Once the frontwoman of UK band Blue Zone, which saw modest success with their single "Jackie", she became a major international star beginning with her guest vocal stint on Coldcut's record People Hold On.
Stansfield is probably best known for her first UK #1 single, All Around the World (1989), which also peaked at #3 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the following year. Other worldwide hits from her debut solo album Affection include This is the Right Time (featuring a house music-styled production by Coldcut with Mark Saunders), Live Together, What Did I Do To You? and You Can't Deny It. "All Around the World" was the second song by a white female soloist to hit #1 on the Billboard R&B chart (the first being "Ooo La La La" by Teena Marie in 1988). "You Can't Deny It" also topped that chart. Affection went platinum in the U.S., and sold a total of five million copies worldwide.
In 1990, Stansfield was among a handful of high-profile artists to participate in the Red Hot + Blue charity album, which honored the songwriting career of Cole Porter, and benefitted AIDS research at a time when funding from government agencies was insufficient for those in need. She was given the chance to show her swing and jazz chops on the song "Down in the Depths" (video), which was one of a few throwback renditions to appear on the album. This likely won her the female lead in the independent film Swing (1999), for which soundtrack she also performed most of the songs. Thus began an illustrious and respected tradition of Stansfield offering jazz and torch songs to outside projects (she also sang I've Got the World on a String in the original movie soundtrack of 2003's Mona Lisa Smile).
In 1992, Stansfield won a BRIT Award as best British female solo artist. Her second album Real Love did not quite live up to the success of Affection, despite selling very well. However, it did spawn four Top 40 singles on the European charts: Change, All Woman, Time to Make You Mine and Set Your Loving Free. "Change" has since become one of her signature classics, and still receives regular air-play to this day. "All Woman" became Stansfield's third #1 single on the Billboard R&B chart, and due to the success of that song, the album went gold in the U.S. Filled with pathos and emotion, it is "kitchen sink soul", from the viewpoint of a woman taken for granted. Like "All Around the World", many critics initially believed that it had been performed by a black singer.
Stansfield continued recording disco-influenced soul throughout the 1990s. Her third album So Natural (1993) spawned three Top 40 European singles including the title track So Natural, In All the Right Places and Little Bit of Heaven, but the album was never released in the U.S. She had continued success throughout Europe, but her popularity in America had diminished.
sidenote: "In All The Right Places" was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Indecent Proposal (1993), for which Stansfield was shortlisted as the lead that eventually went to Demi Moore. You can catch her talking about it in this YouTube interview clip (@ 1:30).
Her self-titled fourth album Lisa Stansfield (1997) was a hit in Europe with two Top Ten singles - People Hold On (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Mix) (a re-released dance mix by The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and The Real Thing, and the Top 40 track Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (a remake of the late Barry White's 1973 hit). Upon being released in the U.S., the album scored some mainstream attention, but fared much better in the dance clubs where remixes were very successful; an astonishing four singles - "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", Never Gonna Fall, I'm Leavin', and "People Hold On" reached #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. It charted modestly, peaking at #30 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #55 on the Billboard 200. Subsequently, The Remix Album was released due to revived interest in Stansfield within the dance community. The music video for "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (video) was an eye-catcher featuring her strolling nude down a city street, acquiring a few items of clothing along the way. VH1 featured the clip and even gave it the Pop-Up Video treatment. During the promotion for the single, Stansfield appeared on the RuPaul Show, but inexplicably, did not sing the song (or any others, for that matter).
Her 2001 album Face Up was less successful, barely charting through a lack of publicity, but featured the singles Let's Just Call It Love and 8-3-1, which found her experimenting with newer styles of R&B such as 2-step while continuing with her established sound. Stansfield's husband, Ian Devaney, delivered an arrangement for the ballad How Could You?, which displayed his love of Burt Bacharach's legacy. Only one single was officially released in the UK.
Following the release of Face Up, a 2-CD greatest hits collection titled Biography: The Greatest Hits was released in 2003, which sold well in the UK and Europe. Stansfield then parted ways with Arista/BMG, ending an 18-year association with the label.
Stansfield signed with ZTT Records from the UK, and her 2004 release The Moment was produced by Trevor Horn, well-known for his work with Seal, Grace Jones, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, among others. The album was distributed in Europe by Edel, featuring the singles Treat Me Like a Woman (released as a double A-side with Easier) and If I Hadn't Got You, a song written by Chris Braide with ex-Squeeze songwriter Chris Difford. The album found her exploring more pop-oriented material, and focusing on lush ballads.
Despite this, as with her previous release, the album and supporting singles were not a success. At the time of the project's release, ZTT was directing large amounts of its resources into re-marketing its back catalogue, and producing the Trevor Horn concert for The Prince's Trust and its accompanying double CD Produced by Trevor Horn. The release of "Treat Me Like a Woman" was twice delayed, and the label eventually paired it with "Easier". While ZTT did erect a billboard to advertise the album in Stansfield's home area of Greater Manchester, print advertising and in-store displays were reportedly absent. Later that year ZTT dropped her from their label.
Stansfield's talents also extended into acting; she starred in the 1999 film Swing with actor Hugo Speer, and recorded covers of swing classics and a few original songs written in the style for the soundtrack. She later appeared on a London stage in The Vagina Monologues. In 2006, she guest-starred in the series Goldplated. In 2007, she starred in an episode of Marple: Ordeal by Innocence, and later joined the cast of The Edge of Love.
On June 2012, Lisa told the UK newspaper, The Sunday Mirror that she's working on her seventh studio album, her first in nine years, and that it is going to be released in spring 2013. Lisa announced in November 2012 that the album will be titled 'Seven'.
Official website: http://www.lisa-stansfield.com
Be Mine
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My sweet joy.
It's the little things you do that make me love you,
The way you touch my hair,
The way you care,
And when night-time comes around,
So I can dream the day all over again.
With sweet sweet love runnin' through me,
I give you everything I have and everything I can be,
I can't stand the thought of ever losing you,
So baby stay with me.
Chorus:
May you always be mine,
Babe I want you for all time,
May you always be mine
From the moment you take hold of me,
I wake up,
You wake up my very soul,
Time just flies away the more you kiss me,
May we forever share this love affair.
Chorus
Babe I can't explain that it's like walking in the rain,
And I thank God for the day I found you,
We've got the lot with the love we've got,
So let it stay...
Chorus
The song "Be Mine" by Lisa Stansfield is a love song that speaks of the little things that a partner does that make the singer fall in love with him. The song talks about the way the partner touches her hair, cares for her and how falling asleep with him allows her to dream the day all over again. The singer, in the chorus, expresses her desire for the partner to always be hers and how she can't stand the thought of ever losing him. She sings of sharing a love affair forever and waking up her very soul each time he takes hold of her.
The lyrics of "Be Mine" portray the beauty and simplicity of love through the little things that partners do for each other. The song shows how love makes everything worth fighting and hoping for, and how it can fill one's heart with joy and happiness. The use of metaphors, such as "sweet sweet love running through me," and "waking up my very soul," showcases the depth of the singer's feelings for her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
My sweet joy.
Addressing the subject of the song, the singer expresses their affection using a term of endearment.
It's the little things you do that make me love you,
The singer appreciates the small gestures of affection that their partner uses, recognizing that it strengthens the bond they share.
The way you touch my hair,
One of the little things that the singer's partner does to show affection is gently touch their hair.
The way you care,
The artist's partner also shows love through the way they take care of the artist, demonstrating their affection in practical ways.
And when night-time comes around,
The artist enjoys spending time with their partner at night, when they can relax and be together.
I fall asleep with you,
Sharing a bed with their partner is a comforting and intimate experience for the singer, allowing them to feel close and secure.
So I can dream the day all over again.
Being with their partner is so satisfying to the singer that they dream about the experience, wanting to hold onto the moments they share as long as possible.
With sweet sweet love runnin' through me,
The artist feels their partner's love deeply and abundantly, experiencing a sense of fulfillment and happiness because of it.
I give you everything I have and everything I can be,
The artist is willing to put their all into the relationship, giving everything they can to make it work and make their partner happy.
I can't stand the thought of ever losing you,
The idea of being separated from their partner is unbearable to the artist, highlighting just how much they care about their relationship.
So baby stay with me.
The singer expresses their desire for their partner to remain with them, showing just how much they value their connection and the love they share.
May you always be mine,
The artist expresses their wish for their partner to remain with them forever, believing that their love is strong enough to endure any challenge.
Babe I want you for all time,
The singer reinforces their commitment to their partner, expressing how much they desire a long and fulfilling relationship.
From the moment you take hold of me,
The singer recalls the moment when they first fell in love with their partner, feeling a sense of warmth and joy at being in their company.
I wake up,
Being with their partner is like waking up to a bright new day for the singer, revitalizing their sense of purpose and joy.
You wake up my very soul,
The artist feels that their partner brings out the best in them, leaving them feeling complete and fulfilled in every way.
Time just flies away the more you kiss me,
Being in their partner's embrace makes time seem to fly for the artist, emphasizing just how much they enjoy being with them.
May we forever share this love affair.
The singer expresses their desire to maintain the love and passion of their relationship for as long as possible, hoping to create something that will endure forever.
Babe I can't explain that it's like walking in the rain,
The singer finds it difficult to describe the depth of their love for their partner, viewing it as a natural and beautiful experience that defies easy explanation.
And I thank God for the day I found you,
The artist recognizes how fortunate they are to have found such a loving and compassionate partner, viewing their relationship as a blessing from above.
We've got the lot with the love we've got,
The artist feels that they have everything they could possibly need with their partner, enjoying the many blessings that come with being in love.
So let it stay...
The artist expresses their wish for their current state of bliss to remain, hoping that their relationship can endure for the long term.
Chorus
The repeated lines of the chorus emphasize the singer's deep desire for their partner to remain with them, expressing the strength and depth of their love for them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind