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
First Joy
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My show
Ooh woo
Ooh ooh
Mmm
My first love, my first love
You gave me my first chance to be a woman
My first joy
My first love
You awoke my mind, my soul and my body
My first love
You opened my eyes
Ooh sweetheart
You took away my fear and inhibition
My first love
My sweetness and light
My first love, my first love
You gave me my first chance to be a woman
Forever I'll remember what you gave me
My first joy
That first kiss, ooh
Standin' in the cold warmin' up the winter
It was bliss, ooh
To be in your arms
Woo ooh, it seemed we'd be that way forever
Together in love
And my first love
You'll stay forever in my heart
My first love, my first love
You gave me my first chance to be a woman
Forever I'll remember what you gave me
My first joy
My love, my joy
My first love, my first love
You gave me my first chance to be a woman
Forever I'll remember what you gave me
My first joy
My first love, my first love
You gave me my first chance to be a woman
Forever I'll remember what you gave me
My first joy
Ohh, my first love
You gave me my first chance
You made me feel a woman
My first joy
Ooh, ooh
Ooh baby
Our love is so mad for you
Ooh mad about after you
Ooh babe
Ooh ooh, hey
Yeah yea
The song "First Joy" by Lisa Stansfield is a beautiful ode to the singer's first love. The lyrics are filled with gratitude and appreciation for the person who made her feel like a woman for the first time. Stansfield's soulful voice brings out the emotions in the lyrics, making it a heartfelt and touching song.
From the opening lines, it's clear that the song is about the singer's first love. She thanks this person for giving her the chance to become a woman: "You gave me my first chance to be a woman." Stansfield goes on to recall how this person awakened her mind, soul, and body, and how they took away her fear and inhibition. The lyrics are an expression of deep love and appreciation for the person who gave her so much joy.
The song's emotional depth is further highlighted in the chorus, where Stansfield sings, "You gave me my first chance to be a woman. Forever I'll remember what you gave me, my first joy." The repetition of the phrase "my first love" emphasizes the enduring impact this person had on her life. The final lines of the song express Stansfield's enduring love for this person: "My first love, my first love. You gave me my first chance to be a woman. Forever I'll remember what you gave me, my first joy."
Overall, "First Joy" is a beautiful tribute to the power of first love and the deep impact it can have on our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh ooh
Expressing excitement and anticipation
My first love, my first love
Referring to the singer's initial romantic experience
You gave me my first chance to be a woman
Acknowledging how this relationship influenced the singer's feminine identity formation
Forever I'll remember what you gave me
Expressing gratitude and a lasting memory
My first joy
Highlighting how this experience brought happiness and contentment
You awoke my mind, my soul and my body
Acknowledging the singer's personal and emotional growth that resulted from the relationship
You opened my eyes
Describing how the love interest expanded the singer's perspective
Ooh sweetheart
Expressing affection and fondness
You took away my fear and inhibition
Noting how the love interest helped the artist overcome emotional barriers
My sweetness and light
Endearing name for the love interest
That first kiss, ooh
Describing a formative romantic milestone
Standin' in the cold warmin' up the winter
Providing a sensory description of the setting
It was bliss, ooh
Reaffirming how romantic interactions brought happiness
To be in your arms
Expressing comfort and security
Woo ooh, it seemed we'd be that way forever
Conveying a sense of eternal love and optimism
Together in love
Noting how the relationship was a fundamental bond
You'll stay forever in my heart
Reaffirming the emotional impact of this experience
My love, my joy
Affectionate terms for the love interest
Ooh baby
Expressing affection and endearment
Our love is so mad for you
Describing how intense the artist's feelings are
Ooh mad about after you
Repeating how the artist's infatuation is consuming
Ooh babe
Affectionate term for the love interest
Ooh ooh, hey
Vocal expression of excitement and enthusiasm
Yeah yeah
Vocal expression of agreement or confirmation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDY MORRIS, IAN OWEN DEVANEY, LISA JANE STANSFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind