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
Gotta Get On This Train
Lisa Stansfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you got to get on this train
its coming around again
well i said it before and i'll say it again
you got to get on this train
we're gonna go aal the
well what more can I say
we got to get on this train
woo wooo got to get on (x3)
we got to get on this train
gotta get on gotta get on come on (x3)
got to get on this train
gotta get on gotta get on
got to get on this train
got a long long journey home
and I can feel it in my bones
but if you wanna rid, just come inside
got to get on this train
woo wooo got to get on
woo wooo got to get on come on
woo wooo got to get on
got to get on this train
gotta get on gotta get on come on
gotta get on gotta get on oh lord
gotta get on gotta get on
got to get on this train
gotta get on gotta get on
got to get on this train
we're right on track no turning back
I can hear the whistle blowing right through my baby and me
wooh woo! (real train whistle)
The song 'Gotta Get On This Train' by Lisa Stansfield is an uplifting pop track encouraging people to take the chance on life's opportunities. The message is clear; if the train of opportunity comes around, we must take it. The lines "got a long long journey home, and I can feel it in my bones" convey a sense of urgency and inevitability. Time waits for no one, so we must be ready to take that leap of faith, to trust in our instincts and jump on that train before it's too late.
Stansfield's soulful voice is driving and the lyrics are a call to action for everyone who has been standing on the platform waiting for their chance. Her words encourage anyone who's hesitant about a new venture or opportunity to have faith, because it's time to take that next step. It ends with the sound of a train whistle, evoking feelings of excitement and adventure. This song encourages us to take a risk, to be bold, and to take control of our destinies.
Line by Line Meaning
yeah yeah yeah
Expressing enthusiasm and eagerness
you got to get on this train
You have to take action by joining the cause or opportunity
its coming around again
The chance or opportunity is presenting itself again
well i said it before and i'll say it again
Emphasizing the importance of taking action
we're gonna go aal the
Travelling towards success or achievement
well what more can I say
Indicating that the opportunity is clear and obvious
right on track its all going back
Everything is aligning for success
woo wooo got to get on (x3)
Expressing urgency and importance of taking action
gotta get on gotta get on come on (x3)
Encouraging others to join in on the opportunity
got a long long journey home
The journey towards success is a long one
and I can feel it in my bones
Intuition and a deep sense of knowing that this is the right path
but if you wanna rid, just come inside
Inviting others to join in on the journey
gotta get on this train
Emphasizing the importance of taking action again
got to get on this train
Repeating the urgency and importance of taking action
we're right on track no turning back
The opportunity is progressing successfully and there's no reason to go back
I can hear the whistle blowing right through my baby and me
Feeling the excitement and enthusiasm of the journey, as if the train's whistle is within them
Contributed by Joseph H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Music Selection
Brilliant George !
Major Snodgrass TheThird
This is a good cd.