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
Candy
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I bathe in the light that you give me
You speak my name it's a symphony
And the magic of life rushes through me
Suggest it and I'll do it
There ain't nothing to it
'Cause it feels so good for me
I've got my three wishes
And baby when you want me
It's like taking candy from a baby
And it's sweeter than sweet
When you're right here with me
It's like taking candy from a baby
'Cause you do it to me every time
Yes you do
You do it to me every time
I dream of that place and you take me there
Boy, this is love and you're writing the story
When you run your fingers through my hair
Feels like the whole world is turning just for me
I never have to wait
''cause you reciprocate
Everything I do, yeah
It's wickedly delicious
I've got my three wishes
It almost seems too easy
It's like taking candy from a baby
And it's sweeter than sweet
When you're right here with me
It's like taking candy from a baby
'Cause you do it to me every time
Yes you do
You do it to me every time
It's like taking candy from a baby
And it's sweeter than sweet
When you're right here with me
It's like taking candy from a baby
'Cause you do it to me every time
Sweeter than sweet
Sweeter than sweet
It's wickedly delicious
I've got my three wishes
And baby when you want me
It's like taking candy from a baby
And it's sweeter than sweet
When you're right here with me
It's like taking candy from a baby
The lyrics of Lisa Stansfield's song "Candy" evoke a feeling of bliss and contentment that comes from being with someone who makes life feel like a sweet treat. The opening lines suggest that the person being sung to is the source of light and joy, with their very presence bringing magic and symphony to the singer's life. The following lines suggest a sense of ease and willingness to comply with anything the beloved suggests because it simply feels good to do so. The song takes on a sensual tone when the singer refers to "running fingers through my hair", and the idea of "writing the story" of love conjures up a sense of destiny and fate in relationships.
The chorus of the song is the most memorable, with the repeated refrain "It's like taking candy from a baby", suggesting that the love the singer shares with the beloved is pure and uncomplicated, like the pleasure of a sweet treat. The use of the word "sweeter" in the repeated line "And it's sweeter than sweet" emphasizes just how enjoyable and easy this love feels. The song ends with the playful line "And baby when you want me", underscoring the sense of joyful abandon that characterizes the relationship being portrayed.
Line by Line Meaning
You open your eyes and I see sunshine
When you wake up and look at me, my world brightens like the sun
I bathe in the light that you give me
You radiate positive energy and it's contagious, making me feel warm and happy inside
You speak my name it's a symphony
Hearing you say my name is like music to my ears, it's beautiful and harmonious
And the magic of life rushes through me
You inspire me so much that I feel alive and like anything is possible
Suggest it and I'll do it
I'm willing to do anything you ask, I trust you that much
There ain't nothing to it
It's effortless, because I enjoy pleasing you
'Cause it feels so good for me
I love making you happy, it's rewarding and satisfying for me too
It's wickedly delicious
Our love is exciting and intense, like an indulgent dessert
I've got my three wishes
My desires are simple, as long as I have you, I'm content
And baby when you want me
I'm here for you, whenever you need me
It's like taking candy from a baby
Being with you is effortless and enjoyable, like taking something from a child who's happy to share
And it's sweeter than sweet
Our love is even sweeter than candy, it's special and unique
When you're right here with me
Being in your presence is all I need to feel complete
'Cause you do it to me every time
You make me feel loved and special every time we're together
I dream of that place and you take me there
You transport me to another world with your love, a beautiful place that's only ours
Boy, this is love and you're writing the story
Our love is epic and you're the author of our romantic tale, it's a masterpiece in the making
When you run your fingers through my hair
Your gentle touch is soothing and sends shivers down my spine
Feels like the whole world is turning just for me
In your embrace, everything else fades away and it's just you and me, the center of the universe
I never have to wait
You're always there for me, without hesitation or delay
''cause you reciprocate
You give back just as much as you receive, our love is balanced and mutual
Everything I do, yeah
I do everything for you, because you're my world
It almost seems too easy
Our love is effortless and natural, like we were meant to be together
Sweeter than sweet
Our love is sweeter than anything else in this world, it's a treasure
It's wickedly delicious
Our love is exciting and passionate, like a guilty pleasure
And baby when you want me
I'm always here for you, ready to love and support you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD, RICHARD DARBYSHIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind