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".
Pars
Grace Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et surtout ne te retourne pas
Pars
Fais ce que tu dois faire, sans moi
Quoi qu'il arrive, je serai toujours avec toi
Alors pars
Et surtout ne te retourne pas
Et surtout ne te retourne pas
Pars
Fais ce que tu dois faire, sans moi
Quoi qu'il arrive, je serai toujours avec toi
Alors pars
Et surtout ne te retourne pas
Alors pars
Et surtout ne te retourne pas
Pars
Mais qu'est-ce que tu as?
Tire-toi
Quoi qu'il arrive, je serai toujours avec toi
Alors pars
Et surtout, reviens-moi
Pars
Et l'enfant, il est avec moi
Il est là, il est drôle comme tes yeux
Il est comme toi, impatient
Il n'a de peur, il aime la vie
Et la mort ne lui fais pas peur
Oh-ah
Tais-toi
Mais qu'est-ce que tu as?
Pars
Je t'aime, toujours, il faut toujours
Alors pars, tire-toi
The lyrics to Grace Jones's song "Pars" deal with the idea of leaving someone or something behind, and the mixed emotions that come with it. The repeated phrase "Alors pars, et surtout ne te retourne pas!" (So leave, and above all, don't look back!) conveys a sense of urgency, as if the person being addressed needs to leave immediately, without hesitation. Despite this urgency, the singer also expresses love and support for the person leaving, promising to always be with them no matter what.
The second half of the song shifts focus to a child, possibly the offspring of the person leaving. The singer reassures the child that they are loved and safe, and encourages them to embrace life without fear. Meanwhile, the urgency of the earlier verses continues, with the singer commanding the person leaving to go and expressing frustration at their hesitation.
Overall, "Pars" is a poignant and emotional song that captures the conflicting feelings of departure - the sadness of leaving behind what's familiar, the excitement of stepping into the unknown, and the love and support that can make it all bearable.
Line by Line Meaning
Alors pars, et surtout ne te retourne pas!
So leave, and above all, don't look back!
Pars, mais qu'est-ce que tu as? tire-toi!
Go, but what's wrong? Get out of here!
Quoi qu'il arrive, je serai toujours avec toi,
Whatever happens, I'll always be with you,
Et l'enfant, il est avec moi,
And the child, he's with me,
Il est la, il est drole comme tes yeux,
He's here, he's funny like your eyes,
Il est comme toi, impatient,
He's like you, impatient,
Il n'a de peur, il aime la vie,
He has no fear, he loves life,
Et la mort ne lui fais pas peur, o pars!
And death doesn't scare him, oh go!
Tais-toi! mais qu'est-ce que tu as? pars!
Shut up! But what's wrong? Go!
Je t'aime, toujours, il faut toujours,
I love you, always, forever,
Ca va pars, qu'est-ce que tu dois faire? alors pars,
It's okay, go, what do you have to do? So leave,
Ca va bien, pas de probleme, pars,
It's going well, no problem, go,
Mais, reviens a moi, alors pars.
But come back to me, then leave.
Lyrics © SUELION MUSIC
Written by: Jacques Higelin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vintage billy ….uk…..
I remember listening to this as young teenager in my bedroom in the 70s in a small village in Scotland looking at the cover and been fascinated with this woman still am and I’m in my 50s now lol
Javi Domeck Javi
Sem muito mais pra adicionar...o nome Grace Jones é simplesmente sinônimo de tudo que ha de maravilhoso, encantador e a palavra harmonía define seus acordes, ritmos e voz...
Nelson Silva
Muito som meus queridos
LRene Morales
It's 2022...yet this tasty classic seems so today,unique,original...GRACE JONES love u ❤️ 💖 ♥️....no one else like u
Ana Bend
Tight, Funky, deep, soulful Reggae bottom, sung in FRENCH... love her....
Boogie Brewster
The 1 & Only, Jones...Miss Grace Jones...At Her French Vocalizing BEST! Sexy,Phenomenal, Moody, Commanding, & Emotive--Diva Ms. Jones, as well as her Extrodinairy Music!
FERRARIBOY730
"LOVE YOU GRACE"
Anthony Hutton
Magnifique!
Fourny Denis
Merci. Intemporel. Grace fo ever.
musicsavage
Grace Jones introducing a song of the great Jacques Higelin to an english-speaking audience. How cool !