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".
Man Around The House
Grace Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lightning strikes around my heart, somethings coming near,
Never loved a soldier-man in a mail-man uniform,
Catch a burglar in my arms, has tipped off my alarm.
Man around the house,
Man around the house.
Then I feel a sudden rush, and the lights disappear,
Never loved a fisher-man in a police uniform,
Catch a burglar in my arms, has tipped off my alarm.
Man around the house,
Man around the house.
Like a recurring dream, thats goin' round my head,
Guess I need security, when I'm sleepin' in my bed,
Never loved a fisher-man in a mail-man uniform,
Catch a burglar in my arms, has tipped off my alarm.
Man around the house, be a perfect solution,
Man around the house, he ain't my husband.
Call the police,
You're bigger than I am, shit,
The telephone, call the God-damn police,
What'd ya' mean you're scared?
I'm scared too, I'm not goin' down there!
Uh-uh, I'm stayin' right here,I'm gonna lock my door,
Don't turn on the lights, God, don't turn on the lights!
He might see us, you can't go out there with no clothes on,
Are you crazy, put some clothes on, don't be a fool, coward!
I'm not scared, he's not gonna' catch me in here without any clothes on,
I'm gonna put on my clothes, do you have a flash light?
Where's the flash light? Turn the lights on, I need a flash light,
He's tryin' the back door, sshhh!
The lyrics to Grace Jones’s “Man Around the House” depict a woman who is afraid of being alone and seeks security with a man around the house. She has a fear of burglars, which causes her to be jumpy and anxious. She fastens her alarm and turns to music to soothe her anxiety, but still picks up on any strange sounds. At times, she sounds nonsensical and irrational, perhaps out of fear or paranoia. However, she rationalizes that a man around the house is the perfect solution to her fear of being alone, even though she is not interested in having a husband. The song gives the perspective of a woman who needs and longs for the presence of a man, not necessarily for love or companionship, but for safety and protection.
The theme of fear and the need for safety is the main idea behind the lyrics of “Man Around the House”. It depicts the vulnerable side of women and the stereotypes they face. The singer is someone who can’t protect herself and therefore, has to depend on a man. It portrays how gender roles play in the society and the perception of people. Grace Jones delivered the song with her unique and powerful voice that amplified the message behind the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Not a violent person, even heavens do get scared,
I don't have a bad character, but even God is afraid, which is causing lightning to strike my heart as if a sign of an approaching danger.
Lightning strikes around my heart, somethings coming near,
I feel that something terrible is coming close, which is causing my heart to pound heavily like lightning strikes around it.
Never loved a soldier-man in a mail-man uniform,
I never fancied a man serving in the army or as a mailman.
Catch a burglar in my arms, has tipped off my alarm.
I caught a thief red-handed, and it sent my alarm ringing.
Man around the house,
I need a man to protect me, to do things around the house that I can't do, and to make me feel safe.
Listen to the music, to distract me from my fears,
I try to listen to music to calm myself and to take my mind off of my fears.
Then I feel a sudden rush, and the lights disappear,
Suddenly, I experience a rush of fear, which causes the lights to go out as if to emphasize the darkness and my vulnerability.
Never loved a fisher-man in a police uniform,
I never had an interest in a man who works as a police officer or as a fisherman.
Like a recurring dream, that's goin' round my head,
It feels like a nightmare that keeps recurring, repeating the same pattern in my mind.
Guess I need security, when I'm sleepin' in my bed,
I feel the need for security and protection, especially when I'm sleeping in my bed.
Man around the house, be a perfect solution,
Having a man around the house would be an ideal solution to my fears and insecurities.
Man around the house, he ain't my husband.
I don't necessarily want him to be my husband, but I need him around to protect me.
Call the police,
I realize I need to call the authorities for help.
You're bigger than I am, shit,
I acknowledge that the man with me is bigger and stronger than I am.
The telephone, call the God-damn police,
I urgently direct the man to call the police immediately.
What'd ya' mean you're scared?
I'm puzzled by the man's fear and supposed inability to act.
I'm scared too, I'm not goin' down there!
I reveal that I am also scared and won't go down there.
Uh-uh, I'm stayin' right here, I'm gonna lock my door,
I decide to stay put and lock my door to keep the both of us safe.
Don't turn on the lights, God, don't turn on the lights!
I plead not to turn on the lights as the burglar might see us and create an even more dangerous situation.
He might see us, you can't go out there with no clothes on,
I realize the danger of being seen by the burglar and urge the man not to go out naked.
Are you crazy, put some clothes on, don't be a fool, coward!
I call the man crazy and urge him to put some clothes on, while trying to motivate him not to abandon me due to fear.
I'm not scared, he's not gonna' catch me in here without any clothes on,
I deny being scared and confidently claim that the burglar won't get me while I'm in the house.
I'm gonna put on my clothes, do you have a flash light?
I decide to dress up and ask if the man has a flashlight to be ready in case the lights don't come on.
Where's the flash light? Turn the lights on, I need a flash light,
I ask the man for the flashlight and urge him to turn on the lights.
He's tryin' the back door, sshhh!
I whisper to signal the man that the burglar is trying to access the house through the back door.
Contributed by Madelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.