
(I'll take my chance)
Reiterating the decision to take a risk
Gonna be your fool tonight
Making a silly decision for someone they love
I'm a fool for you
Making a silly decision because of love
What the people say tonight
Ignoring others' opinions
Gonna do my hair
Getting ready for the night
And put on that dress tonight
Getting ready for the night
Oh, my man, yes I am
Addressing the loved one
Go, go, let it slide
Encouragement to dance
Embarrassment step to the side
Ignoring embarrassment and continuing to dance
Check your conscience at the door
Ignoring morals and dancing freely
We gonna crucify the dancefloor
Dancing as if it's a religious experience
Now I know just why my feet are for
Realizing dancing is an important part of life
Contributed by Chloe B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.