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".
Williams' Blood
Grace Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When she was seventeen
She married a Preacher Man
And she settled down
In a little part of town
Followed him all around
Having little babies
In a little ghost town
She's so happy
(I don't want to keep up I can't keep up)
She's so happy, keeping up
(I don't wanna keep up, keeping up with the Jones')
Finally she told me
Grandpa Dan travelled
Playing on the road
With Nat King Cole
And he womanised
Staying up all night
Cruisin'up around the town
From town to town to town
(Let me go, ah ah Hurricane)
(Just let me go, ah ah I'm going to care)
Why don't you be a Jones like your Sister and your brother Noel
When are you gonna be a Jones your just like your Dad
God bless his soul
I've got the William's blood in me
I've got the William's blood in me
I've got the William's blood in me
(I've got the Williams' blood)
I've got the William's blood in me
In me, in me, in me, running though my veins
William's blood in me
In a room full of doves
I'm waiting for the Angels
Spreading my wings
So I can fly
(Let me fly ah ah, hurricane) (Let me go, ah ah Hurricane)
Why don't you be a Jones like your Sister and your brother Noel
The song "Williams Blood" by Grace Jones explores the idea of family legacy and bloodline through the lens of a woman who reflects on her past and the choices she's made. The opening line, "You can't save me, you can't save a wretch like me," sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer acknowledges her imperfections and implies that no one can save her from them.
The second verse introduces the idea of marriage and motherhood, where the woman settles down and follows her preacher husband, having children and singing in a church in a small town. However, the singer's contentment doesn't last long, as she's reminded of her grandfather's wild past as a traveling musician who womanized and stayed up all night. The first chorus introduces the repetition of the line "I've got the William's blood in me," suggesting that her grandfather's legacy lives on through her.
In the final verse, the singer expresses a desire to break free from her past and fly, but is reminded of the pressure to conform to the Jones family legacy, further emphasizing the idea of bloodline and family expectations. Overall, "Williams Blood" is a reflective song that touches on themes of legacy, conformity, and the struggle to break free from one's past.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't save me, you can't save a wretch like me
I am beyond help and redemption, you cannot rescue me from my misery
When she was seventeen
At the age of seventeen
She married a Preacher Man
She wedded a man of the cloth
And she settled down
She made a home for herself and her family
In a little part of town
In a small community
Followed him all around
She accompanied him wherever he went
Having little babies
She bore children
Singing in a little Church
She sang hymns in a small church
In a little ghost town
In an abandoned and desolate place
She's so happy
She appears to be elated
(I don't want to keep up I can't keep up)
(I do not have the energy to maintain my facade)
She's so happy, keeping up
She is attempting to maintain the image of her happiness
(I don't wanna keep up, keeping up with the Jones')
(I do not wish to maintain the facade of keeping up with societal expectations)
Finally she told me
She eventually confided in me
Grandpa Dan travelled
Her grandfather Dan was a traveler
Playing on the road
He was a musician on the go
With Nat King Cole
He performed with the legendary Nat King Cole
And he womanised
He engaged in sexual relationships with multiple women
Staying up all night
He spent many late nights awake
Cruisin'up around the town
He drove around town
From town to town to town
He traveled extensively
(Let me go, ah ah Hurricane)
(Allow me to be free, like a gust of wind)
(Just let me go, ah ah I'm going to care)
(Release me, I am going to take care of myself)
Why don't you be a Jones like your Sister and your brother Noel
Why don't you live up to your familial name like your siblings, Sister and Brother Noel?
When are you gonna be a Jones your just like your Dad
When will you live up to your family name like your father did?
God bless his soul
May he rest in peace
I've got the William's blood in me
I possess the bloodline of the Williams family
(I've got the Williams' blood)
(I have the lineage and legacy of the Williams family)
In me, in me, in me, running though my veins
It flows through my body as if coursing through my veins
William's blood in me
I am a part of the William's family
In a room full of doves
Within a space filled with peace and harmony
I'm waiting for the Angels
I am anticipating the arrival of heavenly beings
Spreading my wings
I am extending my reach and potential
So I can fly
So I can soar towards my dreams
(Let me fly ah ah, hurricane)
(Let me be free and unbridled like the force of nature)
(Let me go, ah ah Hurricane)
(Release me from my constraints, like a storm on the horizon)
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Grace Jones, Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind