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".
Slave To The Rhythm
Grace Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wheels must turn to keep, to keep the flow,
Build on up, don't break the chain,
Sparks will fly, when the whistle blows,
Never stop the action,
Keep it up, keep it up,
Work to the rhythm,
Love to the rhythm,
Slave to the rhythm,
Axe to wood, in ancient time,
Man machine, power line,
Fires burn, heart beats strong,
Sing out loud, the chain gang song,
Never stop the action,
Keep it up, keep it up,
Breathe to the rhythm,
Dance to the rhythm,
Work to the rhythm,
Live to the rhythm,
Love to the rhythm,
Slave to the rhythm.
The song "Slave to the Rhythm" by Grace Jones speaks about the constant flow of life, the grind that needs to happen in order to survive, and the importance of keeping up with the rhythm of life. The opening lines suggest that men understand the need to work all day to maintain a productive and thriving society. The wheels must turn, the chain must not be broken, and the sparks will fly when the whistle blows, referring to the energy that's produced when people work together. The song suggests that the action must never stop, the rhythm must be kept up, and work, life and love must be in harmony.
The song evokes imagery of people working together, such as the sound of the axe to wood in ancient times, men working on machines, and the power lines humming with electricity. It suggests that no matter how far we've come, we continue to work as hard as ever, and that our spirits are always high. The song captures a sense of camaraderie and solidarity, as people continue to work to a song that will never stop.
Overall, "Slave to the Rhythm" describes the idea that we're all interconnected parts of a larger whole. We all work to the same rhythm, and while it can be hard, there's beauty in the communal nature of our efforts.
Line by Line Meaning
Work all day, as men who know,
We work tirelessly day in and day out, just like men who understand the importance of hard work.
Wheels must turn to keep, to keep the flow,
We must keep moving and pushing forward to keep everything running smoothly.
Build on up, don't break the chain,
We must continue to build upon what we have and not let anything interrupt the flow.
Sparks will fly, when the whistle blows,
There will be energy and excitement when we reach a milestone or accomplish something great.
Never stop the action,
We must keep moving forward and never allow ourselves to become complacent.
Keep it up, keep it up,
We must maintain our momentum and not let anything slow us down.
Work to the rhythm,
Our work must be in sync with the cadence of everything else around us.
Live to the rhythm,
Our lives must also be in harmony with the rhythm of the world around us.
Love to the rhythm,
We must embrace and cherish the rhythm of life and all that it entails.
Slave to the rhythm,
We are committed to following the beat of life and being a part of something greater than ourselves.
Axe to wood, in ancient time,
In the past, people worked hard physically, doing things such as chopping wood.
Man machine, power line,
We now have machines that can help us work and be more efficient, such as power lines.
Fires burn, heart beats strong,
Life is full of energy and excitement, like a burning fire or a strong heartbeat.
Sing out loud, the chain gang song,
We must work together in harmony, like a chain gang singing a song.
Breathe to the rhythm,
Our breaths should align with the rhythm of life.
Dance to the rhythm,
We should embrace the music and move with the rhythm of life.
Work to the rhythm,
Our work should be in sync with the pulse of the world around us.
Live to the rhythm,
Our lives should follow the same cadence as everything else around us.
Love to the rhythm,
We should love and be grateful for the music of life.
Slave to the rhythm.
We are devoted to being a part of the rhythm of life and working together in harmony.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRUCE WOOLLEY, SIMON DARLOW, STEVE LIPSON, TREVOR CHARLES HORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peck Peck I'm a Paycheck
This is a song where the instruments have a lot to say as much as the lyrics do. Multiple people have come to me after the fact and told me "I can't stop thinking about that song." Really captivating music.
orbital14
A masterclass in music production, everything inside this tune is perfect. Here we are almost 40 years later realizing how lame pop music has gotten since then, on ALL levels
Danny
Not sure why Grace Jones has been in my head lately, but here I am. This is perfection.
YT allows kids 2 see Depravity but not the truth
@Tim Haugen I'll never forget that line "I'll spread your head open"😭
Atkaffair Atkaffair
Thinking exactly the same
jmaxg
Yes it is perfection. Style and our interpretation of style was redefined because of Grace Jones. I am in tears. I knew what she presented was important. But I was so young. I couldn't define it. Back then as a young sensitive boy, I was in love with Margaux Hemingway - her speech impediment melted my heart. Then a strong black woman turned my head so fast there was a permanent crick in it. I once wore a black dinner suit to an event. While getting prepared, I imagined Grace Jones adjusting my bow tie - then patting me on the lapel as she smiled. It was a great night.
Edit: My thanks to Mauricio Almeida for cultivating this extended experience.
Frédéric Batoul
@Woody Houchin de
Will Reverend-Magister Reid
Because you have impeccable taste!!
UTubeAngelique
If memory serves me correctly, I’m sure this song was a ‘middle-finger up’ to the music industry WAY before many other artists started to demand royalties and recognition.
Grace is a total legend and a beautiful, intelligent gem.
TheTuubster
This is the magic of Trevor Horn, a music producer and composer, who polished the shit out of this song. Horn was also the head behind a lot of Art Of Noise tracks and other very polished 80's tracks (Yes' "Owner of a lonely heart" for example). "Slave To The Rhythm" (including the concept album) is a Horn masterpiece, one of the best produced songs in pop history. It does not get better than that.