Raised in Syracuse, New York, she found success in the 70s as a model, working in New York and Paris (where she shared an apartment with Jerry Hall and Jessica Lange), before rising to public prominence as a singer and personality.
Jones secured a record deal with Island Records, which resulted in a string of club hits. The three disco albums she recorded - Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) - generated dance singles such as Sorry That's The Trouble, I Need A Man, and a classic cover of La Vie En Rose. During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, appearing in his portraits and accompanying him to Studio 54 on many occasions.
As the 70s drew to a close, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music to suit a different style, a significant departure from her previous output that resulted in some of her strongest work. Still with Island, and now working with producers Alex Sadkin and Chris Blackwell at Compass Point Studios, and with the considerable talents of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (Sly & Robbie) behind her, she released the acclaimed Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981). These included re-imaginings of songs by Sting, Iggy Pop, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Flash And The Pan, The Normal, and Tom Petty, as well as originals like the innuendo-filled Pull Up To The Bumper and the haunting I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango). Parallel to her musical shift was an equally dramatic visual departure; Jones - working heavily with style artist Jean-Paul Goude - adopted a severe, androgynous look that enhanced her already striking presence, the iconic cover of Nightclubbing exemplifying this new identity. Her collaboration with Sadkin and Blackwell continued with the dub reggae-influenced album Living My Life, which featured Nipple To The Bottle, The Apple Stretching, and the Jones-penned and much-sampled My Jamaican Guy.
Later in the 80s, she worked with Trevor Horn for the conceptual musical collage Slave to the Rhythm (1985), and with Nile Rodgers for Inside Story (1986) - her first album away from the Island label. Inside Story produced her last US Hot 100 hit to date, I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You), while Bulletproof Heart in 1989 produced the #1 US club hit Love on Top of Love - Killer Kiss, produced by C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivilles. Though a chart regular in the UK Grace Jones never achieved mainstream musical success in the US, but most of her singles became huge hits in the dance underground.
Jones' strong visual presence was extended to her stage work. Her performances were unique spectacles as she adopted various personas and wore outlandish costumes throughout, particularly during her years with Goude. Her most memorable performances include the Paradise Garage in 1985, wherein she collaborated with legendary visual artist Keith Haring for her costume and the extraordinary One Man Show filmed in Drury Lane Theatre London and in New York and released on video in 1982 (it is yet to be re-released).
In 2008 she returned with the album "Hurricane".
I've Done It Again
Grace Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Charted all the courses like all sailors do
First to cross the Mason-Dixon line
Overseeing wetbacks for good Californian wine
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
I was there when Jenny Lind first sang
First to feel the cold Alaskan white man
First to take a trip on sled
First to vote for Roosevelt back in '33
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
Yes I've seen it, yes I've seen it
And if you're feeling great, you know I feel it
Yes I feel it
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
The lyrics to Grace Jones's song "I've Done It Again" have a clear thematic thread of being the first to achieve something or to witness something monumental. Jones lists off a series of significant historical events, ranging from her supposed presence on the first ship to Peru to her being the first to vote for Roosevelt in 1933. However, the lyrics take on a slightly sarcastic tone, as the repetition of the titular phrase "done it again" hints that perhaps these claims are exaggerated or even untrue.
For example, Jones claims to have overseen "wetbacks" for good Californian wine, which alludes to the practice of using immigrant labor to pick grapes during the grape harvest season in California. The term "wetbacks" here is considered racially derogatory, and by using it, Jones may be challenging the listener to consider the darker side of American history and how it intersects with the romanticized idea of pioneering.
Jones also sings about Jenny Lind and feeling the "cold Alaskan white man," which could be interpreted as her experiencing the extremes of the human condition, from the heights of operatic beauty to the harsh realities of life in a remote part of the world. Overall, the song seems to reflect on the idea of constantly striving for more, the desire to constantly achieve and experience new things, and questioning the authenticity of such claims.
Line by Line Meaning
I was on the first ship to Peru
I was one of the first sailors to visit Peru.
Charted all the courses like all sailors do
I navigated and plotted out the routes, just like every other sailor.
First to cross the Mason-Dixon line
I was the first to cross the Mason-Dixon line.
Overseeing wetbacks for good Californian wine
I supervised migrant workers to ensure we had excellent Californian wine.
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
I have accomplished great things repeatedly.
I was there when Jenny Lind first sang
I was present when Jenny Lind made her first performance.
First to feel the cold Alaskan white man
I was the first to experience the freezing temperatures of Alaska.
First to take a trip on sled
I was the first to go on a ride in a sled.
First to vote for Roosevelt back in '33
I was one of the first people to cast my ballot for Roosevelt in 1933.
Yes I've seen it, yes I've seen it
I have witnessed many great things.
And if you're feeling great, you know I feel it
If you're feeling amazing, I'm right there with you.
Yes I feel it
I feel that same level of greatness and excitement.
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
Once more, I have achieved greatness.
And I've done it again, done it again, done it again
I have done it many times over.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARIANNE FAITHFULL, BARRY REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@loire212
one of THE most beautiful songs
@matthewbeumer3168
Didn't one critic in the 80s say Grace Jones and Siouxsie Sioux Were the only two beautiful women in the 80s that didn't really upon the male gaze
@MisAnnThorpe
@@matthewbeumer3168 Possibly but only one of then was really beautiful and it wasn't Siouxsie! Straight off the top of my head, I'd also include Carmel (McCourt), Anja Huwe of Xmal Deutschland and probably Liz Fraser (have you seen her eyes?!) so it would appear that the music journalist in question was doing what music journalists in general, do, and that's talk crap!
@BenPrevo
Check out Barry's solo LP 'I scare myself'.
@Blackbird58
God yes!--I'm 65 and should be old and jaded by now but, far from it, I find hundreds of reminders every day that life is just absolutely effing wonderful, a prime example of such a reminder is this achingly beautiful and haunting creation brought to life by the sublime combination of Sly, Robbie and Queen Grace herself!
@kevinsweeney6122
Best song from a brilliant album.
@TheNouveauxdecadence
I met Miss Grace Joens today in Melbourne/Australia as she is here touring. She was THE msot beautiful soul to meet! Talkative, warm, kind, giving and signed all my material and took a photo and was so WOW! She was also so beautifully eccentric and a complete HOOT, she made us laugh so much! AMAZING being!!!
@metalmanchild1454
Keep that Williams blood flowing beautiful.
@Blondejam
I have loved her music for over thirty years and will continue to do so. Beauty talent poise voice. Name it this lady has always had it in some respects she is an enigma, so what! That is what makes her great and will outshine and outlast this throw away music culture of which we have to endure these days xxx to you and xxx again. Yes I done it again xxx
@MJanovicable
She's amazing. I saw these fashion shots as a kid at a bookstore and was floored at her beauty. Her voice is going to endure, she's a living legend. A real woman.