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
Boyfriend
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do I pick up the telephone?
Can I keep my self-control with my best friend's boyfriend?
It more than my life's worth to hit on you
The water's too deep but the passion is too
I've got your number in my pocket and your body on my mind
Oh baby why must life be so unkind?
Of all the people it could be
To come and test my loyalty
If only it was anyone but you
'Cause you're my best friend's boyfriend
How am I supposed to handle that now baby?
She's away for the weekend
I just hope my conscience holds me back
I know what my heart says
Whichever way I play it mine's a losing hand
'Cause you're my best friend's boyfriend
And baby what a fine man she has
She told me to call you if I needed you
Little did she know just how much I do
Now the water's getting deeper and I'm swimming for my life
Oh baby why, oh baby why?
Of all the people it could be
To come and test my loyalty
If only it was anyone but you
You're my best friend's boyfriend
How am I supposed to handle that now baby?
She's away for the weekend
I just hope my conscience holds me back
I know what my heart says
Whichever way I play it mine's a losing hand
You're my best friend's boyfriend
And baby what a fine man she has
Do I sit alone at home?
Do I pick up the telephone?
Can I keep my self-control with my best friend's boyfriend?
It's a feeling I should never speak of
I'm trying but the flesh is weak
I know I'm getting in too deep with my best friend's boyfriend
You're my best friend's boyfriend
How am I supposed to handle that now baby?
She's away for the weekend-a
In the song "Boyfriend" by Lisa Stansfield, the lyrics depict a situation where the singer is in love with her best friend's boyfriend. She is struggling with her feelings for him and constantly questions herself whether she should call him or not. She knows that hitting on him will only cause trouble and is afraid of losing her friend. However, she cannot help but think about him, as he is constantly on her mind. The lyrics show her innermost thoughts and desire but at the same time, her struggle with morals and loyalty.
Line by Line Meaning
Do I sit alone at home?
Am I staying home by myself?
Do I pick up the telephone?
Am I calling someone on the phone?
Can I keep my self-control with my best friend's boyfriend?
Am I able to resist temptation with my friend's partner?
It more than my life's worth to hit on you
Flirting with you is too risky for me
The water's too deep but the passion is too
I'm in too deep, but I can't help my feelings
I've got your number in my pocket and your body on my mind
I have your contact and I can't stop thinking about you
Oh baby why must life be so unkind?
Why is life so difficult for me right now?
Of all the people it could be
Out of everyone in the world
To come and test my loyalty
You are the one trying to test my loyalty
If only it was anyone but you
I wish it was someone else instead of you
'Cause you're my best friend's boyfriend
You are dating my best friend
How am I supposed to handle that now baby?
What should I do now?
She's away for the weekend
My friend is not here for the weekend
I just hope my conscience holds me back
I hope I can control myself
I know what my heart says
I know what I want to do
Whichever way I play it mine's a losing hand
Either way I lose
And baby what a fine man she has
You are a great man and my friend is lucky to have you
She told me to call you if I needed you
My friend asked me to call you if I needed help
Little did she know just how much I do
She doesn't know how much I want to call you
Now the water's getting deeper and I'm swimming for my life
The situation is getting more difficult and I'm struggling to handle it
Oh baby why, oh baby why?
Why is this happening to me?
It's a feeling I should never speak of
I should keep these feelings to myself
I'm trying but the flesh is weak
I'm attempting to resist, but I'm struggling
I know I'm getting in too deep with my best friend's boyfriend
I recognize that I'm getting too involved with my friend's partner
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS DUTTON, JOHN SHANKS, ELANA ANGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind