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".
She's Lost Control
Grace Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remains over time
It's always been just the same
No hearing, no breathing
No movement, no colors
Just silence
Rise and fall of shame
You asked me where I am
I said I didn't care
Sound formed in a vacuum
May seem a waste of time
It's always been just the same
No hearing, no breathing
No movement, no colors
Just silence
Rise and fall of shame
A search that shall remain
You asked me what you'd seen
I said I didn't care
Grace Jones's song She's Lost Control is an incredibly powerful and moving track that explores themes of loss, isolation, and confusion. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the entire piece, with the singer talking about a thought that never changes and remains constant over time. This thought is a symbol of the singer's confusion and distress, and it suggests that they have been struggling with their feelings for some time.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly entrapped by their own sense of despair. They describe a world without sound or color, where everything is just silence. This sense of isolation and emptiness is reflected in the music itself, which is sparse and haunting.
The chorus of the song is perhaps the most powerful moment, with the singer describing the "rise and fall of shame" and a "search that shall remain." These lines suggest that the singer is trapped in a cycle of self-loathing and emotional turmoil, and cannot escape from their own thoughts and feelings. The final lines of the chorus, where the singer states that they "didn't care" about where they are or what they've seen, highlights how disconnected and lost they feel.
Line by Line Meaning
A thought that never changes
An unchanging thought that persists over time
Remains over time
It is a constant thought that remains unchanged
It's always been just the same
This thought has always been the same
No hearing, no breathing
There is no sound or breathing in this moment
No movement, no colors
There is no movement or color in this moment
Just silence
The absence of sound or any other interruptions
Rise and fall of shame
The ups and downs of regrettable actions or thoughts
A search that shall remain
An exploration for answers that will never be resolved
You asked me where I am
A question about the artist's location
I said I didn't care
The artist doesn't care about where they are
Sound formed in a vacuum
A sound created in an empty space
May seem a waste of time
It may appear to serve no purpose
You asked me what you'd seen
A question about what the listener has viewed
I said I didn't care
The singer doesn't care about what the listener has seen
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNARD SUMNER, IAN KEVIN CURTIS, PETER HOOK, STEPHEN PAUL DAVID MORRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
andrew james Bunting
Lyrics
Confusion in her eyes that says it all
I've lost control
And she's clinging to the nearest passer-by
She's lost control
She gave away the secrets to her past
And said, I've lost control
To the voice that told her when and where to act
She said, I've lost control again
She turned around and stabbed him in the hand and said
I've lost control
Now I'll never know just why or understand, she said
I've lost control
She screamed out, kicking on the side and said
I've lost control again
She writhed upon the floor, I thought she'd die
And said, I've lost control
I've lost control
I've lost control again
She had to pause her breath and state her case and say
I've lost control again
She showed up all her errors and mistakes, and said
I've lost control again
I've lost control
I've lost control again
She's clinging to the nearest passerby
I've lost control
She gave away the secrets of her past and said
I've lost control
With the voice that told her when and where to act, she said
I've lost control
And she turned around and stabbed him in the hand and said
I've lost control again
Now I'll never know just why or understand, she said
I've lost control
And she screamed out, kicking on her side and said
I've lost control
And writhed upon the floor, I thought she'd die, and said
I've lost control
I've lost control
I've lost control again
Scott Saloney
a huge joy division fan, this is amazing!!
Sally Lauper
I Love Them Both.
God of Victory
'She's Lost Control', 'Nightclubbing', 'Love Is the Drug' - Grace Jones really stamps her unique mark on the tracks she covers.
czechhero
The secret of a good cover is do it your own way. Brilliant
von junzt
very well done. she took a post punk classic and made it her own.
Jon Wild
Grace was born to sing this, Sly and Robbie landed on earth to play it, Compass point studio was built to record it, the stars came into alignment and the tape started running....
Rémi Walter
Barry, sticky, wally, what a party !
Joanne Young
you know it ! :D
kernowgypsy
Jon Wild could not agree more .
R Smith
My absolute favourite track of Grace Jones thus far. I would love to have been a fly on the wall of that recording studio when they recorded this. Only Grace could cover this and make it into such a total musical car crash. It's a wonderfully demented 8 minutes of complete nightmare mayhem!!! This is her BEST acting performance of anything she's ever done on film. In fact they should make it into a movie cos i'd go and see it. ....and where would the outtakes ever ended up after they recorded this....somebody must have them somewhere....An academy award performance and a lie down after definitely goes to Grace on this one. She is brilliant.